Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1882-01-01
A WAIF'S WANDERINGS.
The 3,000-biiIe Trip of 12-Year Old
Tramp.
San Francisco Chronicle.

San Francisco Chronicle.
'Please, sir, is there doctor here ?"
piped a childish voice at the elbow of
Officer Bu-h at the city prison en-
trance late Wednesday afternoon.
"Yes, sonny, there's a doctor here.
returned the official, CHANGING down
at the ragged, foTlofn bit OF human
ity from whom the query came;
what do you want of hlm?'
81 dunno, sir, but / think Tn sick;
l feel awful bad, said the mite,
mournfully, as he seated himself on
bootbiack's kit which he carried by
strap sIung over his shoulder.
Haven't you got any parents to
look after you ?" asked the officer.
"N-no," doubtingly replied the
lad Il had Il mother, but she got
married, an my ded's dead.
where aid they live "
IN Quebec"
The arrival of Police Surgeon
Stambaugh interrupted the CONVEX
sation at this luncture, and the
orphan was escorted into the
City Receiving Hospital, where, ten
minutes later, the doctor ascertained
that his patient was suffering from
preliminary stages OF violent
attack of measles. He was pre-
scrbed Tor, and put TO bed in one Of
the vacant wards to await the arrival
of the City and County Hospital
van, pending which event a Chron
lcle reporter, who had become inter
ested in bis conversation with the
officer, paid him a short visit for the
purpose Of obtaining more OF his
history.
II suy this is bully bunk, ain
it, mister 2" the little fellow remarked,
as he again nestled between the sheets
after glance at the intruder. Re,
assuring his victim on the bunk ques
tien, the reporter inquired his name
and age.
Norman Barton, sir, an most
-"
Where did you come from"
Canada, sir, close to Quebec
Further questioning elected the
fact that the boy had left his home
at the beginning of winter with a
stock Of worldly goods, consisting of
the clothes ne had on his back, a
-blacking apparatus and four
Canadian pennies, one OF which
latter he still retained in his posses
sion, for the simple reason, as he
natiyely remarked, that be couldd't
spend it, as the bulky coins We're not III
| demand. The cause Vi his leaving
home was the cruel treatment of his
stepfather, whom his mother married
q few weeks after the death OF his
natural father. The little fellow
pulled up his tattered shirt as il to
STOW the marks left from numerous
.walIopiugs, as he termed them, out
the length Of time since his departure
over four months had removed
al signs of punishment, e1cepta scar
/ where his tender SKIN had been cut.
His or ginal idea, he said, on leaving
yw4s to reach San Francisco, where
/ some people he had known III Quebec
had gone, and with the Bay City as
lis goal, he never stepped unul it
was reached, ABOUT fortnight. since.
His travelling had been done
alternately by cars and by
foot. - guess 1 was put Off
more'n thousand times he said,
eos I didn't have no money, but
I'd walk till the next train come
along and climb on again. Some
times I d shine the train feilers' boots
and git q ride, but not often.
Since he had landed here all had
been smooth sailing, and though IN
able to find the friends he expected,
he had earned sufficient with his
brush to supply his daily needs. The
long tip, supplemented with ez-
pos1re and occasional hunger, told
severely on him, however, and fe~
yer degenerated into the measles,
which some of bis follow Arabs had
cajoled him into believing was small
pox. He was sent to the county
hospital yesterday, and when dis
changed viii probably be looked al
ter by some one OF several phllan'
thropic gent emen who heard his
story and were impressed by his