St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-04-07
HOTEL DE TRAMP, ST. PAUL.
A Globe Reporter in Disguise Passes
Night at the Calaboose.
He Catches an Inside Glimpse of vagrant
Life and Takes Notes.


remarked GLOBE reporter disguised as
tramp, to Officer O'Keefe lastnight reaching
out his hand for the register.
whats your name?" asked the officer.
''You're too drunk to write See how your
hand trembles. I've mind to lock you up
in the haunted cell-that's No. 3, where the
Scotchman hung himself"
''Wsh-hic-you would, ~ said the pseudo
tramp "Cosh anything exhsra9"
''Tell YOUR name and business, demanded
the officer.
H.-hic-E.-Weymouth
''Git QUIT 1 know him too well. That
amt your name. Try again.
"Albert Larson-hic-and put down that
I'm in for Larson-y," said the disguised
dude.
''Where's you homeland what is your
businessl''
"Home? Sh-Paul. Bieshness9 Loaf
ing. Put down st. Paul loafer." The Of
ficer wrote it down, and escorted the new
guest to the dormitory and shut the door on
| him.
Here I comet Hicl Stop me
somebody said the reporter,
as he stumbled over the five tramps and
awakened them, just to see what they would
say. What they said was not fit for publica-
ton, literally. Some of the oaths were quite
new, and caused the scribe to note that they
are spring styles even in profanity.
''Let's see, how many are there of US here
| Tonight" said the new conner, rising
upon one elbow, in the place where he had
fallen. ''One-two-hic-t hree-sixteen.
Only steen of US here tonight. A short
time ago we were sixty. Our ranks are thin
ming out, boys. I tell you the old home
amt what it used to be-"
"Choke that gilick," growled a tourist in
the far corner of the room.
''Throw him bone!" suggested another.
''Fire him out,n said a third.
''Mop up the floor with him. said a fourth.
''Sew buttons on him." said fifth.
'Whats eatin' him2' asked sixth.
''Give him chance!" spoke up the lucky
seventh man. II say pardner, where N you
from9 Pm stuck on your racket. Come m
bunk over on this side, m give them fellers
the walk. They're cranky tonight They
got 'ena big m you can spect anything else.
Some people amt got no manners anyhow. I
always treat new man decent, until he
proves himself wolf. Take drop of the
creature''
The bogus tramp crawled over to his new
found friend and took from his hand the
proffered flask, saying: ''Thanks, 1 just
smell it and you'll consider that have drunk
with you. The fact is, I've been drinking
champagne all the afternoon, and my stom-
ach is out of order. need rest. Have you
been here long?"
"About thirteen days. It's the snidest
town I ever struck. The people are liberal
and will give you food, but the place is dead.
/ was here twenty years ago, and there was
more life in a minute than there is in a week
now. 1t makes me tired, it makes me chilly
to see the style of these people. They've run
the respectable sports all out of the city, and
they've got in class of danes and their
pimps that would disgrace the Chinese quarter
of San Francisco. don't work very hard
with my hands, but observe good deal in
my travels, and there are few subjects that I
am not posted on. did think I'd write this
place up for one of the newspapers, but it
wouldn't do any good"
''What have you got to complain of?'
asked the scribe.
''Nothing. I wouldn't complain. The
police have been very kind to US through the
cold weather. They give US a good fire and
keep the place clean. It's a good deal too
tidy for some of the buns who sleep here.
I've heard them argue that the boards would
be softer if they were not scrubbed so
often.''
hot 80 - ~;
in?"
"Good enough-that is to say, the work
racket pays very well, only you don't have to
work. All you've got to do is to go up to a
house and ask for work. The boss looks at
you and sizes you, and in most cases he'll
hand you a quarter and say: 4 have no
work for you old man; I'm sorry for you.
Take this piece of silver and HE you to the
temperance house down the street,"
''But suppose you're not an old mana"
''Make up for the part. / was gray at an
early age, which was my fortune; but if
hadn't been gray naturally I'd have worn a
wig. tell you, the old man racket is what
catches 'em.''
''Do you ever 60 in for any crooked work. -
''Not in late years l helped steal horse
once in California, and they hung another
fellow for it. l got out of it by the skin of
my teeth and l have never stolen a pin or
held man up since. I've seen good deal
of crime in others though. I've slept in the
same lumber yard with murderers and burg
lars, and heard them putting up their jobs.
But those fellers always come to a bed end. -
'Do you suppose that there have been any
incendiaries lodged in this room this win
tern
Couldn't say, positively, though should
not be surprised if there had. have not
been intimate with any that seemed to be
crooked.'
''You are pretty good judge of human
nature. New what object can man
have in setting fire to another's property?"
''He can have no reasonable object. Some
times it is done out of petty spite. A ser
want girl will refuse tramp food, and he
will be so incensed by her manner that he
will return at night and set fire to the stable,
assuming that the coachman who sleeps
there is her lover, and that he will get
into trouble. Sometimes a tramp
will harbor malice for ten and twenty years,
aud will set fire to mans barn who has
wronged him before he became tramp.
Sometimes a man will hire out as an in
cendiary for petty sum. But tramps are
not the only incendiaries, as you well know.
There are many seemingly respectable people
who have no idea that there is anything
wrong in setting fire to a building. They
look upon insurance companies as set of
robbers, and exult in the thought of forcing
them to pay out some of their cash. They
| are like the cranks who wreck trains to spite
railway companies"
81 am tired Of tramp life,'' said the report
er, yawning.
"That's because YOU take everything by the
rough handle. You should combine business
with pleasure. Ny plan is to carry number
of recipes printed upon slips of paper. When
l am out in the country / can sell these for
money, or exchange them for food and cloth
u L. i L. L.,