, 1884-01-31
THE YRAMP's CIPHER
Begging Become a Regularly Organ
lied Profession
signs which the Tramp fraternity
Chalk ON the Gate-Posts--
Marks Tor the d. !


Tho reporter suggested the proprie.y Of
two quarts of beer and u comfortable hay
loft, which was enthusiastically seconded
The tramp carried the beer after the 70
porter promised to como around and pay for
1t some day. Lss usag sHl .a5,
I'm no beggar," began he with much flu
ency, sand always mako It a practice 10 rem
der some equivalent in promises for fayors
received. But l know all the ropes Of the
boys, and It may be that m have to come
come down to their level some day. Begging
IL, In reality, a regularly organised pro-
~fession, the principal varieties Of which are
termed Turks the fire Turk prstended losses
by tre) the shipwrecked sailors lurk; the
foreigners' lurk; the accident Turk; tho sick
Turk pretended illnes); some tie up their
arms in a very clever way; others feign fits
others remain In bed Stimulating illness,
whilo they send out their companions to beg
for them; the deaf and dumb Turk; the
servants lurk pretended loss of employment
through an explosion the weavers', calen-
dererS and ootton-spinners Turks. To these
may be added the shallow cove,' or fshiyer-
Jenny who goes about half naked, and the
'high-dyer,' who Stimulates tho broken-down
gentleman, officer or brakeman.
Ths happy tramp talked az freely as though
the listener was Of his own. 1t would require
a book to deal comprehensively with all the
receptions and disguisea OF these fellows, as
there is hardly 4 source of human suffering
or n passing calamity of any magnitude
which they do not sndoavor to turn to their
advantage.
Tbs following are the signs ehalked by the
fraternity on doors and gate-posts for tho In
formation OF their brethren:
7 This road is better than the other.
They viii buy IL you have they
want.
Good for something TO sat
Religious; but good on the wholA
x No good.
Spoilt by too many tramps calling.
! Likely to have you taken up.
Dangerous; sure Of being Imprisoned.
The upper-orust of the fraternity (those
that are "well-hred, " in the citiss) resort to
the directories In public places, and mark
the names OF the good ones" Several
thousand ars thus marked In New York and
Chicago, and the gangs" that profit by this
system are well organized and number from
ten TO thirty members
The following ars their marks, with their
meanings:
Means doubtful, or not called on before.
- Means good or likely to give.
Means very good, or very likely to give.
II know Of q gang Of ovsr twenty persons
In one of the big towns, who make at least
$40 a week each.
"The letters and petitions sent or presented
are skillful fabrications or forgeriss; some
times they are sent by post, but more fro
quentiy they aro presented in person.
THE petitions often profess to be signed by
the mayor, aud have attached to them excsl-
lent limitations Of the signatures Of a number
OF influential people who are statedto havs
contributed to this CASE Sometimss the case
a.. 4L-t - I...-l--- 49, -
fright and dashed her van to pieces, i~njuring
her only son and causing hsr great loss. AT
other times the case is that of a widow in dis
tross, whose husband has died under affecting
circumstances and left her unprovided for
the circumstances varying with the supposed
social position Of the husband; or a widow is
represented as being In danger Of ruin In con-
sequence OF her shop being robbed by burg
lars, of her having an execution on her house,
or of her COW having died Of ~plsuropneu.
mouia .r.f a.n--.
Frequently the member Of the gang as
sumo = variety OF characters. and call upon
people without lsttsrs or petitions and recon.
mend one anothsr for assistance on every
kind Of plea-an invalid child requiring to bs
plaosd In an asylum, a distressed tradesman
or foreigner, a singer OF celebrity
who has fallen into poverty. or o sufferer by
s~hipwreok or fire. Sometimes the membsrs Of
tho gang call singly, at other times they worh
in parties OF four or six, two going into tbs
house while the others keep watch In tbs
neighborhood to give warning of danger.
"The names OF the neighboring clergy arr
freely used, either as writers OF
tory letters accompanying petitions, or a,
contributors Of references; or the visiting
cards of people Of position are employed Al
introductions, these cards having been taker
from the card-basksts lying In the halls Of
other people.
THE leaders Of such gangs read all the 80
cial news In the papsrs to be posted about ths
movements Of the fashionable world, and
they make It a practice to supply themselves
with any kind OF reference that may Prov
useful. You may ask why / am not one oil
tho kindi Well. 1 am not tony and go Oh
an occasional bust Good night"