Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-05-04
THE TRUMP TRAMP,
A Journey of 400 Miles on Foot
Jewett's Trip from Jacksonville to

A Journey OF 1,4OO miles on root
Jewett's Trip from Jacksonville to
Ipswich.
.sThat's him; that's 'Miah. l can tell
him by his walk and the speaker stood
up in the little dory and pointed across
the waste of marsh, creeks, and dunes,
says the Boston Globe, toward the spot
where figure, half hidden, bent over the
sands with a clam hoe in hand. The
speaker was a freckled-faced youth with
expansive countenance, and the corners
of whose mouth, as he smiled, passed
each other at the back of his head. The
youths companion, reporter, seated IN
a dory, was exploring the various creeks
and inlets about the mouth of the Ipswich
river in search of Nehemiah Alvin jew
EFT, who had recently reached his home
after a journey of 1,400 miles, which he
had traversed on foot.
'sYes," he SAID, Il am the man who
walked from Florida to Ipswich, and
good tramp it was. left home the week
after the wreck of the City of Columbus,
and went to Jacksonville by steamer, in
tending to remain there and work. When
l reached that place l found there was no
work 10 be had. / stayed there just
week, and finding no work, and my funds
becoming exhausted, 1 resolved to come
home, and there was no way to do it eX-
cept to tramp it. So | turned my face to
the nOrthward and set OUT
did you travel aloneT
II started alone. but a few miles out of
Jacksonville, fell in with young coll
Ored fellow who was on his way to Beau
fort, S. G. He had run away from home
with party of boys ard gone to jackson
vile to work at dipping turpentine. He
had cot tired OF it and hOmesick, too, l
81 -oN ont 70 ff.arr
We travelled in company to Savannah,
where we were treated finely. | stopped
at large house in the suburbs of the city
and asked for something to eat | was IN
vited in and given bountiful meal. l had
promised to meet the young colored EEL
low the other side Of the city. After traV-
cling some distance further, he wanted
to sit down and rest. So we turned out
of the road little way, and he sat down,
and in a few moments he fell over to the
ground, sound asleep. | saw he could go
no further. so / gathered wood and built
a fire, and lay down and went to sleep
myself The next day we started out
again, and continued together until he
turned off to 90 to Beaufort, and l con-
tinued on to Charleston"
@Did you visit any of the points Of in
terest in Charleston p
sNo; / was on the tramp and attended
strictly to business. / had no time for
historical investigation"
Ibid you get plenty to eat by the wayS'
"Yes; a great abundance. Both whites
and negroes were very kind. The gave
us the best they had. They are pretty
/ poor in that region, but they gave us plenty
of pork and corn bread"
did you stop in the houses or cabinsY
"No; they would not let me in to sleep.
| slept in the woods and fields while in
/ the warm region, and when | got further
NH /
to the station houses"
"Did you have much company by the
way?'
! Cramps just swarm in the South, and
! / met them everywhere. The most of them
were heading south. They travel in CON-
! panies, some of them very large, compris-
/ ing a score or more. When they near
| city or large town, they sea ter and enter
/ it from different directions. After they
! get filled up, they meet at the further side
| of the city and 90 on"
Ibid you meet with any trouble at the
| hands of any of them"
! ssNone at all. l had no trouble from the
/ beginning of my tramp to the end. Near
Richmond met two finely dressed young
men. | supposed they were on a foot
! journey for pleasure, but l found after
! some conversation with them. that they
l were professional tramps. we are tramp
/ ing for a living they said. Leaving Rich
mond / next struck Fredericksburg,
/ crossed the RappahannOck, and pushed
on toward Washington"
"Did you have any difficulty in finding
| the way?"
"None at all, followed the railroad
/ the entire distance, 50 | couldn't go
astray. After l left New York, and when
! | was passing through a small town, a
conductor of a freight train which was
stopped there asked me where | was
! bound, and said he had seen me on the
road for nearly a week. He advised me
to stow away on his train, but was afraid
/ to try it. | had business to attend to, and
| didn't want any Jail experience. Ipassed
through Hartford and Worcester. After
reaching the Northern States | passed the
nights in station houses, as it was too
/ cold to sleep ont of doors. | stopped in
! the station house in Boston the last night
out, and started on the home strotch be-
tween and o'clock in the morning.
l reached Ipswich about 4 in the afternoon.
l had an offer of a lift in a wagon that
day, but as / had walked every step so
far, thought | would put it clear through.
l guess l looked pretty rough when l
struck the town."
''HOw long were you on the way?''
''Eleven weeks; and for 800 | will start
right out for tramp back the same
rOad.''
"Did you enjoy good health throughout
the journey ?"
''Never was better. The first few days
l was footsore, but l soon got over that
and had no trouble Afterwards"
AT the conclusion of his narrative,
"'Miah" picked up his clam-hoe and re-
sumed his labor. The wind blew sharp
and cold over the marshes, as the dory
/ was headed up the stream, and, after an
hour and half of hard pulling the
| wharves Of Ipswich were reached.
"Did you find 'Miah?' was the saluta-
| ton from the wharf as the dory came
within hailing distance.
"What is left OF him." answered the
4 youth of the open countenance.