Omaha daily bee., 1885-04-21
SETTING THEM TO WORK.
Tramp, Tramp, Tramp n Tramps
Come TrampiDg N Troops
of Thirty.

Yesterday an unusual sight was pres.
ented in the superior court. There we're
about thirty tramps, filling up the whole
room inside the rail, and giving Judge
Aylsworth such a job 40 he has not had
in many a day, 1t being necessary to sift
them out by inquiring into each case
separately. This gang was gobbled up In
the Wabash railway yards on Sunday,
they having been hanging around there
for some time, greatly annoying the rail-
way folks. Of all the crowd not one
would plead guilty, and the Judge had to
determine what to do with them by ask
Ing each for a briet biographical sketch
The stories told were varied enough to
suit any lover Of romance and fiction.
The fellows hailed from all over the
known world, and from some that wasn't
known. They varied In age from IL to
70, and no two were alike except In being
dirty. Some of them appeared to be
really willing to work, but a number
were of the genus tramp, sure. .
One old man, whose hair was white as
snow, excited sympathy. He came from
New York, where he had q son, and had
been at work near Cheyenne, and getting
tired of the west was trying to work his
way back. Another gray-haired man
gave his age as 33, which was q surprise
party, as he seemed to be at least past
the three score years.
The others were younger and more
Vicious men, and all seemed able to earn
q living. One boy of II, insisted tht his
name was Charlie Ross, but not the miss.
Ing one, although he was a runaway. He
claimed hat his folks were on a farm
near Hastings, Neb., and as he had
rather do anything than work on q farm,
he had left home, land for a year had
been travelling about, working q little
while here, and a little while there. One
of the crowd had the additional charge of
against him Of larceny, he having stolen q
cabbage. This heinous crime was Jumped
off with the other. One confessed that
he had been working for two months at
$1.50 a day, and had used the money for
drink, One claimed to have walked all
the way from Kansas City here.
One young man said that he had been
out with his brother, who owneda rancho
of 1000 acres in California, and was now
trying to get back to his folks in New
York, who, he said, were very wealthy.
''Where Is your home2" asked the
judge of one fellow. "In Rochester, N.
Y" "What did you do there2" "Well,
l worked firing on the New York Cen.
trail for a year and a half" "When did
you leave Rochester, "Oh, about
twenty-five years ago." "Where have
you been since then3" "well, I have
been shoveling on the railroads aud fol-
lowing up public works." That settled
1t and this fellow was told to stand aside.
Another one narrated how he had
worked for four weeks digging a cellar In
st. 10, and had drank up the money, and
then started out to find another job.
One had been at work In Central Amer.
lea, on Fort Barrlos, and getting the
mountain fever had come away from
there and after being in the hospital at
New Orleans, had got we'll enough to
resume his travels, and was now return
Ing from a vlait to friends in Leadville.
One boy told a very touching story
about how he he had been working and
sending his spare money to bis widowed
mother in Chicago, go that now he was
out of work and had no means to help
himself. One young man from REX Oak
was among the number. He had lived
there nine years, and was a cock by
trade. He had been working a little
while here, but getting out of a job. and
out of money, he was with the gang,
trying to get a ride to Red Oak.
The judge sorted out ten of the crowd
and sentenced them to ten days work on
the streets, and the others were turned
loose. One of the chosen was very irate
and blurted out, "What have 1 donel"
"Nothing. That's what's the matter.
We propose to give you something to do"
He did not seem to be much better salts
fed by this answer, and went off
grumbling to join the others onthe street
gang.
There Is enough work about the city,
cleaning the mud off the pavements, etc.,
to keep q number of men busy, and 1t
will be far cheaper for the city than to
board these men and let them be idle.
The setting of them to work will also be
apt to deter regular tramps from hanging
about the city.