Iron County register., 1886-09-30
TRAMP REPORTERS.
vagabonds of the Press Who Arc Runninl
Around the Country.

vagabonds Of the Press who Are Running
Around the Country.
The vagabond streak is very strong il
the telegrapher and the compositor.
Like all skilled workmen, they are sure
of living anywhere they happen tc
land if they only care to work. Both
profit by the sub system, which gives
them a chance where regular employ.
ment might be wanting. AS rule, il
is the best meR whose facility renders
them reckless, and whose habits are
loose and improvident, who suecumb to
the habit of turning their backs on hard
work. and wander off to work deal
harder to less profit, but with the sweets
of liberty for compensation. suppose
there is no reason that a reporter should
not experience the same yearning. But
his chances of earning a subsistency by
the way are so much less that his ap.
pearance in the role of a gypsy is more
to be wondered at.
At any rate, there is quite consid.
cradle number of these vagabonds OF
the press now at large. met one OF
them, a well-known man on the Phila-
delphia Press couple of years ago, in
Cleveland. was breakfasting between
trains at the depot early in the morn.
ing. He came in, dirty and shabby, but
he paid for his breakfast. and ate a
lusty one, you may be bound.
He was on his way from Chicago to
Buffalo, returning from tramp
that b ad led him as far west as Louis
vile. He had come in on a freight
train, and some drovers he had made
friends with were going to help him east
in their caboose. The man. when / first
heard of him. was editing a paper in
Western Pennsylvania, and was report
ed to be settled and doing well.
There used to be droll, dry genius
about Newspaper Row who worked for
the Sunday papers and wrote funny
stories that were really funny to read.
He disappeared suddenly, and every
one thought him dead. A long while
afterward, being in Baltimore. 1 came
across a paper published on the Eastern
shore that bore his name as proprietor.
1 learned that he had started on stroll
south, had drifted into Dover on foot,
met an old friend who possessed some
means, and got him to set up a paper
for him. They were doing well at the
time write of, but few months later
he did not report for duty one morning.
He sent note to his friend saying that
he was going West. By foot and rail
he penetrated as far as Kansas There
1 lost track of him, acting as sub-editor
on paper in Atchison. He is probably
we'll on his way around the world by
this time. There recently returned to
New York a pressman whom every old
timer on the Row knows. He was re-
garded fifteen years ago as one of the
most able reporters in the city. He has
worked, and worked among the best on
all the great papers, and done
some of the brightest and cleverest
reportorial work that has
got into print in the metropolitan dali
lies. But he is confirmed rover, and
can never be counted on from day to
day. He makes periodical disappear
ances from New York, and after months
is heard of as being connected with
some out-of-town paper. He always
gets good berths, for his ability COM
mands respect and has tangible value.
Formerly he did not go further away
than Philadelphia, Baltimore, Albany or
Hartford. Then he began to drift to
such distances as Boston and Pitts
DufSn. linen his operations eAU0nueu
to Chicago, st. Louis and into Mime
sofa and Dakota. When / shook hands
with him the other day at the post-office
he was fresh from Denver.
once asked this man why he delib-
erately sacrificed his opportunities as he
did, and broke away from connections
he could easily have made permanently
profitable. 81 can't help it, he re-
piled; 81 get SO Internally tired of New
York that I have to get out.
"Then why don't you stay out when
you get good thing?"
because / get so tired of being
away" said he, 7'that 1 have to come
back"
Here you have epitomized the creed Of
the tramps of journalism Y. Jour-
aaiisk