Arizona weekly citizen., 1886-09-18
AMONG THE TRAMPS.
DESCRIPTION OF THEIR RENDEZVOUS
 IN KANSAS CITY BOTTOMS.

How They Live in the summer-scene'
 on Washing Days-Subjects Whiel They Find Time to Diseuss-The Dis eoverer Of America
 Very few persons in Kansas City, com , paratiyely, have seen the tramps in their
 summer quarters in the east bottoms, al-
 though 1t Is a sight worth seeing. The place
 Is not hard to find The tramps have their
 sign out in front of their summer hotel, and if you follow the railroad track mile or
 two through the bottoms you will be sure
 to know when you get there. For perhaps
 q quarter Of a mile you will see the barbed
 wirs fence to the right Of the railroad track,
 lined with V-shaped articles of underwear.
 The wire fence, with is patched and tat tered ornaments futtering in the wind, skirts the base of gently sloping and thlckly- wooded hill The trees are so large and grow so closely together that 1t is only A chance sunbeam that occasionally finds its way through the heavy foliage to dance and flicker on the green sward below. Scattered throughout the woods are number less clear cold springs, some of which trickle down the hillside while others form bright, . AAAAb AANNAo FSS.'r "L-N IT AA4eAAC NaAS thirsty 10 looS at In the hottest days of summer this sylvan retreat is cool and pleas ant, and while the heat rises in waves from the bottoms just across the railroad track, here there Is always a refreshing breez3 | blowing
 SUMMER QUARTERS FOR TRAMPs. In this pleasant wood, in the rear of ths barbed wire fence with its washing day J decorations, is the summer head quarters os the trampS When the leaves appear In tho | spring the tramps make the trees their shel- ter in the summer, and when they disappear l In the fall the tramps disappear with them Every summer there is a regular colony oi tranps here They sleep on tho ground, and the tres are alike their only protection from storm anI heat
 still summer is the time tramp enjoys himself Then life is worth living. They toll not neither do they spin Yet solomon himself did no; enjoy moro solid comfort than these same trampS They are not troubled about food; neighboring corn fields, potato patches and chicken roOsts afford plentiful supply of that They do not worry much more about clothes, for most of them do not wear any worth speak ing about when in summer quarters With plenty to eat, all they want to wear, and a
 
 Hood himself, the east bottom tramps pass the summer about es contentedly as though ripe corn stood in the fells all the year round, and spring chickens never grew tough
 A stranger with sketch book in his pocket appeared in the midst or the tramps few days ago, but they paid no attention 10 him and did not feel at all disconcerted when he drew forth a murdero1s looking knife and began to carve out pictures of them as they appeared while engaged in their various tmo-killing devices
 With most of them it apparel to De washing day. fact which, in view of the popular impression to the eifec: that tramps never wash, was somewhat astonishing.
 Most of the spring were utilized by one or more tramps who were lazily engaged in washing articles of clothing and hanging | them on the bushes to dry. They dii not ] wash n the vigorous button des.royiny | manner of Chinese launIryman. but 1 dipped them in the spring and rubbed them l together in a way that indicated that while | they preferred clean clothes they did not | propose to sweat Co get tho dirt out
 IMPERFECT INVITATIONS OF WORK.
 A peculiar feature of the camp was tho number of socks that str, wed tho croundS ~ was AlHslaAAsa " esAAE AlAANN n eL MAEE- ! out running across one and while they vers not as thick as the leaves which strew the woods and hills in autumn they w-re suf- iciently numerous to cause q stranger 10 wonder where they all came from In ssy- 'ral places a couple of tramps were heating | water in old powder cans When the water became hot they dropped the dirty socks m (, stirred them around a flow minutes and hen took them out to dry. Then they used he water to wash themselves
 While the tramps gave imperfect imita- ions of men at work, they laily talked with each other. Some of the subjects of liscussion were unexpected, anl some the ries advanced were unique A dirty-looS- ng old fellow who had not taken part in be washing day festivities first broached he subject of strikes; but there was not much difference of opinion on this subject hey all agreed that strikes were useless. nd gave excellent reasons for their belief | For, said one old fellow who was lying ndsr trea in m attitude of great aban- on, If men did not work there would be no trikes; they strike because they work too luch for the pay they get; ergo, the way Keep from the necessity for striking Is l ot 10 work His companions agreed that Tork was primarily the cause of strikes and
 
 circumstances The conversation next turned on the dis overy of America Tho discussion was n vely one. Several Of the disputants held iat the continent had been discovered bv 'e Norwegians and Swedes A German aimed that the honor beionsei to his coun- ymen I It was finally decided that Cabot discov. ed America several thousand years before oiumbus landed A young man who hal C It piece. .out of a fellow tramp's coar. ith which to patch the seat Of his trousers. 2 i'd who was engaged in the operation, asked ! Caoot discovered the continent, and 'iumbus got the credit of it, how 1t hap c ned to be called America This was n a ser, and no one attempted to answer it P ben tho visitor left discussion on the a ish home rule question, which threatened . terminate fatally, had Just beSun-Kan- . , City Times