Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1888-06-24
THE LONESOME TRAMP.
A waukesha County Farmer Got Him Un.
der His Thumb and Made Him More
Than Weary.

n
der His Thumb and Made Him More
Than Weary.
Picks Sun.
A farmer livingin Waukesha csunty had
tramp call upon him for meal, and after
giving him what he wanted he asked the
tramp if he would not 60 out in the pas
ture and drive up the COWS. The tramp de-
clinsd. He said he was mo jay" to 60
round following cows, and saying Goo
boss" The farmer was sstonished at the
mans refusing to do little favor, after
being provided with meal, and asked him
il he wasn't looking for work.
The tramp said: mo, we are not look
ing for work this year. We tramps have
organized society, and one Of the cardi-
nal principles is opposition to work. We
are bound by an oath. In past years We
have claimed to be looking for work, but
frequently some one would give US work,
and several of the boys have had their
health injured by attempting to labor.
Besides, it got so that everybody laughed
and sneered when we said we were looking
for work, and our national convention de-
cided that it was the squsre thing to give
up lying and travel on our merits. So we
Just ask for food, and if we get it, all right,
and if we don't get it, we move on to the
next place.
Last year, over here in Dodge county,
| applied for work to q farmer, and he en-
gagged me for o month. My idea was to
work that afternoon, driving a team hsul-
ing hay, and along towards night let the
team run away, and skip out in the excite
ment, or if the team would not run away,
to get up in the night and leave.
Talk about the oppression of capital, DO
you know that farmer actually compelled
me to work whole month.
1.-The first night l tried TO get out of
window, when the old granger was ont
side with a shotgun, and he said if didn't
get back in that window and 90 to sleep.
aud get up at daylight and milk the cows
he would fill my hide with bird-shot. Then
he called watchdog and let him smell of
me, and told the dog to watch me. Well,
sir, l remained in that night, resolved to
kill the dog the next day, and skip the
next night, but the dog wouldn't have
anything to do with me, only to watch my
pants When the dog was not in sight,
the cid man was around with pitchiork,
and / pledge you my word had to work.
"Do you know / bad to milk IA cows in
an i'll ventilated barnyard, with no proper
sewerage, before breakfast. All day long
l worked, a prisoner, sir, always looking
for liberty, but always under the eye Of
that violent old man and his hungry dog,
Finally got 50 tired at night that | would
drop to sleep as quick as / struck the bed,
40 l couldn't attempt to escape, and /
worked for thirty days actually. / got so
! liked it, but the instinct of liberty, which
ills every human breast, was so strong
that when ny time was up went away
with So, and WAS to have the balance Of
my months wages after harvest, but |
never went back after it. l felt as though
no tramp was safe around that farmer.
81 blowed in my money on the Fourth
of July aud got in Jail for 80 days and
rested mp from my overwork. No, sir,
you farmers are hard on us. will hire a
man to drive up Your cows, If you say so,
in payment for the royal spread You have
set before me, but as long as my mind re-
tains the memory Of that sentence of q
month at hard labor on that farm, and the
watch dog and the old farmer with the
gun, | will never work again. / will not
even converse on the subject of labor, for
fear you will construe my remarks into a
promise to work. An revoir," and the
tramp lifted his hat and disappeared.