The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-07-09
A HIGH-TONED TRAMP.
How a Farmer Served Him After Civ
ing Him a Dinner.
IT,. N po.ta,, Cuoha

From the Boston Globe.
A farmer living In Waukesha county had
a tramp call upon him for meal, and after
giving him what he wanted, he asked the
tramp if he would not go out IN the pasture
! and drive up the cows. The tramp de-
cIined He said no was mo jay to go
around following tho cows and saying "coo-
| boss The farmer was astonished at the
mans refusing to do a little favor after
being provided with a meal, and asked him
if no wasn't looking for work.
The tramp said: mo, we are not looking
| for work this year. We tramps have or
ganized society, and one Of the cardinal
principles IS opposition to work We are
bound by an oath In past years we have
clsimed to be looking for work, but fire.
quently somebody would give us work, and
several Of the boys have had their health
njurel by attempting to labor. Besides, it
got so that everybody laughed and sneere
when we said we were looking for work,
and our national convention decided that it
was the square thing to give up lying and
travel on our merits. SO we just ask for
food, and If we get it, all right, and il we
don't get it, we move on 10 the next place.
Last year, over here in Dodge county,
applied for work to a farmer, and he en-
gagged me for a month. My idea was to
work that afternoon, driving team haul
ing hay, and along toward night let the
team run away and skip out in the excite
meht, or If the team would not run away,
to get up in tho night and leave.
Talk about the oppression Of capital do
you know that farmer actually compelled
me TO work whole month";
The first night tried to get out Of
window, when the old granger was outside
with shotgun, and he said II | didn't get
back in that window and go to sleep and
got up at daylight and milk the cows he
would fill my hide with bird shot. Then he
called watchdog and let him smell me,
and told the dog To watch me. Well. sir, |
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 old man was
around with a pitchfork, and pledge you
my word had 10 work.
"Do you know / had to milk fourteen
COWS in an ill-ventilated barnyard, with no
proper sewerage, before breakfast. All day
leug ! worked, IA prisoner, sir, always look
ing for liberty, but always under the eye of
that violent old man and his hungry dog.
Finally got so tired at night that | would
drop TO sleep a. soon as | struck the bed, so
! couldn't attempt TO escape, aud worked
for thirty days actually. | got so liked
it, but the instinct of liberty, which fills
every human breast, was so strong that
whom my time was up went away with
S3 and was to have the balance of my
months wages after harvest, but l never
went back after it, / felt as though no
tramp was safe around that farmer.
II blowed in my money on the Fourth of
July and got in Jail for thirty days and
rested up from my overwork. No, sir, you
farmers are hard on us. will hire a man
TO drive up your cows, il you say so, ir pay
ment for the royal spread you have set be-
fore me, but as long as my mind retains the
memory of that sentence Of a month at
hard labor on that farm, and the watch
dog, and the old farmer with the gun,
viii mover work again. / will not even
converse on the subject OF labor. for fear
you will construe my remarks into prom
ise 70 work. Au revoir," and the tramp
lifted his hat and disappeared.