The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1889-02-05
How Tramps Live, Enjoy Them
selves and are Treated by
the Public.
An Elem ant Difficult to Handle
Public Economy Keeps
Them Moving.
A CalabOOse Convention, and
What Transpired During
its Setting.


of tramps constantly passing through
the city, at this time of year." said /,
police officer to-day. Every freigh
train, no matter from what direction
it comes, is infested by as man,
wanderers as it can accommodate, il
the open box cars, or lumber car
riages. o. course We do no arrest
any of these men, unless they de-
something which cannot be over
looked, as it would be an expense tc
the city if even a portion of them were
fined and sent to the work house.
They would enjoy a few days easy
work. indoors.
They are, as a rule, careless,
abandoned. and shifil;ss men. who
care hooking for employment, Or per-
sual responsibility, but desire nothing
more than a sufficiency of ipod, which
they obtsin by theft, or begging a few
rags, 10 keep their bodies warm. and
a place in which to sleep, not too cold
for personal comfort. All these they
can secure without work, and as all
tier desires and requirements
ale thus satisfied, they see no
reason why taey should labor, and
have heard them say that it was q
wonder to them that other men work
ed.
"As rule, they have no families,
or if so, have deserted their spouses'
and left their families destitute, or,
were idlers, and allowed their wives
to support them until even the patient
women tired, and ousted them. They
are men without social standing,
homes, or local affections, and are
given no consideration save In crimi-
nal codes, which recognize them, only
to recommend severe treatment and
harsh legislation, as vagabonds, and
idle, shiftless characters.
There is no class of people more de. !
graded, more vicious and treacherous. |
They are filled with venom, which |
infests police station if they are con-
fined. They have all sorts of low
vices, and half the fendish crimes
in country districts could |
be traced to cramps" the terror of |
all rural households. And no
Men who are constantly |
idle, could not be otherwise than |
vicious and dangerous.
"Yet these men see much of the |
world, and undergo many strange ad- |
ventures. Not long ago, 1 arrested |
greasy looking scamp, whom / locked |
N the calaboose, with a half.dozen
ike individuals. You ought to have
heard their conversation. Some of
heir experiences were narrowing,
'ome ludicrous, and all interesting.
"One of the men told of having
been forced off of a train, while in
notion, He was clingiBg to the lad
Ter, on the side, when he was dis
covered by brakeman, who ordered
him of. As he did not spring off the
ar, the brakeman took up the plank,
which runs across the top of all
reIght cars, for the convenience of
rain men-it being loosened in some
way at the time, and forced the tramp
Nth this instrument off the moving
rain into the ditch beside the track. i
he tramp escaped without injury, but
he experience was a terrible one.
Then in turn another member of
he group related how he and eight
theirs had been forced of train on
ne of the open prairies in the west.
'ney laid down in row on the snow,
oping to obtain a little sleep, and
aving nothing else to do. A strong
'ind was blowing, and the man on
he end of the row sheltered his sleep.
lg companions from the elements.
'The protector, growing tired of
I'D, withdrew to the other end of the
wv, and his successor in turn followed q
is example. This continued all 1
ght, and in the morning, they d
'uld trace, by t..eir impressions in v
le snow, that they had moved over
alf a mile from their original stop
ng point. This is about as large a
ed as / have ever heard of.
San evil looking individual, in the I
thiest rags | have ever seen, even =
| tramp, next absorbed the interest
those present, by his narrative.
"Some years ago he was in Chi a
60, and was beat and broke, as q
after Of course, although he men, a
med the fact as something unusual. y
fer wandering about the streets for II
while, and begging a mouthfuI OF
ID, he entered cellar 70 seek lodg- Is
3 fer the night. e
"He said that in descending Il ea
lrway, he planted his feet on the tf
east of dead man, ard
scribed bis sensations of honor in all