St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-05-26
AN ADVENTURE IN INDIANA.
How the Postmaster and His
Party Dispersed a Tramp.


New York Sun. ~ -
was eating dinner at farm house
in Indiana when one of the children
came in and announced that highway
tramp had called at the kitchen door
and asked for bite to eat. The farmer
was a short, fat and baldheaded man.
and he was postmaster at the corners
and justice of the peace in and for'the
county. He had son called James,
another called Moses, and a hired man
who was addressed as TOwser., He sent
out word for the tramp to sit down and.
rest. and as laugh went round the
table he explained.
''After dinner l shall be pleased to
show you how we encourage tramps in
this section. This is evidently new
would never have called here"
After dinner we went out. The
tramp was sitting under a cherry tree,
looking as comfortable as you please,
and evidently unsuspieiOus that any
thing except dinner was in store for
him. He looked to me like bad man
to fool with, but the farmer didn't seem
to read him that way.
s.Now, Them" said he, as he rubbed
his fat hands together, ''you will stand
up"
.:What fur?'' asked the tramp.
ITO be kicked | am going to boot you
from this spot down to that slivered
telephone pole"
"But object"
ssCan't help that. AS fourth-class
postmaster of the United States of
America command you to arise"
eff am kicked somebody else will
get hurt!" cautioned the tramp. as he
got up.
in and for this county 1 command you
to disperse,' said the farmer, as he
turned the tramp toward the gate and
administered a kick.
Next instant he received a left-hander
on the nose, which knocked him into
confused heap on the grass, and the
tramp got out of his cd coat and pre-
pared for business.
..TOwser, pulverize himv' shouted
the farmer,as he struggled to his knees,
'.In the name of the United States
command you to knock him down!'
Towser advanced, his big fists doubled
up, but the tramp danced to the right
and the left. and then sent in one on the
hired mans commissary department
which doubled him up and laid him
among the hollyhocks.
MOScS, lldkC d pIlSUHCI.
yelled the old man, as he plucked a
handful of grass and held it to his bleed
ing nose.
The tramp chuckled. There was fun
ahead.
The two boys were strapping young
fellows, strong enough to knock down
an OK, and they were willing to go in.
AS they stripped off the tramp backed
up between two current bushes, where
they could not flank him, and as they
advanced OH him he grinned all over.
He played with them for a minute or
two, and then drew long breath. made
three or four feints. and. piled them on
the grass together. Neither moved to
get up for full two minutes. Mean
while the tramp rested and looked oyer
to me and queried: ~ ~
s.You amt one of the crowd?" ~
emo" = 20
ssADd don't want ME to disperse?".
"Not particularly"
ALI right l don't think the United
States and his gang want anything more
of me Just now, and as l have an en-
gagement down the road I'll move.
When they get washed up and the ban
dages on tell 'em / used to scrap with
the boys in Chicago in days gone by,
and that l held myself in and let 'em
off mild. Good-by, stranger. Ia, ia,
old fattyv' III.
And he had been gone ten minutes
before the postmaster came over tome
and whispered:
ibid you ever?'