Woodville Republican. (Woodville, Miss.) 185?-current, 1889-09-07
TRAVELS OF A TRAMP.
The Experience of a Tyro in the
Art Of Deadheading.
Amateur TrampIng Is Somewhat Expen.
sivs, to Say Nothing OF the Dlscom-
fort-sOme Useful Pointers
From an Eminent Pro.
fessiOnal.

The life OF professional tramp is
not always strewn with sandwiches.
and his happiness is such only by con-
trast with the misery that would result
from manual labor.
This remark is brought forth by
two-weeks' trial trip as an amateur
tramp. was in Wichita, Kas.. and
sent my grip to Chicago by express
and clothed myself in pair OF over
alls and an old blouse, resolved to
dead-head my way through and learn
something of the great American
tramp.
left Wichita at two o clock in the
afternoon. A freight train was in the
yards on the Santa Fe track. headed
north. l discovered an empty car,
crawled into it and closed the door.
This made the inside OF the car as dark
as Egypt and several degrees warmer
/ could do nothing but perspire and
wish for the train to start. When it
started opened the two side doors and
the breeze soon cooled me and made
my condition one Of comparative COM
fort But when the train pulled into
station | was compelled to close the
doors, which gave me all the pleasure
resulting from a sojourn in the sweat
ing-room of d Turkish bath establish
ment
When the train reached Newton /
found that my car was going no far
ther, so | was put to the inconvenience
of change of cars.
This time found car almost full of
lumber One of the doors was broken
loose, SO that it was not bolted and
sealed. l crawled into the car, which,
as 1t was almost full of lumber, gave
one some OF the comforts of an upper
berth in a Pullman sleeper.
Here | was joined by two returning
Oklahoma boomers They divided
their time between cursing that boom
ing country and asking me for tobacco,
neither of which proceedings interested
me or gave them much satisfaction.
Before the train pulled out the brake
men came and closed the broken door
and nailed it. Then l was scared.
remembered reading Of a man who had
been locked up in car and left on a
country switch to starve to death. be-
gan feeling hungry at once and my
f,,a
nibalism. mentioned my fears to my
two companions.
"You darned fool" said one of them,
''don't you see this car has end doors
fastening inside so we can get out when
we want toP They don't know we are
in here and we are safe for a ride to
Emporia"
At Emporia another change OF cars
became necessary. There were about
dozen buns there waiting to 60 East.
Not one of them was able to leave on
the freight train.
Shortly after midnight passenger
train pulled out and five of us were on
the "blind baggage" For the benefit
OF the uninformed, will say that the
'blind baggage" in the tramp's par
lance is the platform on the end of the
baggage-car nearest the engine. There
is no door in the end of the car and this
is favorite place to ride during the
night
The five of us were fired at the
first station, after q ride OF only eight
miles. The brakeman who fired us
swore with all the vigor Of a mate
on steamboat and with the precision
of the affidavit clerk of daily news
paper
After the passenger train left we in
terviewed the telegraph operator and
learned that freight trains did not stop
there, so we concluded to walk to Read
ing, seven miles farther. We started
to walk, although it was one o'clock in
the morning.
The track was rock ballast and
hard walking and the tramps swore
nightly. 1t was only under such cir
cumstances as this that the self-respect-
ing tramp consents to walk. He walks
only from a town where there is no
chance of catching train. After stop
ping to take nap under a strawstack
near the railroad we continued our walk
toward Reading, which place we reach
ed about six o'clock.
/ went to restaurant and got mis-
cradle meal, which cost me twenty-five
cents. The others departed and begged
breakfast at different houses in the vii
lage. getting better meal than l did
at no financial outlay whatever. Their
success learned when we had all con-
gregated in stock-car down by the
depot
Il offered to cut wood at der ferst
house fer some grub said one of them,
/