The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1890-08-21
THE KING OF TRAMPs.
How Wilson Becker Barred Thio
N Questionable Titao s4
He IL Oaiy Lad Of Twenty ~ tAs Msst
Expert Knloht Of Tie Bsao - tAS
Country s-Story Of HA Sabss. ~
Coattnsutal ExpoAl1aA. ssa

Wilson Becker, alias 'S,ailor Kid" the
regularly elected king Of the tramps,
has just completed . teip which gives
him perpetual claim on the throne Of
American vagrancy, says the Baltimore
Herald. In Nay, tho young man, whose
proud boast Ia that he "never done .
lick o work less had to" In his life,
was made the subject Of q wager at Bos-
ton. His backer bet large sum that
the "Sailor Kid" would travel from the
Hub to San Francisco and return in the
space Of twenty-one days without spend
ing cent for railway fare or food. Tho
feat was accomplished, and the sport
who risked his money on the tramp pre-
sented him, the other evening, with
$500 Of his winnings.
Becker now offers to venture this sum
the most money he ever had In his
life-on the proposition that he can
beat his way around the world under
the same conditions as those OF his
transcontinental trip, in 102 days.
Meanwhile he basks in the homage Of
his ragged subjects, who declare that
''der king can't be downed by any man
wot works der road
1t may be interesting to note how this
lad, not yet twenty years old, has solved
the problem Of living without labor and
gained the names by which he Is known.
He was born in Demarara, British
Guiana, and was christened Wilson
Becker. At the age OF nine he ran
away. Working on the sympathy OF
co;1oro he, rDn,, - tio hnf m trufbfu1 IN Ina
Of woe, he made voyages to Calcutta,
Hong Kong, Honolulu and England.
After an absence Of eighteen months
he reached home. But the fever Of
travelling was in his veins, and he next
esssyed land journeys throughout the
United States with success that has
no interruption up to the present time.
In 1887 young Becker, who, because
ot his nautical experience, was known
to the fraternity as "Sailor Kid" at
tended q big convention OF tramps at
the Nanticoke (Pa.) GOAL breaker. It
was decided by this convention to
choose . king. Tho convention de-
veloped two candidates Of about equal
strength-Patsy Bolivar and "Sailor
Kid." Each was popular and had .
large following. After several unsatis-
factory ballots, numerous fights and the
consumption Of oceans OF beer, the
contending factions made . com.
promise. It was agreed that the crown
should grace the brow Of the candidate
who made the quickest trip from New
York City to San Francisco and back,
via New Orleans. Becker won with
hands down.
While en- route he chanced to learn
that Indians were allowed to ride free
on trains crossing the western prairies,
and while "Patsy" Bolivar plugged
slong" slowly in freighso cars, the e''Sailos
KID with feathers in his hair, paint on
his face and blanket over his shosl-
ders, sped westward In the smoker Of .
lightning expresa This was but one Of
the many schemes he found available,
and as result he gained the insignia
Of royalty. It took twenty-six days to
make the race for the throne, and on
the twenty-eighth his majesty assumed
the scepter with the title of Wilson L.
and received the submission Of his mot
ley gang Of subjects.
Organization seems to be the keynote
OF modern existence, and the trsmps
are, perhaps, as we'll organized - any
body Of peaceable, Industrious, sober
srtisanA The ''Knights Of the Road"
as they call themselves, hold yearly
conventions and keep up regular com.
municstiou with eaoh other by means Of
. sign langusge unintelligible save to
the initiated. These signs indicate
where to 60, what places to avoid and
the route taken by the maker. They
appear cut or ohalked on fences, are dis.
played in paint or pencil along tho cir
Oumferenoe Ct water tanks or round
houses, and disa8ure the walls Of ooun-,
try depota- Door posts or gates are also
utilised for conveying informati tion about
dogs, "hand outs" Square meals" and,
the possibility Of being compelled to
work for nights lodging.
One custom Is common 70 the million.
sire and the tramp. Each is denisen
Of the city during the winter and seelts
the country In the summer. But while
the farmer welcomes the one, the other
Is an object Of aversion and distrust,
save, perhaps, in hsyingor harvest time,
whom, for Largo compensation, the
knight Of the road may be induced to do
Q little work.
II Is estimated by King Wilson !. that
he has 10000 subjects throughout the
United States. He doesn't comprise in
this number the honest poor, who are
looking for employment, or the capital
istio gypsies who own horses and wagons
and Journey from place TO place. tinker,
ing broken pots and pans, making sharp
trades and devastating hen roosts and
melon patches. His Heges are those
only who don't have to work" and who
would fee woodpile or job quicker
than they would pest house. The ever
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