The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1890-11-30
ENGLISH TRAMP Types.


Decadenco of tho ..shallow BIokeas Who
We're Once Numerous.
There used to be type Of tramp that
Ia rarely mot with now. mean the
shallow bloke," commonly known Sc
"dry-land sailor" Not that sdry-land
sailors" are not to be found even now,
butt is rare indeed that one OF tho
real old-fashioned sort is met with.
To "run shallow" means to 20 about
the country half naked. A genuine
shallow bloke" knows not tho luxury
OF n shirt he scorned to incase his feet
in boots, always preferring to pad tho
hoof," i. O., go bare-footed. Frequently
these shallow blokes" travelled in
schools" that is in companies of four,
five and six, and wherever they went
they made the streets hideous with
their unearthly bowling of nautical
ditties, in which the refrain, 'and tho
stormy winds i blow--ow-owm was
always conspicuous
These men were anatomical curiosi-
ties. One would DO minus an arm,
another would lack a leg, third would
exhibit witherod limb dono up in
tight bandages. Scarcely one Of them
would be found physically perfect
They would stretch in a limo across tho
street, tho two extreme men pushing
their hats In tho faco OF every passer-
by, and sundry curses, sometimes loud
as well as deep, followed the "uncharit-
able" pedestrians, while all the bless
ings OF Heaven were invoked on tho
head of tho ''lind gentleman" who
dropped copper in the obtrusive
chapoau.
These shallow blokes" were a terror
to the ordinary tramps They were
noted as boing tho greatest black guards
travelling. Their blasphemous talk was
simply hideous. and shocked even old
and well-seasoncd tramps Happily they
are now nearly an extinct race. 1t is q
fact, though not generally known, that
some of these vagabonds mutilated them
selves for tho purpose of working upon
the feelings OF u charitable public Ono
OF tho most common methods OF sac
qulring" withered limb was to bind it
tightly with strips Of linen and thus
stop the circulation Of the blood Loath-
some-loolSing wounds were manufact-
urod by inserting in these bandages an
old copper coin, which gradually ate
into the flesh.
"A somewhat pleasant contrast to these
itinerants were tho "lurkers," moro in
tclligibly described as "1cgging-letter
CONT cmen" q class of men not unknown
at tho present day. They would carry
neat little roll of PICTURES, two or
three gentlcmcn's combs in n little
satchol, or any other light and fancy
article, just to "tlko the granny off,"
in othor words, for the sake of appear
ancc.
Their object was not to soil these arti-
cles but to beg over them" They usu-
ally had plausible tale to tell of better
days, they could produce letters from
this gentleman and from that clorgy-
man. They did not go in for coppers,
but silver and gold. 1t is no unusual
thing for ono OF these to receive from n
sympathetic old gentleman or credulous
old lady half q thick 'un" or 'thick
'un" (half-sovereign or sovereignty.
Clothes they used to get in plenty, and
they were always well dressed, for which
reason they wero often dubbed Clash
blokes" in the common lodging house.
Some OF these men had really seen bet
ter days l havo known broken-down
unlversity-men, occasionally an officer
OF tho army or navy, and these mon
mado no end OF money by visiting old,
retired officers OF tho services -Gentle-
mans Magazine.