Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1890-07-19
TRAMP, BEAT AND LIAR.
NJ PROPOSES TO GO AROUND TING WORLD
IN 100 DAYS
Claims to be King of the Tramps, Hut
Lying Il IFS star speciniity-Tho
Convention OF vagrWnte.


A little young man with ordinary brown
hair and a smooth face stroiicd into the
Sun Office yesterday aud announced that
he was king. He was not one Of those
over particular potentates who require
elaborate salutations from lesser person,
ages, but just a plain king, who had
acquired his title by the sufl'rages of his
subjects and who thought not much more
OF himself on account OF IL. He WAS Wilson
Becker, liking OF tramps," elected 10 that
distinction about year ago at the conven-
tion held In Nnnticekc, whose proceedings
were reported In the newspapers at the
ume. King Wilson is 20 years old, and by
his own admissions his claim 10 public ro-
cognition should rest more upon his capa-
bilities for lying than on his recognized
rank among traInps He says he has Just
"beaten his way from Boston TO San
Francisco and back in q days on wager,
finishing on July 9, aud during part Of
his journey rode ON tho train that carried
George Francis Train on the last lap of his
journey against time around the world.
Becker says that he started from Boston
by freight, and was arrested before he got
20 miles away.
"a farmer Judge" said he "examined
me- and ] told him beautiful yarn about
being sailor In the English navy.
wanted to get to Albany, and thence to New
York, in order to catch "A ship II delayed
me five hours TO convince the farmer OF
on"
In Syracuse Becker says he was again
arrested. He told tho same story mt loss
OF three hours and when he had done he
passed his hat in the court room and col
iected Sl.75, TO which the Judge contributed
% cents. In Buffalo he was chased by tho
police, but he escaped them aud got on the
trucks of n freight car In train that ran
on passenger time.
"Thc great thing in beating your way"
he explained, sis to get on blind mail
That Is mail or express car that is attach
cd To the engine and that has no door in
| front. Aiter the train gets move on, II
| you can climb to the platform of blind
car you can enjoy the breezcs for hours, or
until the train stops, for nobody can get at
| you. When 1t stops you get oil and hang
around until the train is going to start
! agnin. Then you climb aboard and there
| you are. held down n fruit car on the
way back from San Francisco rs far as
| Ogden three day $ and half
"Three days and half! What did you
| cat ?''
Bananas"
Becker was obliged to send postal
| card TO his backer, a Boston museum man
| named Austin, from every town at which
| he stopped In order to verify his progress.
| On the return he boarded freight train at
| Albany and went to sleep In freight car.
81 was ahead of time at Albany" he
/
behind. The confounded freight was a
| local, and thought II was a through, and
| l found myself side.tracked three miles
east of Greenbush. SO had to walk back
TO Albany and get on tho trucks of n pas
| senger train"
| Austin paid him $500, $3.50 of which he
| sent to his father, who was in prison in
| British Guiana. His father, according Il
| this accomplished liar, was engaged in AZ
| insurrectiou in Guiana, and was sentenced
to prison for Is years, That was when the
| king of tramps was years old. Sine,
| ther the king has been wandering ovel
tho world, sometimes as sailor and lat
terly ny n protessed tramp.
I'D Just as lief work." he said, "if
could find u job that suited mo, but I'm
not going to shovel coal or pick, up th'
Train gave me half dollar when ! was OF
my beating trip across the continent, an,
got tho rest of my grub, except what
found In the fruit cars, by asking for II II
the cities where | stopped. In Worccste
] called at Al houses before l got m
break fast. To-day l beat my way froI
Newburg on the May Powell. / had tn
money to pay my fare, but ! thought
might as well keep 1t as to give it TO th
purser. How? Oh, told the captain
straightforward story about being n
English sailor, hard up, and wanting T.
|
SEQ, If you can talk freely and won't ge
phased, you can do most anything, eve,
though lawyer may be cross-examinini
you."
Becker SAYS he thinks he viii! call a con
vention of the tramps to meet next Sep
tember. He says there are "a, 900 of then
in America, ''and the freest, most indepen
dent class of men in the country"
Before the convention meets" he con
cluded, | mean to make arrangements {
beat my way around the world in l02 days
have figured out just how 1t can be done
and know | can do 1t. Once on the sc
they can't put you off, and know enOug
about ships to make myself useful il
have to work to help out my passage
Most of the way would be by sea, yo
know, and although have visited all tn
countries that would be touched, I'd ratho
like To see thonl again. ] went into til
business more for fun than anything els,
and get a lot OF amusement out of secin
how can play people. Lying? OF fcours
l have to resort to lying; how else ca
you beat your way? Give II good, sti
story, stick to it, and carry am Englis
sailors bonnet, as | do in my pocket, an
nobody can help believing you. l mu.
settle down some time, | suppose, and II
about ready to do SO. l was "A reporte
once on the Wilkesbarre Etdepeaden
They said had good nose for news, br
got 'em into libel suit, and they fire
me after two weeks"