The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1892-04-30
THE TRAMP OH HIS TRAVELS.
The Dangers lie Encountcrs-IIls Infinite
pntienCe.

Patience.
The tramp takes many chances OF ac-
cident in his mode of travelling. He is
subject not only TO the ordinary risks
which all passengers assume, but from
the class of trains on which he gener-
ally rides. the places he takes on the
cars. and his poor opportunities of en-
tering and leaving them in safety, to
others which the regular passenger es-
capes. A great number are annually
killed while riding between the express
and mail cars, or on the brake beams
In event of collision, they have infn-
itely less chance than the passengers in
the coaches of escaping unframed. in
mounting moving cars many of them
are killed. | recently saw one with his
upper-uI1n bone broken. the accident
having occurred while in the act of
climbing into moving boX-car. An
other. in showing some boys how pro-
ficient he was in seating himself on tho
brake beam after the train had started,
put his foot under the wheel. and. as u
result. lost his leg above the knee.
Every railway surgeon sees similar ac-
cidents with greater or less frequency.
error of thinking that all tramps are
professional 'bunmCrs.' think that
perhaps majority Of those whom | see
are men who are going to some other
point in search of work. Many of these
are employed by farmers and ranchmen
| living in the vicinity of the railroads
at such times Of the year as they need
assistance, and several employers have
| told me that they were generally very
good help. | have repeatedly known of
tramps seeking work who had worthless
| time-chccks in their pockets from pre-
vious dishonest employers. 1t would BE-
doing a very grave injustice to these
! men to class them with ordinary va
grants. But Il large proportion never do
! any work when it may by an possibility
be avoided.
The aggregate number of tramps in
! the country must he enormous. | have
repeatedly seen them in gangs of from
six TO fifteen. and those of two or three
are met with continually. At remote
points on railroads, freight trains have
been repeatedly captured by organized
| gangs of these men, and the trainmcu
| forced to accommodate the members as
the leader directed. II is sad com
mentary on our economical system that
! the number seems to be constantly in
creasing.
There are certain things that we may
learn from the tramp, and one in par
ticular that would b. valuable to u all.
! The Americans are, presume, the most
| impatient OF any race Of people. But
! the American tramp is second job. If
| he does not succeed in stealing ride on
the train on which he has fondly calcu-
lated for two days, he does the most
philosophical thing there is for him t.
do-that is, he waitsa day or two more
If he does not get anything to eat to-
day he hopes for better luck tO-mor
row. If the impatient conductor Of his
particular train orders him off, he occa.
sionally gets little provoked but much
more commonly he says something tC
the effect that ''he gucsses ne can if he
has to- and acts accordingly. In al
these things and u thousand others. he
shows development Of patience anG
fortitude we all might do well to emu
late.-J N Hall. in IIarper's Weekly.