The record-union., 1892-07-25
THE KING OF TRAMPS.
Hassen Mahomet Here in Search of a
Wife.
lie Must Have One, or Make $4,000
During His Ten-Thousand-Mile
Wheelbarrow Trip.


Hassen Mahomet, the King of
Tramps," arrived here on Saturday
morning, having come from San Fran
cisco in two days and halt. He is
acquiring fame as 1.-THE Wheelbarrow
Man." liking of Tramps," etc., and is
under contract to visit all the principal
cities in the United States on foot and
rolling a wheelbarrow.
According to Hassen, he is trundling
his wheelbarrow on a wager. He has bet
5000 against $4,000 that he will trundle
1t 10000 miles in $50 days under certain
conditions and restrictions. Cincinnati
was his starting out place. He left there
on February LIST of this year with just
cents, OF which he spent in getting
across the bridge. To win the $4,000 he
must return to Cincinnati by May 10,
1898, with the 1-cent piece and wife, or
5000 in cash. He must neither beg, Dor
row nor steal any money during his
tramp, nor use any of his private fortune,
but must earn the money to pay his way.
He must put up at the best hotel in every
place he stops and pay not less than y a
day at each of them. He must earn his
money as he travels.
HIS ROUTE.
The route for him is as follows:
From Cincinnati to st. Louis, through
Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee,
Mississippi and Louisiana to New Or
leans, thence west to Houston, Texas, to
Dallas, to Ell Paso, and thence to San
Francisco. From San Francisco east to
Ogden, to Omaha, Chicago, Cleveland,
Buffalo, Albany. Boston and New York.
Thence TO Philadelphia, Washington,
Baltimore and Parkersburg, West Vir-
ifaia nd hoo lr 10
He is now twenty days ahead of the
schedule, but is still far from wife or
the $1,000.
He used to travel with Hermann, the
magician, and pays his way by giving
exhibitions of magic and sleight of hand.
The wheelbarrow is fixed to run on the
rails, which makes it easier.
Hassen is Turk, and says he owns
$4,000 worth of property, all earned as
he is trying to earn that $4,000. The
money, he says, is in the German Ma
uonal Bank of New York, having been
put up by John Avery, William Young
and number OF other theatrical people.
He WAS REFUSED FOOD.
So far his trip has been successful,
though he had some misadventures. At
Salton, for instance, he found a man who
would not sell him bite to eat or even
give him drink of water, so he had to
trudge on forty miles over the burning
desert without either food or drink. He
had accumulated $50 at FL PaSo, but he
used all that up in getting across the
desert. He finally reached Banning with
just five cents and the original copper.
A great misfortune overlook him be-
tween lndio and Seven Palms. He was
caught in sandstorm the bottom of his
wheelbarrow dropped out and his pro-
visions were scattered over the desert.
He went back two miles to recover his
scrapbook, for the newspaper clippings
about himself are the vouchers that show
where he has travelled.
AT Banning crowd of railroad hands
got him to give an exhibition of legerde-
main and then made up purse OF So for
him. That lasted him until he got to Los
Angeles, where couple of exhibitions
melted him S23. This enabled him to buy
some clothes to replace those lost in the
desert. AT Los Angeles he says he re-
celved ten offers from women willing to
help him comply with the wife portion of
his contract. At Fresno he had two more
proposals. AS yet, however, he has not
found anyone he cares to win the wager
with.
AND STILL NO WIFE.
Of the many hundreds of applicants re-
ceiyed to date but two have developed the
requisite amount of sense to attract the
attention of Hassen Mahomet. In
both cases Hassen proposed, but alas for
the frailty of the human heart they both
went back on Hassen, and all the poor
man had to show up to few days ago for
his strict attention to business was a
ragged, tear-stained marriage license is
sued at st. Louis. This was his only con-
ISOLATION between stations where there
were no ladies, and he reverently pc
rused it every day until he got caught in
sandstone in the Colorado Desert,
which not only stripped him of the Ii
cense but most of his clothes as well.
Though still far, far away from the ac-
hO1apt of his haaTt,S 5aSira Hoe
sen has been more than usually lucky in
recovering his engagement presents, all
of which he is saving for q woman with
good sense, but he has almost despaired
of ever finding her.
His first encounter with DESIGNING
female was in Cincinnati previous to set
ting out on the trip. He advertised for a
lady of intelligence and refinement to ac-
company him, and out of thirty-eight ap-
Plicants he discovered one that developed
mild symptoms of SenSe-a rather low
percentage for Cincinnati. She gave the
name of Miss Jennie Stone, but in view
OF what she was about to undertake Miss
Rolling Stone would have been more ap-
proprlate.
THIS DAsHING FEMALE,
Whom Hassen afterward learned had
been in the habit of hanging by her heels
to a trapeze bar attached to balloon,
played the confiding young girl to perfec-
ton and their friendship soon ripened
into love. He gave her $40 dress, 81 in
cash, and, as more convincing proof of
his love, painted his wheelbarrow the
color of her eyes.
On the night before the wedding, how
ever, friend called the prospective
bridegroom aside and gave him a friendly
tip. He told Hassen that Jennie Stones
right name was Mrs. Pearl Price and that
she had husband in the penitentiary.
whittier he had gone to get away from
her. Ibis sad blow To HoSSap
who was almost tempted to lose faith
even in intelligent women. He went to
Jennie, told her that he knew all and de-
manded the presents he had promised
her.
She denied the charges and wept. He
said he believed her and thas if she would
confess he would send her out on the road
as his advance agent on a salary of So per