The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-04-22
a MILLIONAIRE TRAMP.
Wandering over the Country to Study
Social Questions
From the Chicago Times.

| w apQerlng over Cno country TO 0CuQy
Social Questions
From the Chicago Times.
A millionaire, dressing by choice In rags,
the son of a New York plutocrat walking
across the continent in the disguise of a
tramp, setting his hand to any work he can
find, no matter how mental the task, Sleep
ing in barns, in 10-cent lodging houses, suf-
| ferinR the paDRs OF hunger, toiling with
tender hands unused to labor-all this for
the purpose of studying the labor problem
| from the standpoint of a prolatary. Turn-
| ing from the attractions of Vanity Fair to
| life in the slumS, forsaking society for 80
cialism, leaving splendid mansion for the
| novels of the down trodden poor, entering
! into the very life and being Of the ''other
halfn-this is the work voluntarily begun
( and carried on by Frederick Wyckof. by
birth and breeding q member of the gilded
set Of New York city, by belief and choice
| a socialist, and an earnest student OF the
most perplexing social problems.
| Mr. Wyckoff has been in Chicago for
nearly six months working in various fac
| tories and studying every phase Of the labor
movement in this city. He leaves in few
| days for San Francisco, which he expects to
reach by the middle OF November, tramp
ing across the country by easy stages and
stopping in the larger cities to seek work as
common laborer
Mr.. Wyckoff's object is to gain a thor
| ough understanding of the condition under
| which the great toilIng masses of the couu-
try live. After his moro than two years of
practical study and experience he expects
to embody the results of his research in a
volume which shall cover the whole field of
sociology.
A graduate of Princeton, with a mind
matured by three years of hard study at
Heidelberg University, Germany. Mr..
Wyckoff brings to the work thorough
knowledge of theoretical, political and So
| cial economy.
1t was in July last that Mr.. Wyckoff left
his fathers beautiful country seat in Con-
necticut to start out on his strange journey,
| He wore the clothes of tramp, and carried
| only couple of old wooden shirts tied up in
handkerchief. After the first days trudg-
ing along country roads he came to a coun-
try hetel, where he applied for work as a
| hOstler. He cleaned the horses so poorly,
however, that at noon the next day he was
| discharged as incompetent. After looking
| in vain for other work that afternoon he
| came back to the hotel and was allowed to
sleep in the barn over night.
Visiting church the next Sunday in the
vicinity OF his fathers country place he was
almost recognized in spite of his tattered
clothes. One young lady afterward wrote
home that she had seen Mr.. Wyckof's
double In the disguise Of a tramp.
His next stop of any duration was at
West Point, where be got work with gang
of men employed in tearing down some old
buildings. The rough timbers and bricks
tore his hands, which were not accustomed
to such hard usage, and this made him the
object of some ridicule among his fellow
workmen.
Leaving West Point he climbed the slopes
of the Allegheny mountains and went to
work in one of the rough lumber camps,
where he spent some weeks Coming thence
westw ard by easy stages working for a few
days in several towns and cities by the way,
he walked into Chicago in November last.
When he reached the city he had had
nothing to eat for twenty-four hours, yet,
half famisned as he was, he went to one of
the factories, where a big crowd of unem-
ployed workmen were gathered, and sue
ceeded In getting work as an unskilled
laborer. All that day he worked without
getting any food, and when night came he
was almost exhausted. He had with him
letters OF introduction to the proprietor of
this very factory, and has since taken din
ner at the residence of the man in whose
establishment as a half-starved tramp, he
first got work in Chicago. After six weeks
he left this employment and looked for q
job elsewhere.
During the winter he has worked in sew
eral large factories. living among the poor,
taking part in their meetings and being,
as nearly as possible, one OF them. He has
penetrated into the slums and studied the
dark side of Chicago life IN all its features.
He has also attended the meetings of social
and labor men and taken some part in their
deliberations.
II have known Mr.. Wyckoff since
November last" said Thomas j. Morgan,
the socialist. yesterday. II believe him to
be thoroughly in earnest. He takes a COM
prehe sive view of the situation aud a
socialist Of advanced ideas. His work
should result in great good to the cause of
labor and society in general"