The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-03-31

~ travelled on special trains ana enjoys the
distinction of having been hurried through
to his destination at the rate of sixty or
seventy miles an hour. He has Travelled
from Maine TO California and from Tampa
bay to Puget sound. and yet has never paid
one cent of railroad fare in his life.
The young man has made three trips
nearly across the continent and back and
has spent several winters in the south. In
the spring he always goes north to remain
during the summer months, but does not
remain in one place any length Of time.
He shifts about from place 10 place, but
generally keeps to the north of a certain
latitude on account of the hot weather
For all his pleasures cost him little or moth
ing, he is quite aesthetic liz his tastes and
selects the place where ne thinks he would
like to spend the summer or winter months
with much the same caution or concern
as would the Weather solourners there
At the least calculation, young Hughes
says, he has Travelled no less than % 900
miles. He assumed a ratne" languid, don Z
care air as he proceeded TO tell the story OF
his travels TO man on Washington avenue
yesterday evening. Let me have ciga-
rette, please" said he before he began his
narrative. The favor granted, he lighted
it leisurely and pulled away silently for a
few moments before he spoke. Il have
been travelling around the country for
about ten or eleven years, and have seen
as much of it as | care to see. l have been
in nearly every state and territory in the
Union in that time, and have seen all
kinds of people. started out when l was
lad about twelve years old and have been
- -, oT
mon tramps want to say right here. /
never beat anybody but the railroads. i
never beg for anything to eat unless it is
an absolute necessity, and | can also say
that 1t has been necessity but very few
times in my experience.
81 am pretty handy at most any kind Of
work, and have picked up a little knowl
edge on pretty nearly every subject. When
! strike place | think will like search
for employment as waiter in hotel, eleva-
tor boy, helper in any kind Of machine
shop or carriage factory. | am pretty fly
with paint brush and can letter and
stripe as good as anybody: but ! am most
at home in a rolling mill. was almost
born in an iron furnace, and can do any
thing from straigbtener to pudding and
heating. have serted good deal of time
at the rolls, and can shove hot bar of iron
through and back as easily as / could ca.
my supper.
II never had much schooling, but I will
wager | know more about the geography
of the United States than any high school
graduate in ST. Louis. / can tell you the
principal industries of any large city in
the Union, how they are lighted, street car
systems and the like. | came from Terre
Haute, where my father is employed in a
rolling mill. | left home when mere boy,
just for the sake of seeing the country, and
have had a pretty rough time Of it ever
since. l have gone whole days without
food or water and have nearly frozen to
death once or twice. l generally manage
to wear pretty good clothes, and can al
ways say that I have earned them by hard
work. When get good JOB hold it as
long as can. bit never stay with a poor
one.
THE hardest trip ever made was, be-
ieve. several years ago when was on my
way to California The trip was fine until
hardshipss began There was another fell
low with me, and we locked ourselves in a
box car. We We're in the car for four days
going across the American desert, and had
eaten everything we had before the trip
was fairly begun. We had no water after
the first day, and when we got through
finally we were nearer dead than alive.
Yes, have rode on the trucks under cars,
under seats and even on top of the passen-
ger coaches, where you are always in dan
ger of being killed at any moment. never
ride on freight train if | can get aboard
passenger, and prefer special train 20
any. You see time is money, and | like to
hurry through. When go home again
think will settle down there for good. ~
st. Louis Globe-Democrat.