Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1893-12-03

Every one connected with the street.
railway service will no doubt remember
with sadness the good-natured caninef
who for five years followed the cars as
they coursed their way through our
thoroughfares. His geneaiogy has always
been a dark mystery, and no one knew
whence he came. For the lack OF any
other name, and because Of the pc
culiar circumstances surrounding his
coming he was called Tramp. The appel
lation was a very appropriate enc, for
he was indeed one of those creatures
which had no home and was ever on the
70. Every morning, when the first car
would start out from the sheds, Tramp
would be ready to begin his day jour
ney, and faithfully he would follow one
car, and then another, until the last
one had rolled In for the night. lie
was fed by the conductors and motor
men. and was as happy as any OF his
fellow-canines. Tramp was indeed faith
full dog lie attended strictly to his "busi-
ness" and never left u TO frollc with
other ours on the streets, or to engage
I'm personal controversies with them I'M
less they came in his way. Then he
would proceed TO do UP his opponent
in right good form. and catch up with
his car before it had gone many blocks.
He had not a care or a sorrow, but he
WAS "a INlilEs breathing 'ifANNANf anu
like all others, had TO die. SO II was that
while he was jumping from the platform
OF a car one night not long ago, he
leaped, not TO the ground but into another
world. For when his body struck the cold
earth he was no longer. His spirit had
departed for dog heaven" and the great
big heart I'm his breast had ceased to
beat. All the railway employees soved
Tramp. and there was for some time
NFl - n -
for the purpose OF adopting suitable
resolutions of respect 10 his memory, but
this has never been done.
About twelve years ago, when the
Main-street line In this city only ex-
tended from Twenty-eighth street 70
Monroe Park and long before the use
of electricity as a motive power had be-
gun, there occurred on one Of the mule
cars OF that road a most exciting and
somewhat blood-curdling incident. The
car was crowded with ladies' and gem
tlemen, and a drunken negro boarded II
at the corner OF Fourteenth and Main. He
demanded a seat No one paid any at
tentiOn to him at first, but he soon be-
came very boisterOus and offensive, and
he was told that he had better keep
quiet. lie was opposed to standing up;
! he had paid his fare, and proposed to
have a seat, and with this declaration
| he sat down upon the lap OF a white lady.
No sooner had he done this than he was
knocked over by some one, and six
gentlemen had gathered him up and
hurled him out Of the car upon the
street. This negro has never been known
to get upon street-car since.
But I had struggled almost entirely
away from my story 1t is due 10 our
people to say that they have become
| educated to the patronage and use OF the
street-cars. They have grown accustomed
| to waiting at the street-corners, ana not
| at such other places as suits their con-
| Venience best. They do not now expect
a car 10 stand still and wait for them 10
run two blocks and = half 10 eaten IT,,
as used to be the cutsOm in days OF Old.
| The march OF civilization Is upon them.
| They are acquainted with the different
| transfer schemes and DO not now hope
| TO make a complete circuit or the CITY
| and go TO Forest Hill Park and back Tor
one fare. There Is no longer the discus
| sion Of family matters when ladies' at
tenpt to get Off nor Is there so much
| EXPRESS traffic being carried on. The day
will soon come when the company will
have regular cars for this feature, and
| then there will be no blocking OF the
aisles with bundles and bags. The day of
Councilman Henry l.. Carriers mule
carism Is no more. and the workingmah
| who tears himself from between his sheets
| (or tears his sheets at 4 O'CLOCK IN the
morning to get TO his shop or building
or factory, has cause TO be thahkfuli
| the praises of the businessman VINO lives
| i'm the West End and runs store on
Fourteenth street are due; the laudatlon
| Of the capitalist who has to 80 thirty
| five blocks TO get to his factory or BANK
| is merited, and the everlasting grati'uue
| Of the poor. deprassed, hard-worked news
gatherer has been incurred.
THE LANKY SCRIBE.