The Forrest City times. [volume] (Forrest City, Ark.) 1871-1919, 1893-03-10
THE DESERT TRAMP.
Incidents Of Nomad Life in the
Land Of Thirst
Plenty of Feed In Spite of the Aridity-
Instructed in Applying for Work
Got Heefsteak In Harsh
Fashion.

Although tramps a-plenty can be
found in all parts of the United States,
the people of the desert mining camps
that. like Daggett. California, are To-
Gated on railroads. believe that three
times as many can be found there in
proportion to the population as in any
other part of the country. Wretched as
this country is as a site for human hab-
itation. devoid of all human necessities
devoid, even, of water save at the
stations-and cursed with climate all
but intolerable, a day never passes
without u tramp coming to the doors
of some of the houses and begging
for food. Nor do they confine them
selves to begging. They brow beat and
terrorize women found alone in their
homes and the Chinese cooks employed
in restaurants and kitchens, very
much as tramps do elsewhere, and this,
too, in spite of the reputation which
desert men nave for taking the law in
their own hands in dealing with such
cases.
Then, too, the reputation of the aver
age desert man as a mankiller is unde-
served. There are desperadoes on the
desert, and they do the killing, as
rule. The men who have wives and
kitchens are not desperadoes. They
are respectable citizens, willing to en-
dure great privations in the hope of
future competence. They are like re-
spectacle citizens elsewhere in their
slowness to take bloody revenge for
a personal injury. The tramp knows
this very WELL and acts or his know
ledge. In journey that included the
widest towns on the Mojave desert
the writer did not hear of single
tramp who had been killed for his
temerity nor did he find more than one
house that was at all free from their
visits, and that house did not enjoy en-
tire immunity. 1t was left compara-
lively free, however, because of the
vigorous treatment which the nomad
received at the hands of its master.
Mr.. j. w. S. Perry, of Daggett, is
the superintendent of borate of
lime mine in the Calico mountains,
nine miles from there. His Office is in
his house there. where he lives with his
wife, who, during most of the year,
keeps no servant. When they first
came there the tramps swarmed about
the house. Mrs. Perry is California
girl, aud could not bear to refuse a man
who asked for food in respectful lam
guage. But one day came "a tramp to
the kitchen door who was not respect
full. He walked right in without a
word. AS luck had it Mr.. Perry hap
pened to walk in at the dining-room
at the same instant.
Superintendent of desert mines are
accustomed to dealing with all kinds
of men and are particularly prompt in
action.
"What do you want?" said Perry to
the tramp.
81 came to see you about getting
job" replied the tramp, who was try
ing to make the best of bad case.
And you thought the way to get
work was to come around TO the kitch-
en- door and enter without knocking,
did ycu?" The tramp made no reply,
and Mr.. Perry continued:
Il will conduct You to the Office door
and sbow-you how to get in there in
proper way"
At that Perry turned the tramp
around, kicked him out the kitchen
door, kicked him around the house to
the office doc, md stood him mp there
and sad: