Pawtucket tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 1890-189?, 1893-06-09
ANNUAL CONFERENCE.
"Biiiy the Kid" Calls the Brethern Il,
Rether for the Yearly Meeting.

ge,her for the Yearly Meeting.
You might see IT on gate post, the side
of a building, stone wall or a board
fence, and never realize that the peculiar
figures meant anything, but a member of
the tramp fraternity would Immediately
see that II was tue annual proclamation
OF the king OF tramps, "BIlly the Kid"
calling them together for the annual con-
conference.
"Billy" has large number of subjects,
about $4,000 according to his last census,
and q great many of them are making
their way towards the grove Just over the
State line. Every tramp seen ia now
heading that way and every freight train
brings In load.
The tramps' retreat, mile or SO west of
Pleasant View station, has for fifteen
years been meeting place of the eastern
division OF the order of wanderers, and I'm
May or June every year the members hold
what is commonly called conference.
IL Is now about time for the annual
meeting, and the presence of the "boss
tramp" known as "Billy the Kid" Ia
that quarter gives weight to the state
ment that the wanderers are gathering
for the yearly meet.
"BIlly the Kid" was at the "retreat"
Monday, and held quite a conversation
with an Old Colony conductor. He said
that the grove was the finest place In all
New Englan and the tramps like to con-
gregate there because there was a fine
spring handy aud nice brook In which
to bathe and wash their clothes. In all
probability they will remain here the
greater part of the Summer and from this
point make excursions into the country
round about.
The notorious Cramps Retreat" W hich
for fifteen years has been the scene of the
annual gathering OF the wandering frater-
nifty, may be raided and the camp broken
up.
uFor several years this has been In the
minds OF the officers and a few years ago
Deputy Sheriff Brown made an attempt to
clear this section Of the country of the
vagabonds. He partially succeeded but
the next season they were just as bad.
1.-THE tramps like their present location
and II is probable that a gang of 25 or 81
will hang around this vicinity all sum.
mer. Farmers hen houses, mellor
patches and gardens will as usual be rob
bed.
The plan outlined Is to get together
some score of officers from the two At
tieboros and Mansfield and swoop dowI
on the place Unexpectedly, taking all the
occupants In and removing them to At
tleboro and North Attleboro. In court
they could be arraigned as vagranrs and
would probably be sentenced. This II
is thought. would cause such a scare In
the fraternity that they would always
shun this part OF the country.
II would be good idea for the con-
stables and special officers of the two
towns to unite for such raid. 1t would
remove from the country one OF its most
Objectionable features.
The objective point of the tramps Is
place of sixty feetIin diameter. The hu,
in which some of the wanderers sleep 1,
constructed of railroad logs. During las,
Winter they were frozen out of theil
quarters and moved into a slaughter
house near by. In a drunken row one
night the place was set fire and burned To
the ground.
A cabin built by the Italians who con.
structed the Interstate road was ther
made the place OF abode. It was here that
the attempt was made on the life of Jane,
Ellis last spring.