The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1893-10-19


is not far from main thoroughfar(
and is not open until eight p. m. Or
the occasion when fate caused me Il
seek its shelter had about thirty com
,panions in misery-all ragged, al
dirty and all down at heel. We were
hustled into large room, which had
of course, that harsh and chilling
aspect common to all warehouses;
The "lsbor master"-they used to be
called tramp masters"-who had ad
mitted us took his seat at table and
commenced to take our names, ETC.
This was the way in which he went
about it:
"Now, then, No. 1, come on, if you
are a-coming." The man nearest the
bully crawled forward, hat in hand
and body bent forward, the very pic.
ture of abjectness.
whats your name-if you've got
one2''
"Timothy Shocks"
"Fine name that How old do you
call yourself2"
''Forty, please, sir"
U
Nothing"
go should think, - grunted Bully,
and made an entry of some kind.
''Where did you sleep last night2"
Nowhere"
'Nowhere!' repeated Bully. "Ain't
you a-going back to ther same placer"
No answer
Where are you going to2"
Anywhere.
"Anywherel Here, that won't do for
me. You must say where you're going,
even If it's only to make hole in the
water" Bully laughed at his own poor
wit. Shocks muttered something and
Bully wrote it down.
"Have yer got any money!"
emo"
''Then take everything out of yer
pockets and pitch 'em into that basket"
pointing to one close by. And so went
on the examination.
At last came my turn. Bully, who
was evidently not a bad judge of men,
mt once discovered that did not be-
long to the habitual tramp brigade;
and accordingly, in order to aggravate
me, put an additional question-viz:
"Are you a good hand at picking
oakum2"
mo"
''Well, that's all right. You'll have
good spell of it tomorrow"
Now came the food. A regular
pauper, or inmate, entered, carrying
u wooden tray upon which were slices
Of bread, and each casual was ordered
to take one slice. This was our sup
per. Having eaten it, we were marched
into shed and were told to undress.
Then each man had to walk across a
courtyard and plunge into bath of
water. The one supply of water did
for the whole crowd lat some provin-
cial unions, notably Melton Mowbray
and Northampton, the same uncleanly
kind of cleanliness prevails), and soap
there was not Next we were marched
into the dormitory, which is simply a
brick-hoored shed like a barn, along
the sides of which were ranged rows
of what looked like shallow coffins,
but which |, from previous experience
gained at the Salvation Army salvage
wharf at Battersea, knew to be sleep
ing hunks without bottoms except the
floor of bricks. In each of these was a
straw palliasse and one rug or blanket.
As we had left our clothes done up in
bundles in the bath shed, il may be
imagined how we shivered that winter
night through.
At six IN the morning bell rang
and the tramp master entered. "Now,
ahen," he roared out, "out of it, all of
youl Tumble outl No slIulking here.
Roll mp your mattresses and put your
shirts on top of EN-" Il forgot to men,
ton that each man had been given a
collection OF holes with rags around
them" supposed to be night shirt,
when he left the bath" over night. J
Quickly we dressed and then marched
out into the yard. Some of the men
were selected as cleaners, others as
stone breakers and others as oalium
pickers. was among the last. Each
man was handed n bundle of short
pieces of larry rope, almost as hard as
iron These were to be unraveled into
spun yarn almost as fine as floss silk.
There was time when such a task
would have seemed to me impossible.
But practice and experience, if they do
not make perfect, at least teach one
even to pick oakum, and by the aid of
the worn heel tip of my boot man.
aged to achieve my task il the course
of the day
For dinner we were served out six
ounces of bread and one and a quarter
ounces Of moldy cheese; for supper,
the same as for breakfast. Then we
were marched off to bed" t?). At six
a. m we were turned out into the
streets brealSfastless.
s-a~ -s-.-,. s sc.