The Dakota chief. (Gann Valley, Buffalo County, S.D.) 18??-1913, 1894-10-11

paper. OF course. employment may
be found at once. but the chances are
the other way. Herewith is given
specimen case. a %railroader reached
Chicago four days ago without money
enough to pay for Il meal. The
stranger had been working in one of
the railroad yards at East st. Louis
until the hard times of '93 had
thrown him out Of work. and since
that time had been, to use a phrase
common among railroad men, slump
ing >ideways" all over the country.
lie was educated and intelligent,
and had kept his eyes open during
his trips in search of, as he termed
it. AN Office" He carried a very
crcditable letter of recommendation
from Chesapeake and Ohio officials for
Il long term of service on the trains
and in the yards of that railroad. In
the story he told are many points Of
interest, chief Of which is the fact that
since he started On his sO-far fruit
less search for work he has been in
every State and Territory in the
| nited States, has comprised a jour
nC.y Of 80, 600 miles by rail on a cap.
ital so slender that it would have
given a professional tramp the blues.
Here is his story in his own words:
Il lost my job in East st. Louis a
year ago last June through Il little
law trouble. | fought the case be-
cause it was an endeavor made by a
shark lawyer to steal my wages, but
in the end / lost both tie law case
and the job. | succeeded in proving
to the superintendent the fact that l
was right in fighting the case, and he
recalled the order for my discharge.
but | found out that my reinstate-
mcnt meant the laying off of Il mar
who had a family, so / told him to
keep the job. / could hustle for one
easier than he could for a half.dozen,
and | thought if / tried l could find
a job somewhere. Now / believe
that | Overestimated my ability as a
hustler, for, while l have had clothes
to wear and have STAYED off starva.
ton, l am still short on the job.
Il had sunk my small capital in
getting my experience of the law as
she IS writ and had it not been for
a friend | would have left the
Queen city of Egypt broke. The
friend lent me 50, however, and |
started West.
Il tried Kansas City, but it was
full or railroad men waiting for bust
ness to pick up, so | kept on west to
Denver. There were no signs of any
improvement there, but the boys
said: keep on west: you'll catch on
in the mountains sure So | decided
to keep on. | went up to Cheyenne
and got there at midnight, put up my
last half for lodging and breakfast
and in the morning hit the superin-
tendent for a job, but was told there
were enough idle railroad men ia
Cheyenne to stock the division if
need be. l was just a little blue. 1t
was a tOSs-up' which way to go, so l
struck out for the west coast"
Surprise was expressed at his un-
dertaking such a journey under such
conditions. The railroader laughed
and said: 1T is no trouble to do
that in the west if you belong to any
thing. AS far as travelling is con
cerned the local lodges of the railroad
organizations all have contracts with
the companies that, in addition to
fixing the rate O: pay, provide for the
transportation Of brothers who may
be travelling looking for work. The
west is almost perfectly organized,
and a man will hardly get into a
town before he is tagged giving the
hailing sign by some Of the boys,
and they never let him go hungry.
Hoist the Pie Sign.
If they are a little slow and the
distance between meals gets too long
for comfort the stranger can hoist
the pie sign distress SignaN, and il