The morning times., 1895-09-22
Though Beautiful and Orderly,
WashingtonIs Not Exempt. :
WHERE MOST THEY GATHER
They Seek Uninhabited Houses and
Give Them Ghostly ReputatiO
Haunt Bath Houses and Brush-COv-
cred Flats, Hallway Cars and Tramp
Lodging Places.

species OI 'VagS' ana local ''DuinS, anu
10 make the rounds of the different locali-
ties infested by this class of degraded hu-
manity one would have to have the aid of
either a policeman off duty or a police
reporter. -.u ~,
The first among the list of vag infected
territories comes the vicinity of the little
triangle at the intersection of Seventh street
and Pennsylvania avenue. The mission
naturally is the center of attraction for all
tramps who light in Washington, but tran
sient tramps never lingcr long in one spot,
as locals do. AT nearly any time during
the day-when q policeman is not in sight,
of course-groups and squads OF buns" of
every degree and shade stand about the
area beneath the trees or sit on the steps
leading Ia the fountain, smoking away 1T
| old rusty clay pipes or "chawing de quid,
while their conversation runs from de best
feedin' Joint in town" TO how to get away
| from cop" or judge by ''simpie song
! and dance"
There is usually one in every group who
| has n bottle of white lime" and at IN
| ,ervais the company VIII cross to street,
where each takes a pull at de blooner,'
not lucky enough TO possess a flask or a
friend with one.
Among the Seventeenth-strcet ioungers
may he seen many men who have more than
once 'bucked with the stripes" or did
time in Jail or workhouse, but as a rule the
mission characters are orderly, and with
a few exceptions very well-behaved lot
of ''buus.'
T. a .
is another camping ground for "bums. ="
In portions of this square there are small
two-story frame houses, having pIacards
and transparencies hanging on front an
nouncing that n room or led can besecured
for night for few cents.
LoDGERs' SQUARE.
AS the shades of night begin to fall over
the city, seedy and ragged individuals
may be seen congregating at "Lotlgers'
Square" where until bedtime the street
and Capitol grounds abound in locals"
and "drllers," as regular tramps are called \
by hobos.
The Monument grounds furnish an ex-
cellent harbor at night for "bums-"a The
dense trees to the south and west of the
tall shaft cast their Ghadows so deeply
on the grass that even on oonlight night
persons or other objects which may be
under the trees cannot be discerned at even
a very short distance.
Here on the grass, which affords bed
much softer than freight car floors or
porches, sleep warm nights hordes of |
tramps, both local ard ''driiicrs." and |
and on some mornings pieces of newspaper !
and mating, brought. from neighbprinS
dumps below the bathing beach, are found |
lying about prUmiscuously on TIE sTrar',. /
When the free bathing beach is closed /
for the season and police vigilance is lax, !
the little dressing stalls are pressed into 4
requisition as hunks" by Wandering /
Willies." The locks on the doors are
1orced open, and although the spscc within /
one of the small boxes is extremely limited /
bum viii not hesitate doubling up T. /
fashion on the floor, and snoring away
until the light of dawn glances through
the small Aperture above the door of the
chamber and arouses the weary cast-ofr
of society to the realization that ne rnust
get out and work The town" for a break
fast and a bracer.
The writer one morning, while wandering
through the grounds, came upon TWO men
walking toward him.
Say, pard," shouted one, veritable
hobo, did any one see US comm out o.
the boathouse?'
Il don't know" the writer answered
truthfully.
well, yer needn't give it away" added
the speaker, confidentially. apparently
seeing he had made IL break" in giving I
himself away and trying to recover his
ground, but we have been carryin'
the banner every night fer two weeks in
in ther Dfeboat in that house and don't
want no one ter get onter us, as we
aint been doin' nothin but sleepin.
The police raid these bath houses at
certain periods, and AS a result Judge
Kimball has his court filled with yags
at these respective times.
The flats are also used a hobo Terri
tory and whole colonizations of ''bums"
make their winter quarters in scrub
river bush and drft-wood huts in iso-
lated portions of the flats and islands. h.
The class that infest the flats the police
have found the most dangerous of all as
to sustain the colony members go on whole
sale begging and pilfering expeditions.
AS rule these encampments are broken
up by the Fourth precinct police when
sver discovered.
CAMP AT LEXINGTON.
Until recently the freight yards above
lexington was the abiding place of num-.
arous locals" and "drillers," but the
police in that section broke up the quar-
,ers and vagged nine of the colony few
nights ago.
On this night the police officer on the
lexington beat wandered down the rail-
road track To. the lines of box and open t"
ears standing on side tracks in the freight
yard. Far above the cars he could see
ight made by a bonfire and knew tramps r.
we're in the vicinity.
Procuring a IL intern the officer walked
behind the cars until flat hopper was .,
cached. Climbing noiselessly to the top
If the car, he saw lying side by side at
east dozen ragged, dirty men,. all
sleep and snoring. Dropping to the ground,
he policeman crept toward the bonfire, |
lround which was stretched several head
more of hobos. Retracing his steps the
,lue coat summoned the yard watchInan
md together they proceeded to raid the
ntire camp. They corraled the car, but
he remainder scrambled TO their feet and
vent like the wind in different directions.
Below Twining City is the Anacustia
reight yard and 1t keeps the Auacostia
oiice busy vagging the tramps who persist
n taking up their abode in the yards.
'It is not generally KNOWN" said q
olice sergeant in the Eight precinct. that
ne-fifth of all the vacant houses of this
ity are Inhabited by hobos. That is a
act as far as l know, and it keeps the