Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-02-28
SIXTEEN IN ONE LOT
Raid on Tramp's Resort Early This Morn
ing. .
The Cases I'm Court and the Different
Also I'm Liae.

The change in the weather makes tramp
life easier. and the city's guests are no
longer living in fear Of being frozen to
death on tn. streets or being lost some
where on the road in a snow drift. But
the weather had not decreased the number
of such persons in this city, for the lodging
houses and charitable institutions are still
crowded with them. and they are patroniz-
ing the soup house in as large numbers
as they did when the weather was SO Sc
we're. During the worst Of the weather
these men and boys were unable to travel
very much from place to place. 1t was too
cold to ride many miles on the blind end Of
a freight, and 1t was also risky to start
through the snow from one city to an
other. When the ground was covered with
snow they found 1t a difficult task to find
wood for fuel, and then. too. there were
but few places in the woods where they
could find dry places to sleep and have a
fire. 1t Is true they could stop over night
In barns, but then they could not build fires
to keep them warm. and SO many of them
were in the larger cities snowbound. 1t Is
estimated that there were as many as four
or five hundred strangers here at a time
during the cold wave. All of them, of
course, were not tramps. although the po-
lice think that a large majority Of them
were. And in addition to those from other
places, there were a number Of Washing
tonians who had become liable to prosecu-
ton under the tramp law. and several of
them who were taken into court admitted
that they had tramped from here to other
places, and had returned because the treat
ment here is better than elsewhere.
Since the police commenced the work of
wedding out the trampS and taking them
to court the applicants for lodgings at the
police stations have decreased in number
and now that the weather is not so bad
they are sleeping about in the box cars
nd pth bar y,1o a.
reached here three days ago, was fortunate
enough to get into Pullman car, and in
this palace on wheels he was found enjoy
ing the sleep of the man who is without
cares Recently the tramps have been
compelled to take to the railroad tracks on
account of the bad condition of the roads,
and In the vicinity of Trinidad residents
nave had occasion to make complaints to
the police.
Tramps have infested that section, be-
cause OF the scarcity of police, and also
for the reason that the Baltimore and Ohio
sand house offers an attraction. The build
ing Is constructed of iron, and sand is piled
on steam pipes to put 1t through the dry
ing process. This makes the sand warm
and makes a better bed than the knights of
the road usually find on their journeys
Because of complaints from this section
Sergt Wall and Policemen Browne, Sedg-
WICK, Anderson and Pierce made a raid on
the sand house about o'clock this morning
and found sixteen men, white and colored,
sleeping on the warm sand. They were
marched to the ninth precinct station,
where they were locked up. The colored
men gave their names as Frank James,
Edward Kilgore, Richard Brown, William
jackson, Charles Brooks Henry Logan.
George johnson. George Dickson. Jim
Wheat and Boston Jones. The white men
registered as Samuel Riley, Charles Colds
borough, Patrick Meehan, John Lee, Will
liam Young and George Thompson.
All In Line.
This morning, as soon as Judge Kimbalrs
court opened. these sixteen prisoners
formed a line along in front Of the judge,
and, when they were arraigned as vagrants
they all said guilty
There were only three men in the crowd
who had not been arrested before and one
of them was Charles Goidsborough.
Il was on my way home from Baltimore
last night" he told the court Il live on
the Navy Yard, and, being tired, I thought
l would stop in the sand house till morn
ing
Have you ever been arrested before?"
mo, SIR"
do you know any of the cfficers?'
Policeman Auguste gave him a good
name. and he was discharged.
Jim Wheat, one of the colored men, had
never been IN court before. He came from
Liverpool, Ohio. and said he was ''all froze
up"
"Froze up with what?" the court wanted
to know.
with rheumatism" was his response
He was sent down for few days for hos
pital treatment.
George Dickson was also stranger, and
he said he belonged in Richmond.
How long have you been here?'
Three days"
Where have you stopped?'
"At the sand house"
And where have you got your food?"
AT the soup house,
He was released on his personal bonds to
leave town.
Harry Logan said he came here from
Harper's Ferry. He worked until a late
hour last night, and not having any place
to go, he went from Pennsylvania avenue
and 9th street to the sand house. His case
will be further investigated.
Il lives in Alexandria county, I does"
said George Johnson, 4 colored hoy, who ap-
peared as If he would be as happy in one
place as in another.
What were you doing last night when
the officers arrested your
Sleeping"
What did you go there for?"
For lodgings"
Ten days."
The, Others.
Charles Brooks had escaped from the
work house and he was given an addi-
tional thirty days.
Boston Jones said he lived in Tenleytown
and he stopped in the sand house out of
the rain.
Thirty days.
Patrick Meehan, John Lee and William
Young were released yesterday to leave
the city. They were sent down for
month, while George Thompson was given
ten days.
Frank James was recognized as an old
offender, and the court wanted to know
when he got out.
"Only a few days ago." he answered
For what were you sent DOWN."
For being with kid swiping figs"
Thirty days"
Samuel Riley, Edward Kilgore and Rich
ard Brown were given one month each,
and William Jackson was sent down for
ten days.
Wanted a Room.
Policeman Cook complained against an
old man. whose name was given as Sam'l
L. Aimes. He was in the county near
Langdon yesterday, and at several houses
he insisted on being given a room.
The officer told of the mans peculiar
actions. and said he thought his mind was
affected.
I'm from Bennington county, Vermont"