Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1895-09-12

oonepso Tess Ne Wooro-
Asa rule, the poke out" beggsf
has but one meal day. and - 10
usually breakfast. This 10 the main
meal with all vagabonds, and even
the lazy tramp makes frantic efforts
to find IL. It's quantity as we'll rs its
quality depends largely on the kind
OF house he visits. His usual break
fast, II he IL fairly lucky, consists Of
coffee, little meat, some potatoes,
and punk an plaster" as he calls
bread and butter. Coffee, moro than
anything else. IL what every man OF
his kind wants early in the morning.
The clothes of the poke OUT beg
gar are not much. II any. better than
his food. In. summer he seldom has
more than q shirt, pair Of trousers,
q coat, some old shoes and battered
hat. Even in winter he wears little
more, especially IL he goes South.
While / lived with him wore
these same ''togs." / shall never
forget my first tramp suit OF clothes
The coat was patched In dozen
places, and was nearly three sizes
too large for me; the vest was torn
in the back, and had but two but
tons; the trousers were out at the
knees, and had to be turned up in
London fashion at the bottom to keep
me from tripping; the hat was an
old Derby, with the crown denied in
numerous places; and the only de-
cent thing / had was flannel shirt.
/ purchased this rig of an old clothes
man, aud thought that it would be
just the thing for the road. and SO it
was, but only for the poke out
tramp's road. The hoboes laughed
at me and called me 'hoodoo. and /
never got in with them in any such
garb. Nevertheless, l wore it for
nearly two months, and 40 long as 1
associated with lazy beggars only, it
was all right.
1t is by no means uncommon to
see poke out" vagabond wearing
some sort of garment which belongs
to woman's wardrobe. He is soindif-
ferent that he will wear anything
that will shield his nakedness, and
have known him to be so lazy that he
did not even do that. Ore odd fellow
l remember particularly. He had
lost his shirt somehow and for almost
a week went about with only coat
between his body and the world at
large. Some of his pals, although
they were of his own class, told him
that he ought to find another one and
the more he delayed it the more they
labored with him. One night they
were all gathered together at "hang
out" not far from Lima, Ohio, and
the odd fellow was told that un-
less he found shirt that night they
would take away his Goat also. He
begged and begged, but they were de-
termined, and as he did not show any
intention of doing as he was hidden,
they relieved him Of his jacket. And
all that night and the following day
he was actually so lazy and stubborn
that he would not yield and would
probably be there still, in some form
or other, had his pals not relented
and returned him the coat. AS /
said, he went for nearly week with
out finding shirt, and not once did
he show the least shame or embar-
rassment. Just at present under
stand that he is in limbo. wearing
the famous ''zebra"-the penitentia-
ry dress. 1t is not popular among
tramps and they seldom wear it. but
feel that the old rascal, in spite Of
the disgrace and Inconvenience that
his confinement brings upon him, is
tickled indeed that he is not bound
to find his own clothes.