The Portland daily press., 1895-10-02
BOY TRAMPs.
Brought In From Rigby by Marshal
Trickey.

Trickey.
Extraordinary Life of Runaway and
Homeless Boys Who Travel About
From Fair to Fair-InterviewsW With the
Youngsters at the Lodging Room.
Out at Rigby yesterday, one of the at
fractions was the singing of little street
Arab whose clear sweet voice attracted
good deal of attention between the heats.
Marshal Trickey was present and motto ed
that after the little fellow had collected
considerable money in his hat he joined
three or four other young Arabs and they
began forthwith to smoke cigarettes and
enjoy themselves. They looked SO tough
that they attracted the marshal's atten-
ton. Finally he began to question them
and learned the following facts;
| The little singer said that his name
was Dennis Sweeney; that he was
fourteen years old and his home was at
800 Chestnut street, Manchester. N. II.
He ran away from homo last June. He
had been singing around at horse trots
and fairs ever since and had been at Con-
cord, N. H., Lawrence, Fall River,
Providence, R. l., then back to Law
renee, Salisbury Beach. the Rochester
fair and thence to Rigby. He stops at
night with the hostlers at the race tracks
! Another of the boys said that his name
is Ernest A. Belireau, that he is fifteen
years old and his home is in Lynn, Mass
He ran away three weeks ago and had
been at the Gray and Rochester fairs.
Another said that is name is James
Wallace, his age eighteen years, that he
hasn't any home, though he belongs at
Lewiston. He has been at Gorham, Nor
way and Rochester fairs as bootblack.
A fourth boy said that his name is
Ernest W.. Chartrand, his age sixteen
years, his home at 100 Cedar street, Lew
iston. He had been round at the fairs
for three weeks as a boot black.
Marshal Tricky brought Chartrand
and Belivean to the police station in his
carriage, and put them in the lodging
room. The other two boys were brought
in later by the police When they met
their companions in the lodging room
there was delighted shaking of hands
M ong the four youthful runaways.
At about O. 30 last evening PRESS
reporter visited the boys in the lodging
ROOM They were in comfortable beds and
all were asleep except Chartrand. He Is
a very bright little fellow. He said that
he first & the other boys at the
/;
from home every fall to black boots at
the fairs and races. He has done SO for
three years. He was away nine weeks
last fall and took $22 home with him, to
buy clothes with, so he said.
Wallace woke up and said that he was
earning his living in the same way.
Asked If there were many boys going
around at the fairs in this way. Chart
rand said:
"There's millions of 'em," and turn
ing to Wallace said, Wasn't they lots OF
EN- up to Rochester,"
Wallace assented and said that there
were sixty of these boys at that fair,
blacking boots. and earning or getting
money enough to live on in various ways
Belireau, woke up. He hadn't been
singing or backing boots. He was just
helping the hostlers for his food and
lodging. He looked rather different from
the other boys and it was plain that he
ran away from good home. He said
that he was leased away by boy named
Won Peel This boy was bad boy and
a thief. He stole pocketbook up at tho
Gorham fair and was locked up in box
STALL. He dug his way out and ran away.
Belireau was left alone and couldn't go
home, he said, because he hadn't any
| money. He had simply been living with
| the hostlers.
Marshal Tricky telephoned to his
father at Lynn and received a reply that
he would come to Portland after his run
away son today. A telephone message to
the father, of the little singer, Sweeney,
| in Manchester, elected the apparently
unfeeling response. Let him walk
home.
! Both Chartrand and Belireau said that
these beds at the police station were the
best they had had since they left home.
Sweeney did not wake up. Wallace.
| who is rather tougher in appearance than
the rest, bodily said to Marshal Tricky
as he rubbed his sleepy eyes: "Say, git
us some water, will your" So Marshal
Tricky took the pitcher and went out to
fill it and these youthful tramps seemed
to think that it was nothing more than
to be expected that they should get what
they asked for and that this comfortable
night at the police station was only one
of the customary results of trusting to
/ luck for the necessities and some of the
comforts of life.
Bolireauis father arrived from Lynn on
| tho Imam lasf nirht To take his mini ia