The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-04-21
THE PRINCE OF TRAMPS.

He was standing on the sidewalk and
Parker, my assistant of the Relief Society,
pointed him out. recognized him as the
man who day or two before had received
at my hands the suit of clothes he was
then wearing, as he said his old ones were
"agaiast' him and he could not get
work.
Pleased at the thought of dressing man
up for business" when heard Parkers
story I learned what his occupation was.
Parker said: Taking hira for working
man, asked him what are you doing?"
He answered. This nothing.)
What have you been doing?''
f"This.
well. what are you going to doY
'Thisr
Stepping to the door took mental pho
tograph Of the man 'for reference" hop
ing also to find some distinguishing marks
by which / might be enabled to identify his
kind if / should meet any more.
He was no ordinary tramp, grimed with
dirt, with disheveled hair and unshorn
beard. About thirty years of age, his face
evidently recently shaved, he was generally
clean and respectable looking, and his only
bad feature was a foxy, shifting eye.
however, he appeared like man who
could and would go any lengths in pre-
sumption and assurance, and whose pc
cullar intelligence would lead him to apprO-
PIRATE all the stock phrases of the work
man in need" with dangerous capacity
besides for invention of stories about his
own sufferings and inability to find en-
ployment
remember when he obtained the clothes
from me there was no denying him this and
that of the articles he instinctively knew
had been contributed for the relief of the
unemployed. He gave me no chance to be
garments had the air not of abject poverty
put that of deserving fellow who was
al SO quiet that he obtained what he want
ed almost without my consent.
watching him now from the window,
said: Parker, find out more about him,
and tell me what you learn
parkers report is worth consideration.
That fellow has been on the road every
year for seven years between here and BUT
falo He says he likes San Antonio for a
IN the samer Das Isns from gar Fails
broke and lands in the South in the same
condition, but he trusts himself on differ
ent roads and manages every time to pull
through all right.
He works all kinds of 'rackets' on peo-
pie about why he must get to Texas and
why he must go back to New York. The
doctors have told him in both cases he
will die If he does not get away from
where he is. Again, it Is the sickness of
his mother that causes him to take a hur-
ried journey in one direction, and perhaps
the death of his father calls him in an
other
telling about how he escapes the work he
and it is so hard on his health that people
are glad to pay him and let him go.
Coming South, he tries the virtues of
dition to his conversational powers, upon
brakemen and conductors on railroads, in
order to get a free ride, and, returning, he
does not mind taking a. contract to run
through with cattle sheep train, to
an ke ma OF ahd food it B B pe the
cause some man has his eye on him, and
he has to make sfcw of doing something
when he is doing a town or city he has
physicians prescription (exhibited) which
he has not the money to get filled, and 1t
1t he could only get his health back he
could get work
Again, his sight is very bad and he
needs his spectacles. but will sell them for
a quarter to buy himself something to eat
I'm many cases the prescription dodge
many Tender-hearted people who will help
him under the supposed circumstances,
rather than allow sick man who is will
ing to work go about the streets unas-
sisted And of course few would deprive a
man of his glasses, and SO money is given
him. to buy food of which he stands in
need.
Be here Saturday'-wilI fetch good
many. who think it shame cannot
get hundreds of miles from where he is
"As for references he has a lot of them
written on printed letter and note heads of
firms in different parts of the States, but
is it likely people are going to take the
trouble to verify them?"
Parker, I said, lit seems to me this man
would be just the fellow to turn over to
the police as a vagrant. Where can he
be found?'
ooh. he busted the town yesterday from
your basement lodging place of the relief
society and left this note for YOU
How did he get there? l did not give
him permission"
He smuggled himself in after dark. He
knows all the bows
The note read: Itinerary: San Antonio
to Austin, Palestine, Longyiew, Texarkana,
etc., etc. Goodbye to this hole, it is only
fit for Mexicans. ORMOND ROSE.
II ms dna