The herald., 1896-01-13
A Few OF Bill Nye, Jr.'s, Expe-
rienCeS
WHILE EN- ROUTE EASTWARD
He Has Been Arrested Only Six Times
in Nine Weeks
He Has Met the Tramp in His Native Lair and
Thinks Him Hard Game Some
Other Observ atoms

1t has now been over two months since
Colonel Bill Nye, jr., gathered all of the
dust of Los Angeles he could (by subscrip-
tion), and, like the prodigal son, pawned
his suspenders and took a freight towards
the land of the rising sun where he first
saw the light. some twenty and odd years
ago.
Willie lailed from old England. He left
there more than five years since, shipping
on a sailing vessel to Australia. The trip
was uneventful to all concerned but
Willie. He learned lots. About the first
thing he discovered was that he was not
getting enough to eat, and when he COM
planned to the captain the latter told him
that he was learning to be a sailor. This
Immediately prejudiced Willie against a
seafaring life and he laid plans to escape.
Although he had learned how to box the
compass, to detect scurvy, eat hardtack,
the names of all the sails, to split the ships
log when the weather was cold and many
other useful things, he discarded this
knowledge by deserting the ship in AUS
tralia. Willie had hard time in the
Antipodes, but he remembers it kindly for
one fact, and that because somebody
recognized in him likeness to Bill Nye
and christened him so.
Willie came to America and stayed for a
year or more, sill keeping up his hard
luck. At last he decided to try it in Eng
land and a subscription was got up for
him, Only small SUM was raised, as
Willie was in too great hurry. His old
time hard luck seems to have pursued him
like the villain did the girl in the story, as
the following letter received from him the
early part of this month at Pueblo, Col,
will show.
During his travels Willie has met with
the tramp in his native lair and throws
considerable lghI on him which reformers
would do we'll TO read.
II left Los Angeles on the Goth of Octo-
ber, my destination being New York.
did not experience any trouble i'll deciding
which road to patronize, as my finances
amounted to 1915. On leaving Los An
geles caught a freight train and rode as
far as San Bernardino. After leaving this
place my trouble began, as found it was
al, desert country, with a house only every
fifteen or twenty miles Some OF the
meals the people served would turn the
stomach of an OK, but there was nothing
else to be done except choose between eat
ing going hungry. 1t ia needless for me
to cay they always remembered to charge
first class prices. AS regards the weather,
crossing the desert found it very hot in
deed, having to travel through the day with
only my underclothes on, and then l found
that the clothes had to carry bothered me
considerably in making good time. On
numerous occasions I found myself short
of water and no place to replenish my sup
ply. Twice I tagged train and filled my
canteen with the all-needful and then re-
sumed my march.
II have met all types of men since start
lug. Some of them were tramps by neces-
sity, while others were tramps by choice.
Many an hour have passed listening to
the heartrending stories told by some of
these tourists, one of whom had the audac-
ity to say that for the last ten years he had
travelled on the Atlantic coast during the
summer months and the Pacific coast dur
ing the winter. The present was the hard
est, ne said, he had ever experienced"
Willie here drifts into poetry with this
peripatetic son of rest as the theme, but as
life is short and uncertain and sorrowfui
enough. we will not risk weeping our eyes
out and pass ON to the next stage of his
iou ney.
This trip has been very hard one on
me. and has worked an awful change both
in my looks (heaven forbid) and feelings.
Some places passed through Twas treated
very kindly, but in others the people
snubbed me and that IN lde me feel en-
barrassed, as / did not look for it. l have
only been arrested six times in the last
nine weeks, the sentence being a nights
lodging and what they called square
meal
II nave been laid up here with frozen
foot. and it is not we'll yet. / expect to
make st. Louis on the next stretch. l will
uot go through Kansas City, as am told it
is a jay town and work is very hard to get.
Yours, BILL NYE, JR.