The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1896-09-24
VOCABULARY OF WORDS IN COM
MON USE AMONG THEM.
A Curse to the Country and u Con-
slant Menace to the Grow
ing Generations.
fcolumbus. O.. DIspatch.l


Now is the heyday of the tramp. the
warmth of the sun makes glad the
cookies of his heart, and he wanders far
and wide, The American tramp Is an
institution that seems to have come to
stay. His numbers fiuctuate with the
times, but he is always plentiful.
The commonest tramp is the hobo"
He is the product of shiftlessness, love
of drink or recklessness. He is the
least harmful Of all. He always claims
to be looking for work. and often is
He builds the bitches. lays the pipe
lines, makes the levees and does the
most of the laboring work Of great I'M
dertakings. The railroads of this coun-
try were built by the "hobo;" the great
drainage canal near Chicago has en-
ployed tens Of thousands Of them. They
come and go. Sometimes work a week,
a month or six months; then spend all
their earnings in one spree or debauch
and descend to the level of the common
tramp.
There is no more careless, happy
go-lucky class of men in the world.
They endure hunger and cold, loss OF
sleep and sickness and injuries with an
equanimity that is surprising. They
care only for the day. and the morrow
has no terrors. To eat smoke and chew
tobacco and drink intoxicants in the
sum of their existence, not taking into
account certain vicious practices which
are rampant among them. Hobos often
rise; they are youths and men who have
fallen in the battle of life and surren-
dered into the hands of the enemy.
They often regain their former level
and become good citizens. There Is
faint survival Of the journeyman Idea
among mechanics. In olden days each
artisan went out to gain experience and
make his fortune among strangers.
Many young men upon learning trade
try the same thing in these days. Those
who fail become hobos.
The children of the street, born in
poverty, reared in misery and with no
moral training, help to fill the ranks OF
another class of hobos This is made
up of petty criminals, unsuccessful
wretches, burglars and thieves without
occupation, cut-throats, drug "fends,"
and others. These live life apart from
the rest Of mankind. There is little hope
for them. Heredity, environment and
natural depravity have completed their
moral ruin. They become inmates OF
reformatories, jails and penitentlaries,
and glory in their crimes. Now and
again one with more ambition than his
fellows, perhaps with more courage and
certainly with more intelligence, be-
comes a skilled crook, daring bank rob-
Der or other notorious law-breaker.
The tramp of the picture papers died
long ago. He was the effect of the war
and did not survive that bloody strug-
gle more than score of years. He is
known as Weary WILLIE" Hungry
"Raggles," ETC., but he does
not exist in real life. He is usually seen
under a haystack or by the side OF the
road, talking to his companion. His
language is an impossible one that new
sr was spoken by any tramp. and was
originated by writers who, ignorant of
his real Lingo" invented one that they
thought fitted the tongue Of their
subject.
The average conversation between two
knights # the road is something like
this, according 70 the illustrated pa
pers:
Sloppy Sam-"Wot did youse t'ink o
dat guy jist passed wild dem bags on
him?"
Hungry Hawkins-"Well, say, Sam;
youse surprises me. OATS new ~om-
N an deys bloomers she has on. Oats
latest style dat de Prince O. Weles
This is exquisitely funny, but not at
all lifelike. If a tramp wanted to point
put to a companion such an article Of
dress as boomers he would likely say,
Pipe de rags!"
The language of tramps differs the
over. The climate, the habits
Of the locality, the enforcement Of the
laws, and many other things alter and
give birth to words and terms which are
in tramp language. Here
are few of the words in use among
several classes of tramps and more
among "yags."
Yag-A tramp thief.
Dynamiter-In the West, and especi-
ally in California, man who roams
through the country working at inter-
walls and carrying blankets to sleep in
and bundle of clothes.
Stiff-A beggar who pretends to be in
"Stiff' also means a newspa-
per or writing paper.
Mush fakir-An umbrella member
Who tramps.
Buddy or punk-A boy who consorts
with tramps. Generally is attached to
an older tramp, for whom he begs and
who protects him from the attacks of
other tramps. These boys suffer great
~. but are terrorized by the older men
and kept in subsection. They are num-
erous.
Buli-A policeman or Constable.
Sap-A crutch or club welded by po-
licemen. A source Of terror among
Fly-A detective. A rail fly is a rail-