The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-08-07
HOB0ES TRUN DOWN
N. p. OFFICIALS CLEAR THEIR
TRACKS OF OBJECTIONABLE
CHARACTERS.
rRAMPS THROWN FROM TRAINS
GUARDS GIVE BATTLE TO THOUS-
ANDS WHO SEEK TO BEAT
THEIR WAYs
WEARY WALKERS IN HARD LUCK.
Special Agent NewtOn's Experiment
With Armed Guards Pronounced
brilliant Success.


ern Pacific legal department, has re
turned to St. Paul, after having dis
missed and paid off his small army of
special guards employed a week ago to
drive out the. tramps and hoboes from
Northern Pacific territory. Fifty men
in all were employed in this work, and
from an experimental point of view
this new method of protecting trains
was a great success. 1t is said that
at present there are not ten hoboes
along the Northern Pacific right of
way into the wheat lands, where up
to a week ago there were two or three
hundred.
The salutary effect Of an armed
guard of determined men upon every
outgoing freight train was seen che
first day the system was placed In
operation. 1t is very likely that the
system will be used again next year,
and will be started earlier in the har-
vest season. The different crews OF
guards had one or two brushes with
ugly crowds of hoboes, but no serious
trouble was encountered. At Elk
River Junction and at Carleton, on the
Superior division, the guards had to
use their clubs with some force, but
they did it with telling effect. Crowds
of two or three hundred men at
tempted to simply capture the trains
and run them to suit themselves, but
they met a resistance that they had
not counted upon. Dozens of the no.
boes came out of the fracaSes with
bruised heads and arms. For three
days Mr.. Newton did not get into bed,
but remained on trains with his crews,
as once or twice it looked as if cool
head might be needed.
Great difficulty was experienced at
North Town Junction, beyond Mime
apolis, where The Northern Pacific and
the Great Northern roads cross. This
section was literally infested with the
hoboes, and the still more aggravating
class of tramps. North Town Junct-
tion was the clearing house for both
species of weary walkers. They had
things down to a science, and it took
no little skill to take the long freight
trains out without having them over
run with unwelcome passengers. AT
times there were no less than 500 men
lined along the right of way waiting
to board the outbound trains. Prior
to the establishing of the special guard
system, the hoboes had but little diff
ficulty In gaining their purpose.
The guards were stronger at this
point than at any other. They first
locked every car door and made every
thing secure, while the specials scat
tered themselves along the trains as
thickly as possible. Another squad
preceded the train through the yards
at the Junction and cleared the right
of way of the hoboes. Then putting
on all steam, the trains were rushed
through and cleared without further
trouble. This system was kept up at
North Town for six nights with great
effect, and the hoboes becoming tired
of waiting for rides on the Northern
Pacific, took to some other road. At
ter scattering the throngs at North
Town the crew joined the other squads
On the different divisions and accom-
Panied the trains. Carlton is Just
south of South Superior, and is the
meeting place of tough miners and
woodsmen. At this point the guards
had some little trouble.
The trouble is only half over, for as
soon as the harvest is over, there will
be great return rush, and the diff
cultieS of the situation will be increas-
ed because the annual harvest of the
confidence men and highway robbery
the guards will be started out again
at that time. The harvest hands then
become transformed from hoboes into
capitalists, and each has from 500 to
$3.50 in his inside pocket However
they look upon free transportation as
q legitimate perquisite and never pay
their fares unless compelled to- Those
who ride second class, become the vic
TINS of sharpers. and the roads will
nave full
trouble.
The police of the Twin Cities, especi-
ally Minneapolis, which Is closer to
North Town. do not take kindly to the
Northern Pacific special guard system.
for the reason that it has proven so
effective that the tramps return to town
and make trouble for everyone The
police would much prefer to have the
hotoes moved on. The Milwaukee.
the Omaha and the 500 have also had
mere or less trouble.
News comes down the road from
Staples and other important junction
points, that the guard system is very
unsatisfactory to the merchants of the
towns along the line. 1t is estimated
that 80 per cent of the hoboes have
sufficient money with which to buy
provisions and the necessities of the
trip. They have enough to pay their
railroad fare, but they will not ante
up. The Northern Pacific guards so
thoroughly drove the hoboes off the
line. that the merchants complain of
decreased trade in groceries, clothing,
shoes, tobacco. etc.
The train hands according to the
Staples man, are also kicking. 1t an
pears that the brakemen of the freight
trains reap harvest from the hoboes.
charging them dollar for the privilege
of occupying an empty box car. When
from so to 200 men board a train it
means fat thing for the train men.
Special Agent Newton says he saw no
evidences of this however, on the part
of the trainmen.
Mr., Newton estimates that no less
than 10000 hoboes got away from North
Town junction during the past two
weeks, on one or other of the roads.
Ten thousand seems like an exagger-
alton, but the agent declares that at
times there was no less than 500 hang
ing around the tracks. He
says very conservative estimate
would be 800 day for q days, for
those who actually went north. MANY
hung around 50 long that when they
reached the harvest fields, they found