Evening star., 1897-01-27
A R MY OF TR A MPS
They Have Taken Possession Of the City
Streets.
Some of the Beggars Taken Into
COurt-COlOred Migrants on
the Increase.

There are between five and seven hun
dred tramps in the city, so policeman
told Star reporter this morning, and the
feeding of these men takes just so much
food from the poor of the city. A great
many of these knights of the road called at
the several police stations and asked for
lodgings, and there was the usual number
at the lodging house and mission. The
cheap lodging houses accommodated
number of them. At these places the
tramps are able to remain over night for
from five to twenty-five cents, according
to the location of the room and character
of the bed. The five-cent dodgers get only
a warm room and no bedding, but they
seem just as well satisfied as those who
pay the extra sums and are given warm
covering. When the municipal lodging
house was started the police made a rule
not to accommodate any dodgers. But 1t
was found that exceptions had to be made,
for night after night the number of dodgers
was so large that several police stations
had to open their dodgers rooms and allow
some of the city's visitors the privilege of
when the police stations on the outskirts
of the city had to accommodate most Of the
tramps, for the men would remain in the
county until about sundoWn and then ven-
ture in. But times have changed. The
country people will no longer feed them,
they once did, and they have to depend
almost wholly upon the city for support.
During the day, as well as at night, the
tramps go along the streets and ':hold-up'
pedestrians. as well as calling at houses
and begging for food. In some sections of
number of tramps who are calling at their
houses. Some of the tramps are SO lnso-
lent that they have frightened women and
children and caused some alarm.
South Washington has had more than
its share of tramps during recent days,
and Policeman Sontag, who is detailed at
the fourth precinct station has taken
many of the callers to court on charges
of vagrancy.
The callers now average from six to
fifteen night the policeman remarked
today, but 1 never take any of them to
court unless they are willing to go. I al
ways tell them that if they remain they
will have to go to court. and many of them
express Willingness to go to court rather
than take their chances in the cold. The
trampS here now only want a comfortable
place to remain until about the time of the
Inauguration. SO that those who are sent
down for short periods row are really de-
lighted singular thing about the
tramps is that great many colored ones
are among the number. AS rule, colored
tramSs are scarce, but this season their
number is largely increased"
William Anderson, colored, and five white
men, who gave their names Jerome
Daley, Frank Adams, Henry Hall, Neal
Mcguire and William Webb, called at the
station last night because they had no
other place to so. and were willing to re-
main after hearing the officer explain the
situation.
Anderson's partner had been in court
two days ago. and had been sent down for
thirty days. He knew this, and said a
month on the farm would just suit him.
This morning Judge kimball accommo-
dated him.
When Adams and Hall appeared they
said that had been on the steamship
Appomattox and had been discharged at
Newport News.
We were in charge of cattle going over
TO London they said, land were coal
paSserS on our return
What did you do with your money!"
Coal passers don't get money" was the
response They make their arrangements
with the fireman, and he gives them some
thing to eat and a little tobacco
What are you going to do now?'
I'VE want to return to Baltimore from
where We shipped
Their personal bonds were taken, and
they were sent out of town.
William: Webb said he was a machinist
and had come from Newport News, but
just where he was going he did not know
He is by no means stranger here, for
according to his story, he comes here every
winter al i has been in the workhouse a
number of times.
Its remarkable how many people say
tney are going to or coming from Newport
News said the judge, ''and how many
machinists there are on the road"
The judge remembered Webb from last
winter, and sent him down for ninety Gays
Mag1ire and Daley We're sent down for
thirty days each.
1t is the opinion of the police that life in
the workhouse is too easy for tramps, and
that they should be made to do more work
than they now do. With change in their
treatment, the police think, many of them
| would be frightened away from here and
the city would not have SO many of them
to feed. When there are several hundred
| tramps in the city, who are fed by hegging
from house to house. this, The police say,
means that just so many OF the worthy
poor are deprived of food.