Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1898-07-16
IOWA SPrD.
YORKER FAT.
Bo''nd West, Dec. %. 1892.

io the average passer by ii dencsa.
nothing OF greater import Than ~
registry OF two tramp. Nearly fve,v
water tank. tool she'd, section bnpsa
ana railroad structure OF any kind Il
the bMted States contains entrias
somewhat similar. Let 1t be undar.
stood that the man hitting the roaa
very seldom gives his real name n
those whom he meets. The mama 81
his state or city and some real or i'm
isihafy characteristic are fashioned in.
20 a nickname by some ether hobo. ana
mus the tramp is known while he 70.
mains on the road. 1t is his first durv
10 register at each stop made.
Chance had thrown these two togath-
CT az La Fayette, La, where. a large
number Of men of all descriptions in
tending TO Beat their way had in ioc,-
larfty formed the Fraternal Legion ~
american Tramps. Several times since
had they met and parted. iowa
Spudy was then lad OF about II. This
was his second trip. He had run awsv
from home, somewhere in Iowa. MAR
shallfoWn or Oa,umwa, IL memory
serves weilt because of differences with
a steciaiher and was going to Oregon.
where he had an uncle who was
Judge. His true name. he informed his
companion, was Osborne Degnan. The
companion has since written a hoax
and believed that some portions Of the
story might al least give the Iowa lad
a little notorieiy, but now the young
lad has gone and leaped into fame at
single bound. For Osborne De2na,1,
coxswain of the Merrimac, was on the
tramp in Texas in December, 1892.
The partner Of his travels a few
weeks ago attempted to raise a regi-
ment in one of New York's interior
cities, and was meeting with fair suc-
cess, having three good companies in
pretty fair shape, but could not oh
tain recognition or assistance from
Washington or Albany. On the day
ina. inscription was made on the Sa-
binal water tank he celebrated his 2Sth
birthday, and prior thereto had made
meteoric flash across New York
states political horizon.
Had Sabinal known the past and fu-
ture history Of these two visitors. their
reception Would undoubtedly have been
Of warmer nature. The old man who
lives in the house with a veranda di.
rectly south Of the water tank will
probably be a little ashamed of himself
when he thinks Of how hard he made
the Merrimac hero hustle with a rake
on MS lawn, before giving him that
small handout, which would hardly
feed two sparrows. While the woman
who invited the New Yorker to her
table viii only wish that she might
have seen the little fellow round out
his frugal meal with the extra piece of
pie carried away from her home by his
fat partner.
Il was three days lated that Degnan
obtained his first military experience. At
Fort Hancock were stationed two COM
panies Of infantry and one of cavalry.
Inc senior captain, in command of the
post was a martinez. The post is IL
miles from The station. and pretty tough
walking at that. The elder of the pair
If roldStcrS advanced upon the fort first
The sentinel on Post No. | challenged
him and turned him over to the corporal
If the guard Next he was escorted to
the post headquarters. and by the post
ommandant sentenced to - minutes at
he Woodpile on suspicion of being hun
sry. \ Fourth warder stood guard while
The JOB was being performed. and then
saw that his fellow citizen of the Empire
state satisfied his hunger at the barracks
mess hall Just as Fat was being es-
,orte1 to the gate, he espied the future
hero marching from headquarters upon
he woodpilc under the escort of Corporal
The punishment was the
same.
The confinement now being undergone
by Degnan will not be an entirely new
hing in his varied career. For on thar
reNan trip, he was seized at San Antonio
md thrust into the ReXar county Jail for
period of 10 days for daring to stretch
his tired limbs in the grass near the |. *
!. \. r. r. freight house. The other
nan narrowly escaped a similar fate by
'printing toward Mexico. slightly in adj
-ance Of two policemen.
The last these two WORTHLESS saw of each
other was in Tucson. Ariz They had
The going between those two stations
lad been pretty bad for both. The
had received a pair of shoes
rom kindhearted housekeeper. but the
size was ut fault. An attempt to fit the
second pair of feet again disclosed 4 dis
,rcpancy. This time the shoes were as
much too small as they had been too
large for the boys feet Yorker Fat
to attach himself TO freight
brakeman on a fast live stock train. and
rom between the bumpers waved a last
farewell to Iowa Spud.'
An upstate lawyer felt his bosom swell
with pardonable pride the other day when
ne read that his old pards road days
we're over. and that Uncle Sam would
probably provide for all time a comfort
lbc berth for the lad who some years
lgone had helped him sing when |
Vas Broke in Texas in December, 49,