The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-12-17
APPEALS MADE BY TRAMPS.
SOME or THEM AFvLICTED WITH 4
FdTiL B1sBRULNEsS
A burglar Among Othrrs who Found IL
Easier to steni Than 10 Bex-sDread or
the Fame Of the Chansnbie Their signs
and LsnKuass-An Anpv eur's Adventure.

trriOus sig Language III when lhry rominunirhl"
secrets to onc another in regard To professional
matters II is thought. for Instance. that they
make familiar chalk and pencil marks ON fences
aud horse blocks, indicating To- the brotherhood
such things as whether a certain house ~ good
ar not where ferocious dog is I5pt at what time
tho p,licc arc least likely. OF m,Sst likely to put
In an hppraraire how late IN themOtning n barn
can I've occupied before the farmer will hr up and
about and where n convenient chicken coop IN
located Elaborate accounts have been written
In newspapers about thr amount ~ information
they give to one another IN this way, and many
persons believe that tnmps rely IN u sgnllan.
guagc IN their begging
Its well to state at the outset that this Isl false
conception of their methods They all have Jar.
rons and Z LIMOGES Uf their own choosing
and Tmaking. and they conNers. inl them
when among themselves, but the reportedpuhkling
signs and marks which are supposed Ia "b,iate
all verbal speech are fabrication ~ far the
jority NJ roadsterS are concerned Among the
blanket StHs." III the far West and among the
"Bindle Men" "Mush Fakirs and "furnpikers,
OF the middle West, the Fast and Canada, there
exists crude system 81 marking good" houses
hut these Migrants do not belong to the rank
and file oi the tramp army, and are cOmparaiiN ely
few in numbers,
II IN Furthermore H. he said that the mark
ing referred to IL occasional rather than usual
Probably one II the main reasons why the public
has imagined that uamps Use hicrOglyphics In
their prof, ssun il tina, when charity is shown to
one Of them the gi,rr is frequently plagued with
a visitation from n raft ui bcggats This phenom
rnon. however IN easily explained without
recourse to the sign Language theO,y Out
side al nearly all towns Uf 10000 Inhabitants
and more the tramps have little camps or hang
outs" where they meke their headquarters while
working the community Naturally they com
pare notes ut meal time. and II one beggar has
discovered what he considers generous house
he tells his pals about II 40 that they may also
yet the benefit ~ it's hospitality. The finder II
the house cannot visit II himself again until his
face has been forgotten. at any rate he seldom
does visit II more than once during weeks
stay in the town, but his companions can. ~ he
tells them where II Is aud wha, kind Of story
Although the huboes do not make u,e 81 the
marks and signs with which the popular fancy
has credited them, they have number VI
interesting theories Gbou, rgging and II
large variety ~ clever rIiseS to deceive people
Not all ttamps are either clever or successful.
the road Is travelled by n great many more anna
tears than professionals hut II ~ the arrest en-
deavor Of all At least IT, make living, and there
are thousands who make something besides
Roughly estimated there are from sixty to sev.
rnty.hvc thousand tramp, III the uniIcd States,
and probably n NTH 81 all may be classified ~
first class trampS There are - second and a
third class and even fourth, hut II is the \ NJ.
men. as they call l4rmS, iycS mh2 are tho most
ramps and the less successful members ~ the
craft is that they have completely conquered
"
seems comparatively easy Ia go To- n back door
and ask Tor something to eat, and the mere word
ing Of the request Is easy, all too easy. but the
hard part Of the transaction is to screw up courage
enough 10 open the front gate. The beginner
l.. . sp ~" b,msr " ih "m iron. ssf H. oe"Ir
door. and there are men To whom u vagrant lfu
Is attractive who never overcome the tendtrfoot's
IL was once my lot to have a rather successful
professional bursSt i3E companion on short
Yether the haDnAIaTd that all
quain tancssl FPS are formed. We met at \ railroad
watering tank. The mans sOiourn IN trampdum.
however was only temporary. II Was a good hid
ing place until the detectives should give up the
hunt for him lie had planted" his money else
where, and meanwhile he had to take his chances
with tho "boes' lie was not a man who would
ordinarily arouse much pity, but tramp could
meal time. \, every interview he had a, back
doors he was seized with the tenderfoots bash
iulness and during the ten days that our com
His profession Of robbcr gave him no assistance
can steal he said. go into houses al night
III he hanged II | can beg faint like Nv pin
When ye swipe ye don't ask no Questions, an
ihand.9u,l I'd rather swipe - w. N'' " '""'
This the testimony Of practically all beginners
in I'll" beggars business: al the start thieving
seems to them much easier task. As the weeks
and months pass by however they become
hardened and discover that their nerve needs
only to he developed Ia assert itself and the time
comes when nothing is So valuable that they do
H.
then definitely identify themselves with the pro.
iessirn and build up regulations as first class
nGmps. EsGh mans cNprrience suggests tn
MN now thlS reputation rdn best lie acquired
One man, for example, finds that he does hest
With graft peculiarly his own. aud another
discovers that il * only AT certain time Of The
year. "r IN particular part Of the country that
he comes out winner, The tramp has 10 rxpcri.
ment ~ all kinds ~ ways before he underslnn nd =
himself or his public and he makes mistakes
even alter an apprenticeship extending over years.
IN every country whrr hr lives, however there
n nd iurt lN al .h
J." regnlat"S his conduct IN III" nrioity III CAGES
u Is ~" collective testimony 81 generations md
generations "i trSnlp~ whn have lived batnr,
HIM, and he acts uIs!n II in about the same way
maj human beings in general act upon ordinary
his own ingenuity alone aVnil2 aud The average
hndlng is 81 no ms" 10 him and On such ncrasI"ils
a. Se mex, Hnn@o", ,a awe 'rf H. b"a ' IN
vented something uf rrnl value, a good hrxgimx
~ good, il Ia Tabled Shurtys gar, "r Sims as
me mar nam" may hr md becomes his con,
,rhm,'on 10 III" general c'll,,r,ion Of gags /,
hcr II gags or gh"s >lorics. as ey are AS. ,lI"d
ana ran hand" them deity rs circumstance
Their are other requirements !" Nv observed
hpi unless = man hes god stork Of stories with
hold among "'h" bl"w,I in the glass sli,is" Ilr
. m',S, ais1 keep rgn,inullly working over hia
That were frsh"m.bc "s, Nr sm sI H.. 'n.s
".w o. ,s aa.' n ana ,ry must b. "hangsd " s,
old story has 80 h lmpfn,is',i IN the spot
h" following personal experience illustrates
under what circumstances gags are invented
~ also shows how even the professionals forget
themselves and their pose on coca sions. One
morning about eight years ago. | arrived in n
small town III the Mohawk Valley in company
with tramp called Indianapolis Red We had
RIDDEN all night IN box IN the hope of reaching
New York by morning. but the freight had been
delayed on account ola wreck and We were 81,
hungry when We reached the town in question
thhtN We simply had Ia get UH aud look for some
tnlnR 10 eat IL waSnut a place, aS W. well knew
where lramps were welcome, but the train would
not stop again at a town II any izTImtiI Iour
after breakla We decided 10 Ia H. our changes
We had an hour at our disposal until the mex 1
freight was due. The great question was. what
story We should ten, aud we both rummaprd
through our c2Ilrcl'nnS to find good one Finally,
alter each OF rs had suggested n number of
inherent STORES and had refused them IN Turn ON
The ground that they odd for such hoStil G
place Red suggested that We try the dccf u
dum gag There are severai gags ~ this de.
Sc:,pt'on, and asked him winch one he meant
Let's work II this way" hc said. aud he began
!" lmproyiNc. I'm your def N dun brother
see Nn were On our way t. New York where
m gong 10 get u Job I'm clerk, and yoll' r.
seem me down To the city SOS nuthin' II hnpprn
To me-. our money given out, an we've simnI,
got In ask fer assistance. We're terribly hungry
an YOU want TO know II the lady II The Lousr' 4
he good enDugh Id helm We brniher sl.n.- C.. .,