The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-12-15

rary; it was a good hiding place until the
detectives should give up the hunt for
him. He had planted" his money else
where, and meanwhile he had TO take his
chances with the "boes."
He was not a man who would ordinar-
lily arouse much pity, but tramp could
not have helped having sympathy for
him at meal time At every interview he
had at back doors he was seized with the
"tenderfoot's" bashfulness and during the
zen days that our companioship lasted he
got but one Square meal" His profess
sion of robber gave him no assistance.
Il can STEAL" he said, "go into houses
at night, and take my chances in a shoot
in scrape, but I'll be - If I can beg.
'Tain't like swipin'. When We swipe
We don't ask no questions, an ye don't
answer none. In this business We got to
cough up yer whole soul jus 10 get a lump
(hand-ouD. I'd rather swipe."
This is the testimony of practically all
beginners in the beggar's business; at the
start thieving seems to them a much easier
task. As the weeks and months pass by,
however they become hardened and dis
cover that their nerve" needs only to
be developed to assert itself, and the time
comes when nothing is so valuable that
they do not feel justified In asking for it,
They then definitely identify themselves
with the profession and build up reputa-
tons as "irst-class" tramps
Each mans experience suggests 10 him
how this reputation can best be acquired
One man, for example, finds that he does
best with a graft" peculiarly his own
and another discovers that II is only at a
certain time of the year, or in particular
part of the country that he comes out
winner. The tramp has to experiment in
all kinds of ways ere he understands him
self or his public, and he makes mistakes
even after an apprenticeship extending
over years of time.
How Gags" Are Invented.
In every country where he lives. however
there is a common fund of exDsIisnce and
fact by which he regulates his conduct in
the majority of cases. II is the collective
testimony OF generations and genera tons
of tramps who have lived before him, and
he acts upon It in about the same way that
human beings in general act upon ordi-
nary human experience.
Emergencies arise when his own ingen-
uity alone avais and the average finding
is of no use to him and on such occasions
he makes a note on the case and reporis s
about 1t at the next hang OUT conclave
If he has invented something of real val
ue, a good begging story, for instance,
and 1t is generally accepted as good, it is
labeled "Shorty's Gag" or Sims" as
the mans name may be, and becomes his
contribution 10 the general collection of
gags"
It is the man who has memorized the
greatest number of gags" or ghost sto-
ries," as they are al;o called. and can han
die them deftly as circumstances suggest,
that is The most successful beggar. There
are other requirements 10 be observed, but
unless man has a coed stock of stores
with which to 'fooP' people he can not
expect to gain a foothold among "the bow
cd in the glass stiffs." He must also keep
continually working over his stock. "Ghost
stories" are like bonne,s; those that were
fashionable and CONNIE il faut last year,
are this year out of date, and thcN must
be changed to suit new tastes and condi-
tons, or be supplanted by new ones. FIRE.
quenty a fresh version of the old story
has to be improvistd on the scot, so to
speak.
The following personal experience Illus
trates under what circumstances gags
are invented. 1t also shows now even the
proft sscnals forget themselves and their
pose on occasions.
One morning, about eight years ago,
arrived in a small town in the Mohawk
valley in company with tramp called
Indianapolis Red. We had ridden all night
in a box car i'm the hope of reaching New
York by morning but the freight had been
delayed on account of wreck, and we
were so hungry when we reached the town
in question that we simply had to get off
and look for something 20 eat. 1t was not
a place, as we well knew. where tramps
were welcome, but the train would not
stop again at a town of any size until long
after breakfast and we decided to take
our chances.
We had an hour at our disposal until the
next freight" was due. The great ques-
ton was, what story we should tell, and
we rummaged through our collections to
find good one. Finally, after each of us
had suggested a number of good stories.
and had refused them in turn, on the
ground that hey we're too old for such a
"hostile' place Red suggested that we try
"the def n dun gag" There are sew
eral gags of this description and ask
ed him which one he meant.
Lets work it this way" he said, and
he began to improyise. I'm your def m
to New York where I'm going to get a lob.
I'm a clerk. and you're seein' me down
10 the city sos't nothin'll happen 10 me.
Our moneys given out an we've simply
got 10 ask fer assistance. We're ter bly,
hungry, an you want to know " the lady
O. the house'll be good enough to hely yer
brother along. See?"
IL worked Too Well.
1 saw all right enough, and accepted
the proposition, but the odds seemed
against us because the town was one OF
the most unfriendly along the line We
picked out a house near the track. AS a
rule such houses have been begged out"
but we reasoned that II our story would 20
at all il would so there, and besides the