The morning news., 1899-05-11

trains leave from Union OepOt. cOiHe
forms the passageway between those sec
tions for that scum of the American So
cial pot known TO the world at large az
iramps. AS regularly as the seasons roh
round, as regularly as the biackolros ny
South in the fall and North in the spring,
and as regularly as the meeting and ad-
iournment of the national legislature
these homeless wanderers, buns, vagfahts
and vaga bonds flee South in the fal drlV-
en- by the approach of the Northern WIN
ter, and again wend their way more lels-
urely toward the North when the heat OF
the approaching summer becomes too great
for comfort.
The tramp is the true Bohemian. The
world. according to his philosophy Is IN
debted to him for living. and the only
trouble that he takes in life is TO make
collections In many cases he imagines
that il has refused this debt through the
medium of honest work. and accordingly
resorts at the worst to theft, at the best
to beggary. His home is where night over
takes him; his wanderings are away from
labor and care, and his search is ever
for where the fizz of the free beer is only
interrupted by the cracking of the pref
eel.
The true tramps, the artists at this
men the old wandering spirit of their saw
age forefathers proves stronger than all
of the conventionalities of society, and the
remuneration and comforts of honest toll
They start at first by running away from
home as boys and the kicks and cuffs
the scorn of their fellow men and the
miseries of life of vagabondage never
suffice to drive them from their chosen
path. They are bound by no law, other
selves, and they glory only in their abil-
ity to euchre the world out of a sufficient
amount of food and drink to support life
Advance Agent of Vagrancy.
This is the show that will soon visit
Washington, and Mr.. Higgins, who has
grown gray in the ranks. is the advance
agent of this variety performance The
district authorities have enacted very
strict rules regarding vagrants; but this
never deters the harder members of the
craft from trying TO work the town on
their way through Some will grow too
bold and viii be arrested and sent down
for couple of months; but this will in
no wise interrupt the uneven tenor Of
their existence, for the workhouse and
the jail are a part of the programme of
the professional tramp, and il is only aft
er tramp has learned the ropes from one
other that he attains to leadership and
dignity in the eyes of his species.
1t is in this way that Old Pete Higgins
has gained power and standing among his
felow-roadsters, such as few others of his
craft have reached.
Out along the tracks of the Chesapeake
and Ohio there is an old gentleman, who
probably knows personally as many
tramps as does any man in America who
is not himself member of the profession
He has been employed for almost a score
of years in his present capacity, and as
his watch house is in a somewhat lonely
position the dusty travellers have no fear
in approaching him and conversing Hig-
gins, he says, has been on tne road longer
than any rounder with the possible excep-
ton of Old Ben Brady, the one-armed
man. However, Ben has never been con-
sidered especially bright by the fraternity
and Higgins is the man whom they all
ask aften when they pass. curious
thing, says the old gateman, is that none
of them ever strike him for money or
food. In passing many of them leave
marks, or little chalk signs. on the side
of his house, and these are read by the
buns who follow after, and he believes
protect him from these wild fellows.
"They telr me lots of amusing stories -
said the old gentleman in the course of
conversat ton concerning the tramps "Hig-
gins is an uncommuncative sort of old
fellow, but he owns up, when you ask him
the question, that he wouldn't stop tramp
ing il he could He says he likes IT,.
and that Is all there is to it. He is getting
too old now for the hard life that he leads,
and one of these days he win fall off some
car on which he is stealing ride and be
killed.
Expert in Jumping Trains.
''Ten years ago he was the most active
man | think l ever saw. There was no
train he couldn't jump, unless 1t was go
ing like lightning itself. l saw him tackle
the Southern express right over there at
the curve one evening when il was going
a full twenty-five miles an hour. and climb
her. too. Another fellow who was going
TO do the trick With him made a grab
at the hind end of the rear coach, and
was tumhled all up in heap for his
pains He got up all right, though, and
started on out toward the bridge.
some of these fellows who come along
here are educated In tirst-class style 1
tell Won. one, / remember. stood here
on night with "a crowd of his pals and
made n political speech. II was the best
thing heard that year. IL was in 1892, and
he Was taking for Grover Cleveland and
free trade. One of the fellows told me
that he had been a lawyer up in Penn
syIvania and that he was college grad
uate. lie said that he got to, drinking,