Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-12-16
Described bysa Man Who Has Lived
With Them.
DO NOT HAVE 4 sign LANGUAGE
But They Exchange Tips and Gags
Is &c
for Mutual Benefit.
INCIDENTS OF THE ROAD

q mysterious sign language III WHICH lneN
communicate secrets to one another in re-
gard to professional matters. 1t is thought.
| for instance that they make familiar chalk
| and pencil marks fences and horse
blocks Indicating to the brotherhood such
things whether certain house is good
| or not. where a ferocious dog is kept, at
| what time the police are least likely, or
most likely. to put in an appearance how
late in the morning a barn can be occupied
| before the farmer will be up and about
and where a convenient chicken coop is To-
| Gated.
| Elaborate accounts have been written in
| newspapers about the amount of informa-
ton they give to one another in this way
| and many persons believe that tramps rely
| on sign language in their begging.
1t is well to state at the outset that this
| is a false conception of their methods. They
| all have jargons and LIMOGES of their own
| choosing and making, and they converse in
them when among themselves, but the re-
ported puzzling signs and marks which are
supposed to obviate all verbal speech are a
fabrication so far as the majority of road
sters are concerned. Among the blanket
StftS' in the far west and among the bin
die men," ''muSh fakirs'' and "turnpikerS''
of the middle west, the east and Canada
there exists a crude system of marking
good houses, but these Migrants do not
belong to the rank and file of the tramp
army, and are comnaratiyely few in MN
bers
II Is furthermore to be said that the
marking referred to is occasional rather
than usual Probably one of the main rea-
sons that the public has imagined that
'tamPS use hlerOglNphicS in their profess
sion is that when charity is shown tn ON,
Of them the siver is frequently plagued
vita visitation from raft cf beggarS.
This phenomenon, however is easily eX-
piano" Witaout recourse to the sign Ian
ItSiFf of M, al,
81 l''f' inhabitants and more the tranpS
nave mule camps or hang outs" whera
they make their headquarters while work
ing the community. Naturally, thas- com
pare notes at ineal time, and if one begyar
mas discovered what he considers a gen
ti'1S mouse ne tells his pals about ii. 50
t'iat inty may also get the benefit Of its
hospitality. The finder Of the house cannot
EISit IL hlhSef again until his face has been
ipi S"lleil; at any rate. he seldom does visit
~ m'It IMAM once during weeks stay in
N 'o"il, ~ Ht[ companions can. 50 hr
-. 80 I'm NI.f1 II IS ana what kind Of It
SOL" 'Ht| must trlI.
Tramp Theories of scEafu.
AIrboJab tn, I,,I,,.-.. ,I ,,..t ,,,-,,-
- 49, Wv i''l hI'iHe us" ~
."' !dIhS ana signs VIII which the popH-
lar fancy has credited them. they have a
number If interesting theories ahour baar-
ssina and a large ,.4,iot,- az II, -,
,l.l,:,.. - ~ - VEL uses 20
w L2''-s' an" II - "eI lpl The public
|" Keep as up to date IN regard to these
matters as they keep in regard TO the pub-
lio's s,-,,ratr,i. ~ -, -,
clever m. s,,df-i ~ 'i.Ilhl1~ fe''lth',f
ed by 3 great ,ra,Y,- ,, 80 go, IS faEeL-
DrofsssioHaIs -I,,,t :, I'm ','.i7 man
deavor of ali at Ie.,st - ,tr I tn, NJ en-
there are thousands who make something
'gSlIe@;
ia n{:onf... mere are from sixty
United States and DrohahI,- fif,b nf t ,,I,
may be classified as ''iirst-class" tramps
mere are a second and third class and
G ett d IouiIH' pul II Is the "A No men,
Interesting ~ ''' 9ie me most
The main distinction betwsa, tbes.
tranps and the less successful members
OF the craft is that they have completely
CONQUERED the amateurs Squeanis hness
about begging. II seems comparatively
easy to go to a back door and ask for
something to eat, and the mere wording of
the request Is easy. all TOO easy, but the
nara part CT the transaction is to screw up
courage enough to open the front gate
The beginner III tramp life goes to a dozen
front gates before he can brace himself
l9r the Interview at the back door. and
there are men TO whom Nagrant life is
aatltactTe who never overcome the TENDER
1000 s DashfulntSs.
II was once my lot to have a rather sue
cesSlul professional burglar for a compan-
ION on a short tramp trip in the middle west.
We had come together in the haphazard
way that all tramp acquaintanceships are
1Gflhed. emet at d railroad watering tank.
me man SoJourn III trampdom, however
was only temporary II was good hiding
pace unIl! the detectives should give up
IN" hHAt 1of nm. lie mad planted his
ti'"!4eE elsewhere ana meanwhile he had
~ '"hS MS cha.ice9 WIN the Does.
y Bashfui Burglar
tIa was. ,,,- - ,,,.,, ,..L -,
'7 =" ''t' VIM "'uAo olnl'iHy
arouse hueh ply, but tramp could not
hetp having sympathy for him at meal
time Al every interview he had at hi,
doors he was seized win ,Io -
foot's' hashfuiness. and durina rba 70,
days that ,ur compagjonsi,in lasted bo o,nt
but one ..souare meal" His nrofossfn, ~
robber gave him no ASSISTANCE
Il can steal he said, go into houses at
night and take my chances in shootin'
~ "pe, nHt II w. 99 Il can beg; Iain,t
,ifIG o"!pIn w nm 2S s"lpe ye dom ask
~. ~ puts ,lpllS' an 5t ION answer none. In
MS Dastt-ess We e'I 70 cough up Yer whole
Sous Jus 70 get d lump thand-ouU. Id
al ~, iieI S"lpe-
ms MS ~ me te9iiinOhy OF practically ali
IN 'lle oeesafs business; at the
SSatt thieFihs seems 70 mem much easier
t ASK: AS me weeks ana months pass by.
n t1m~Vt IT, lhsy peGose hardened and dis