Omaha daily bee., 1899-12-17
LIVELY TINES WITH HOBOS
Experiences Of a Tenderfoot Among the
Weary Willies of the Road,
FATAL BASHFULNESS OF AN AMATEUR
Unhappy Half Hour with the "Def N
Dunn Gag" Mt the House OF
Clergymnn-Nnrious Tricks
of Tramps.

Copyrighted, 1897
II 10 a popular notion that tramps have
a mysterious sign language in which they
communicate secrets to one another in re-
gard to professional matters 1t Is thought,
for instance that they make familiar chalk
and pencil marks on fences and horse blocks,
indicating TO the brotherhood such things
as whether a 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 morn
ing a barn can .be occupied before the
farmer will be up and about and where a
convenient chicken coop is located.
Elaborate accounts have been written in
newspapers about the amount of informa-
tion they give to- one another in this way,
and many persons believe that tramps rely
on sign language in their begging.
1t is we'll 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
reported puzzing signs and marks which
are supposed to obviate all verbal speech
are fabrication so far as the majority Of
roadsters are concerned. Among the "Blan-
ket Stiffs," in the far west, and among the
"Bindle Men," "Mush Fakirs" and Turn
pikers" OF the middle west. the east and
Canada, there exists crude system of mark
ing good houses but these vagrants do
not belong to the rank and file of the tramp
army, and are comparatively few in num-
bers
1t Is furthermore to be said that the mark
ing referred to Is occasional rather than
usual Probably one of the main reasons
that tho public has imagined that tramps
use h!eroglyphics in their profession is that
when charity is shown to one of them the
gver is frequently plagued with a visitation
from raft of beggars.
This phenomenon, however, is easily cN-
planned without recourse to the sign Ian
guage theory. Outside of nearly all towns
of 10000 Inhabitants and more the tramps
have little camps or hang OUTS" where they
make their headquarters while working
the community. Naturally they compare
notes at meal time, and if one .beggar has
discovered what he considers a generous
house he tells his pals about it so that they
may also get the benefit of its hospitality
The finder of the house cannot visit 1t him
self again until his face has been forgotten,
at any rate he, seldom does visit it more
than once during weeks stay in the town.
but his companions can, so he tells them
where 1t is and what kind of story they
must tell.
Tramp Theories of Begging.
Although the hoboes do not make use of
the marks and signs with which the popular
fancy has credited them, they have num-
Der of interesting theories about begging
and a large variety of clever ruses to de-
nni
keep as up-todate in regard to these mat.
ters as they keep in regard to the publi,'s
sympathies. Not all tramps are either clever
or successful, the road" is travelled by
great many more amateurs than profes,
sionals, but it is the earnest endeavor of all
at least to make a living, and there are
thousands who make something besides.
Roughly estimated there are from $4,000
to $4,000 tramps in the United States, and
probably fifth of all may be classified as
first class tramps. There is second and
third class and even fourth but it is the
"A No. / men," as they call themselves,
who are the nicst interesting.
The main distinction between these tramps
and the less successful members of the craft
is that they have completely conquered the
amateurs .squeamishness about begging 1t
seems comparatively easy to go to a back
mere wording of the request is easy, all too
easy, but the hard part of the transaction Is
to screw UP courage enough to open the front
gate. The beginner in tramp life goes to a
dozen front gates before he can brace him.
self for the interview at the back door, and
there are men to whom vagrant life is at
tractive who never overcome the tender
foot's' bashfulness.
tn a ra
cessful professional burglar for companion
on a short tramp trip in the middle west
We had come together in the haphazard way
that all tramp acquaintahceships are formed.
We met at a railroad watering tank. The
mans sojourn in trampdou1, however, was
only temporary; 1t was 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 ordinarily
arouse much pity, but tramp could not
have helped having sympathy for him at
meal time. At every interview he bad at
back doors he was seized with the 'tender-
foot's" bashfulness and during the ten days
that our companionship lasted he got but
one "square meal" His profession OF rob-
ber gave him no assistance
Il can steal" he said, 'go into houses at |
night and take my chances in .shootin |
scrape, but I'll be - If | can beg 'Ta'n't |
ike swipin'. When ye swipe ye don t, ask no |
questions, an ye don't answer none. In this
business ye got to cough up yer whole soul
JUS to get lump (hand- -out) I'd rather |
;wipe."
This is the testimony of practically all be- |
sinners In the beggar's business at the start !
hleving seems to them a much easier task
As the weeks and months pass by however, |
hey become hardened and discover that
heir nerve needs only to be developed to |
assert itself, and the time comes when moth
ng is so valuable that they do not feel justi-
led in asking for It, They then definitely |
IDENTIFY themselves with the profession and |
build up regulations as "frst-class" tramps.
Each mans experience suggests to him
now this reputation can best be acquired. |
One man, for example, finds that he does
best with graft peculiarly his own, and |
another discovers that 1t is only at cer>
ain time of the year. or in particular part
of the country that he pomes out winner.
The tramp has to experiment In all kinds
of ways ere he understands himself or his |
public, and he makes mistakes even after |
A..