The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-05-30

CALIFORNIA FIG SYRUP co.
SAN FRANCISCO, CAL.
LOUISVILLE, KY NEW YORK. NY.
For sale by all Druggists.-Price Soc. per bottle.
place for boys likely to be attracted by
tramp life, as wen as for the hoboes, is
the railway watering tank. For over
twenty years The hoboes have used the
railroads as thoroughfares, beating their
way on trains and sleeping at night in
box cars, sand houses and at camp fires
near the track The watering tank is their
depot" because they can board freight
trains here while the trains are taking
water
In our provincial towns 1t is well known
to the boys that there is generally a col
lection of interesting wanderers to be
found at the watering tank, and during the
long summer months, when time often
drags heavily on their hands, they like to
join the hoboes and listen to their tales
of adventure. If one of them appeals to
some member of the gang who is looking
for a ''prushun," the same process of pet
rifying" is gone through as in the case
of city boys and it is often possible to
get a lad from the country to run away
more quickly than one of the metropolitan
training because he is less suspicious.
Once ION the road" the life of these
boys can only be likened to that of slaves.
Their duty is to do exactly what their
lockers" the men who have enticed them
on to the road" command, and they are
expected, If necessary, to find their Jock
ers," meals, clothes and even lodging
house money. Some become expert beg
gars in few weeks and are much priced
by the men with whom they travel to the
end of their "prushun" apprenticeship,
and there are others who require a year
l,oe hay or "a FIJI
in finding their food. Once trained, how
ever, and if they are carefully exploited,
many of them take in as much as So
day. the money going, of course, to the
lockers" and eventually to the saloon
keeper During the process of getting
trained they are kicked, slapped and
generally maltreated, and on occasions
they are loaned, traded and even sold. 1t
avails them very little to run away from
cruel COCKER" for unless they return
home, which most of them are ashamed
to do, they are sure to be picked up by
some one else before they have gone far.
Not all hoboes travel with boys, but there
are so many who do that 1t is useless for
a runaway "prushun," who remains in
the life, 10 keep away of them. They are
bound to run across him somewhere, on
freight train or at some popular hang
out" and they either persuade or COM
pei him to take up "prushun's" burden
again.
This burden has to be carried until the
boy is able to defend himself and come off
victorious In a fistlcuff with his cocker 7"
or until ne has reached an age when he
is obviously too old TO travel any longer
as a kid" The age limit varies in differ
enet cases, but il Is seldom that one finds
boy in the :'prushun" class after he has
passed his 18th year.
Once emancipated, to use the hobo word
the boy is supposed TO go and look for re-
venge. Some do this and some do not
but all are told that the revenge when they
get il will offset all the misery and trouble
they have had to put up with as 'prush-
uns." Indeed this is the one reward held
out to them. From the time they get into
tramp life, as boys, until they enter into
the joys Of the emancipated, they are led
TO believe that when emancipation comes
they can go and snare some other boy
of romantic temperament, and make him
slave for them as they have shaved for
others. West of the Mississippi river
there is a regular gang of these Eek
kids" as they are called and the bulk of
them are supposed to be looking for re-
venge. In certain parts of the country,
thanks TO the intelligence of magistrates
and court judges, who have learned what
Il means when boy is found in the com.
tempt any Sharing" or to be arrested
with boy Sin tow because very severe
sentences are melted out to men who travel
with youngsters, and this is one of the
reasons why some "eX-kids" as well as a
number of the hoboes, have given up
'prushun" companionship Another rea-
son is that some find the business heart
less and cruel. There are so many, how
ever, who favor the custom that tramp
life i'm the United States is continually
being recruited from the boys of the coun-
try, and every year a number of them
take the places of those who have finished
their apprenticeship. Those who come 10
New York generally arrive in winter. the
time their lockers" travel to the large
cities to get the benefit of lodging house
shelter and cheap restaurant living They
also put in an appearance in summer for
a day or so, but at this time of year the
bulk of them are scattered along the diff
ferent railroads. They are the most diff
cult lads in the world to locate and get
hold of. Excepting during the coolest
months, and even then. If they go South.
they are continually on the move and il
is impossible to keep track of them long
enough 10 do then much good. When
they have committed a crime ana are
put in such prisons as the Tombs to
await trial, they get the benefit of that
very worthy institution, the Tombs school.
and come under the good influence OF men
and women connected with such reforms.
but only smaH number commit crimes
sufficiently grave to be lodged IN jail, and
the reform school seems also to have but
very little effect on their natures The
great majority OF American tramps have
4 81 batr 1N,rsl .zl.l "a,