Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1899-11-11
THE HOBO BRIGADE.
Les Van Guard Has Reached the City. How
They Are Dealt With. -- ----

~>~Ns-
They Are Dealt with.
The vanguard Of the hobo legion has
reached the city. With the coming Of
'olu weather, soon to be followed by
The cold of winter. the southwark
snlrf h of the Knights of the Road has
nave reached the city and will stay in
ihls section until they get tired of it
ana so back up the peninsula to Rich
i':'nd where they will turn South
Very few professional tramps-that
IS trampS who have been going from
north to South and South to North
with the change OF weather for years
PAST ere acquainted with the lay Of
the land from Ncw- England to the
H ,,ll, , 70 Newport News. 1t
would be Il good thing for the city if a
lev signs were stuck up on the
Chesapeake & Ohio railroad just OUT
side of Richmond. reading something
like this:
Newport News is on the point of the
Ienlnsul;t. with Hampton Roads on one
side and the James river on the other.
The only way to go South is BY water,
10 Norfolk: fare. fifty cents
IL the men of the Hobo Legion knew
that they could get no farther on res, h
ing Newport News. they would neyc;.
venture here. unless. possibly, one re-
formed now ana then and made up his
lalnd 70 come mere TO work. The tramp
San make his way all right on land
wren 4 railroad is nearby. but he can't
MAKE It on boats Wits!u,;> paying, fare
and tramp w"u,i not be a profess
Slnlitl If he paid his fare.
mere was Il time When Newport
news WAS easy street for the tramp.
put IN the past year or two the police
naive made the trampS life misrrl ,,i..
and q few ''hobocs'' return here nfr.r
once Se,tiEg their dose There is no
niSht $ lodging here. With breakfast in
!ll1 morning, unless the tramp goes To
JAIL for ten days There is no more
nieIi1nS III .he police courtroom over
illSht. IT Il tramp goes To the station
mousse Tor the night now he has to go
70 the lookup. The next morning ne
sinds himself in :, great big iron c:,-,.
M''H u score OF Other offenders. when
nc IS brought before the police, i,1s1icp
nc tries 70 explain his presence IN IT,.
cllS pE saying he is here looking for
work, Knowing that all mankind is only
70" anxious to see the tramp work. The
3uStlc", however, is equal 10 the orc;,
sion.
Il Will give YOU until tonight to 60,
!! 1oh. ne says. If the police catch
lou in the city Tomorrow n,s,rnin..
You Il s" t" Jail for ten days"
ne unfortunate creature makes all
sorts Of promises. He has learned the
name OF II shipyard boss. a brick CON
tractor, carpenter or some other Well
known bcss ana seriously tells the ius-
'icc that he expects to &c, a ioh Ill
r'nT the day. Then he is released: but
- i':'s y" ldea OF going to work. He
freight tra, out at night
heE" are y number of camps on tho.
"uiSklltS OF the city throughout the
Wln1"r ana any cold night the camp
II ,ircS can be seen in the woods. The 20
il1' "a not contn" their crusade acains,
we tramp 70 the city only Wor>ip.
with the special police 81 the railroad
'h9E frequently make raids on .hoh,..,
camps outside and bring in from ten
70 twenty knights Of the roa5 in the
morning. 80
1t has been said during the past
months that the tramp army would 10
small, comparatively. this year because.
NE number would be reduced to ,hos,.
VINO tramp because they will not work
ne industrial conditions. which are IN
i ncalthS state throughout the coun-
Try. have given work TO all Who care
to leave the road
NlrSinia's proximity to PENNSYLVANIA,
ana Particularly because it is south of
that State. has been a factor that CON
tributes TO the annual Invasion ut
lr;tlnpS. Among the fraternity through
"ni me country the keystone State il
known as the most hospitab!e. ana the
, nn''os ~ thousands. so there each
a..ll 70 iattcn At their various
'han"outs" can be heard amusing SO
rlcs Of good things met win l,,,irc
recent weeks. y comparison Of a MIN
!''t 81 these stories. and the fan;liar-
lty OF all Of tn" listeners with r,a IA
ta'lphS, ana even the houses mention
go, lnalcate how thoroughly the tramp
routes through the state are known and
l"iioW"d rev fraternitics are. so care
lui as TO scatter information Of yalua
10 us members as this. and in the uujet
hours around camp fires in the suburbs
'nest nights, many tips are passing.
~ hn
SYlVanla and Virginia are tho st,n,n.
ing ground in another season, but ina,
Viii materially aid the hobo in his
further Journcyinss toward the far
South. ''''
Routes to New Orleans. St. Arr,,s-
tine. Atlanta and other Southern cities
tn;il may nave been chosen fo, hiher
nition purposes. are being carefully
discussed and mapped out, and fen
trains so South these days without par
lles on board. despite the vigilance CT
yard Watchmcn, and each member Of
each party thanks to the camp fire b,,
fenu OF information. has a route care
July mapped. For in any Of the neigh
b"rhoods he Will visit he will know inst
me nous" that gave literally OF ITS
s!naes 70 rasser OF his profession du-
ring the days Of the last Southern
march. All along the line he Will prove
hlnsc!f the usual nuisance but when
IT IS all over nc Will have ACCOMPLISHED
what many fairly wcl-to-do citizen
has n"t-hc will have winte:ed ii:
Florida. "# -
The various circumstances whi.,,
MAKE TINS city unpopular among the
hnhos save the City much expense.
ana honsekeepcrs a great deal Of ar
i,nHancc. me tramp. as rule and in
,i.r sr'at majority of cases is all that
nc prctcnds to be-; ragged. homnjass
hungry. inoffensivc citizen.