, 1900-12-19
FEMALE TRAMP
REMARKABLE STORY TOLD BY
NOlA SHAfER IN
JAIL.
Went Everywhere as a soy-Associat.
ed With Men, Worked Side by Side
WithThem. But Her Sex Was On
ly Suspected Once.

ouSpCCtCu OnCG.
Denver, Dec. lS.-Viola Shafer. a
very young woman who was arrested
at Seventeenth and Lawrence streets
as a vagrant. reveals herself to be
nothing but a shameless female unique
tramp with a history seldom equaled.
For eight years has this girl, who only
travelled over the middle and southern
states, working at intervals, but lead
ing the life of a tramp most of the
time. In her younger days of tramp
hood she found it necessary to don
boys clothes in order to get around
more rapidly.
Il am thorough cOntented with my
life" said she. and as soon as | get
out | shall again tramp. | don't like
this part OF the country and shall go
south, where the police will not lock
up a harmless woman for doing moth
ing but walk the streets"
Deserted Home.
Then she went on to relate how she
the age of 10 years. Her father was a
farmer. When quite small she gave
evidence of an unwillingness to study
go to school. What she desired was
tt roam at leizure over the fields of
the neighboring farmers. climb trees
and steal apples.
At the age of IS she decided to see
something of the world. so one night
after the family had retired she left
her bed without disturbing her young
sister, who slept by her side, and de
parted, taking one of her fathers
horses. and rode for some miles. turn
ed him back when she thought she was
sure Of escape. This horse incident
resulted in her capture. for
when the animal returned foul play
was suspected, and the newspapers
published descriptions and pictures of
her. To disguise herself she stole a
boys suit at the house of a farmer
who was good enough to give her lodg-
ing for the night.
Tramps as a Boy.
After this she had little trouble in
herself sufficiently to keep
people from thinking she was a runa.
way girl.
She managed by walking and jump
ing freight trains to work her way to
Ind. when she was taken In
by a charitable farmer, doing odd
chores for her board and lodging. The
liked the supposed little boy
enough to want to adopt him and send
him to school. This did not suit her,
she jumped another freight and
while stealing the ride fell in with a
band of tramps. She was still dressed
as a boy, and when the tramps located
near Independence, Kan, she settled
with them and was taught to steal and
beg a subsistence for them for IA per-
iod of about three months. The tramps
began to suspect the little boy and she
again decamped.
Viola Shafer this time was about 10
years of age. She freighted her way
to Kalamazoo, Mich, anc worked in a
lumber yard for some months. still dis
in male clothing. But this life
lid not suit her. Her old spirit REBEL
ed. So she fell in with another young
little city with her. and they tramped
for six months, and finally drifted in
to Battle Creek, where they worked
side by side in a lumber yard for elev-
months. Then she again suddenly
She was now about II and decided
that 1t was time to adopt the clothes OF
ler sex. So she donned female clothes
and worked her way to st. Louis,
where she secured employment as cook
On a Mississippi fiat boat. Here she
continued working for nearly three
years, plying between st. Louis and
New Orleans, until the BOAT burned up
at Memphis.
Again was Miss Shafer thrown up
on her own resources, but this time
with 5000 which she had earned as a
cook, she lived high until the money
was spent, when she returned to the
old life of a tramp. going from n
part of the country to the other, sleep
ng in barns, railroad cars and the like.
Hearing that one did not have to work
n the west. but simply pick money
of the streets, she freighted her way
10 Denver, arriving here a week ago.
Here she did nothing by walk along
Sixteenth and Seventeenth streets
the day and sleep in alleys and
cars at night. She did secure
position in an officers family at Fort
Logan. but at the end of the second
day departed without showing any
She will be released from prison to-
day.