The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1900-03-08

| the outfit. 1t was not such price as
| the owner would have wished to ask,
but it was better than he expected I'M
| der the circumstances, and 1t involved
no transportation, so the deal was con
cluded, and with what little money he
had remaining after paying for the
| old poles, Terradell hired help to take
| them over to the swamp and there
| plant them. The corner stone of the es-
| Establishment, if a corner stone can be
made Of wood was laid when the first
pole was firmly planted upright on the
edge of the swamp. A circle of poles
was formed, and in the middle Terra
dell set barrel and seat, That was
| the office, and the hotel was declared
| formally open.
The next thing was to find dodgers.
| The founder went out to the railroad
track and sat down to wait. He didn't
have long to wait. Three tramps pres
emily appeared, and one of them was
recognized by Terradell, who pos
sessed that quality invaluable in an
organizer-a tenacious and accurate
memory. lie hailed his former ac-
quaintance.
"Hello, Hardy! Don't you remember
me? / gave you a lift from Bristol
once when you were padding on n bum
stump" (Walking with an injured
leg)
"It's the engineer" said the tramp.
lost your job? Are you on the pad,
rn,., ,1,,,r I m do u
good touch back on the path and III
stake you TO half my pile"
"You come along with me-" said the
other; you and your friends, and I'll
put You up for the night. I've started
n lodging for the boys"
whats the hold-up?" asked one of
the trio.
Nothing unless you want to. But !
want little help"
Come along, boys" said Hardy.
Hes on the level" so the party set out
for the swamp. With some old nails
which Terradell had picked up and
stones for hammers the four soon had
sort Of shelter built across a small
segment Of the circle in which they
slept that night. Two of the tramps
took the road again early in the morn
ing, promising to tell any Ct the guild
whom they might meet of the new hos
tclry. Hardy stayed several days help
ing Terradell about the place, and
when he left he contributed a pair of
good secondhand blankets which he
had bought in town. 1t wasn't long be
fore the hotel was known on every high
road in this part Of the country, and
dodgers came in rapidly. None was
turned away by the proprietor, but
each man who was able was expected
10 do an hour or two of work about the
place, with the result that il was soon
completed and nger-looking
building was probably never raised
since the day when every man was his
own architect.
The place was orderly, for the pro
prictOr, while liberal in his allowances
for hobo nature would tolerate no riot
business. He was an unwse hobo who
attempted to disregard orders, for Ter
radell had too many friends among
minute to take up his cause. A case in
point is that Of tramp who was found
unconscious beside roadway near
Railway several years ago, The police
thought they had n murder mystery
on their hands, but the man recovered
after long stay in the hospital and
finally left, refusing to tell how he
came by his injuries. Two years later
vagrant who was jailed revealed the
secret. The injured man had fallen in
with some of his fellow hobocs and,
being drunk, had boosted Of having
'obbcd Terradell's till of half a dollar,
whcrcupon the whole party set upon
him and beat him into inscnsibility.
That was the only time the till was
ever robbed, indeed, most of the time
it would not have paid anyone to rob
il.
Work was found for Tcrradell's
tramps when they wanted it. lie set
up a wood-cutting industry and made
a little money that way which he used
in improving his place. Trenton peo-
pie, who had become interested in the
experiment found jobs for the lodg
crs, and though by far the greatest
part Of the hotels clientagc was Of the
strictly transient order, some few from
time to time would express desire to
stay and make a regular living.
Unrcmitting toll and devotion
brought about in the course of years,
the wonderful transformation wrought
by the peunilcss and unemployed Ter
radclI, In the swamp land where his
curious structure Of telegraph poles
aud boards had sheltered his hobo
friends rose the four-story building Of
yitriiied brick with brownstonc trim
mjnEs, aud around il small cottages
were put up, 27 in all, for such families
ms might Join the new community.
Where and how did Terradcll get the
money for such an establishment?
People asked this question with won
der, but nobody ever answered il.
Doubtless there were rich men who,
believing in Tcrradell and his project.
gave literally ia helm him for not