The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1900-06-06
A TRAMP AND HIS PAL
THE TRAIL THAT ONE MADE TO GUIDE
THE OTHER.

THE OTHER.
1t Enabled "Appetite Bill,' After His
Term In Jail Was Done, TO Unerr-
inEly Follow His Partner From
Cincinnati to Houston.
eve have good many tramps up il
our part Of the country said 4 sugar
planter, "and I've made something Of q
study Of their peculiarities. The old
idea that they carve marks and signs
on fences that can be read by all other
members Of the fraternity is pure non
sense, Of course, but have known sew
eral instances in which one tramp
would leave trail. so to speak, for the
guidance Of q partner who might not
put in an appearance for months.
"The first case Of that kind I ever
encountered was rather amusing.
was riding, one spring day, down q
road that passes through my place,
when l noticed typical hobo indus
triously carving a sort Of hieroglyphic
on big post standing near the fence.
The mark consisted Of a square and
triangle side by side, and he was just
putting on the finishing touches as
arrived
"My curiosity was at once aroused,
and determined to find out if possible
exactly what the thing meant so pro-
ceeded to collar the fellow, and after 4
little vigorous bluffing he told me he
was putting up directions for his part
ner, who would be along some time in
the fail. He assured me that the marks
meant nothing in particular, except
! that he had passed and was going in
the direction of the point Of the trian-
gle.
"His partner, according to the story
which dragged out of him piecemeal,
was doing a six months jail sentence
for slugging policeman in Cincinnati
and when he got out on Sept. would
strike south, following trail of cary
ings on water tanks, depots, barns and
fenceposts. When the first tramp
struck good place to loaf, he proposed
to stop and wait for the other to catch
up.
"'What's your partners name" I
asked.
cts by rights William Sparks, said
the hobo, but everybody calls him
appetite Bll' on account Of his al
ways being hungry. He carries sack
to pack grub in and has red whiskers
and a funny looking wart on one side
Of his nose
~ was satisfied from my prisoners
manner that he was telling me the
truth, so I took him up to the house,
gave him q good dinner and sent him
on his way rejoicing.
"Now for the sequel" continued the
planter Zone afternoon in the fall I
was driving home from the station
when passed very dilapidated hobo
with red stubble on his chin and gun
ny sack under his arm, and some in
stinct told me that Mr.. Sparks, alias
Appetite Bill had at last arrived.
he seemed to be looking for land
marks, and when he reached the big
post I saw him stop, scrutinize the
carving and then start off with q new
and confident step. That settled it,
and I drove ahead and intercepted him
at the house, half mile farther on.
"'Hello, Bill" said. 'How's your
appetite this evening"
"'Appetite" he stammered and gave
such q violent start that he dropped
his gunny sack.
"'Why, yes,' said I. Perhaps they
didn't feed you very we'll at Cincin-
natl
"At the word Cincinnati he turned
livid and glared around with such eTi-
dent intention Of boiling that I made
haste to explain.
Don't be alarmed said. 4 met
your side partner q few months ago,
and he told me to look out for YOU It
took me some time to dissipate Bills
suspicious, but when finally succeed
ed in convincing him that it was all
right he told me most interesting
story Of his journey across the coun-
try.
"a professional hobo will follow the
track Of another hobo with an accura-
cy that is curiously suggestive Of wood |
craft. All the way down from Cincin- |!
natl Bill had never once lost the trail, |
and before he left I gave him an ad- |
dressed postal card and got him to
promise me he would put it in the mail /
at whatever point he caught up with !
his partner. Less than month later I
received the card, bearing Houston
(TeX.) date mark; SO presume 1t was
there they met.
Both Of these tramps could read and |
write, and I asked Sparks particularly |
why his. friend didn't use some brief |
message in place Of the hieroglyph. |
He replied that it would attract too
much attention, and other hoboes |
would be likely to ado misleading
words, while the little square and tri- !!
angle passed unnoticed.
"Since then have encountered two |
other nearly similar cases, in Sach Of |
which q tramp was leaving cipher |
trail for crony to follow when he got |
out Of Jail, and infer that the prac- !
tice is tolerably common. At any rate |
it IS q curious feature Of tramp life |
which I have never seen mentioned in |
any Of the numerous papers and maga-
zine articles that have appeared on the |
subject during recent years. New Or
leans Times-Democrat.
Easily Fixed.
lawful affair at our hotel this after |
noon. Cook got angry and cut the end
Of a walters nose off with O carving |
knife. But one Of the guests fixed it |