The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-02-25
is THIS THE ORIGIN OF HOBOf
Alleged Derivation of the Term.
Different Classes of Tramps.

From the Lewiston (Me.) Journal
The "hoboes" are at the head of the
profession" They get the name from the
fact that Hoboken in Jersey is the great
railroad terminus of the Atlantic coast.
The pilgrims that start from New York
to ride the rods to the far West always
go over to Hoboken and jump a train
there. The hobo will never stin or break
any law if ne can help it. He will not
go armed except in rare cases. Further
more, he will not walk. The true hobo
will hang around week in a place until
he can get a chance to ride away on some
train. He prefers the truss rods under
the heavier built freight cars. He will
also venture under passenger cars or dare
the dangers of the blind baggage or even
the locomotive pilot.
The "yag" is a little lower than the
| hobo. The yag will sometimes walk He
hates to, but he will. A hobo who grows
unprofessional in his demeanor is called
a yag by his brethren.
A tramp-well We all know what a
tramp is though we too often in Maine
olonfound the tramp with the hobo-the
head of the profession. The tramp walks
He may be a poor man looking for work
and he frequently is of that class He
trudges the country roads, begs food of
the farmers, and is generally a poor stick.
Tramps hang around in certain sections,
begging and pilfering, until they are driv-
en- away by the police. The hobo-the
| globe-trotter-the man of varied expert
ence and wide knowledge-as untrampeled
as the birds that wing from the swamps
of the Southland to the summerland-the
hobo will not deign to notice a tramp.
And still lower than the tramp is the
bum-the poor, shftless drunkard who
hangs around the saloons in the cities
| sleeps on sratings and picks up his preca-
rious sustenance wherever he can There
are Fly buns" who beg nickels and dimes
on the street corners with trembling
hands cluUdhing at their collars-there are
'mouchers," who will try to draw SYM
pathy by bhsterng the skin. There are
the old clothes buns who beg garments
and sell them to the second hand dealers
and for all of these the hobo feels pro-
! fessional scorn. When he rides into a
place and is hungry he doesn't go to the
| poor-looking places to get something 10
eat. His motto is, IF ye want anything.
! We gotter go where II is The shanties
! don't have more'n enough grub for Them
| selves" So he goes up on what he calls
! the main drag" and he calls at a good
! looking house and usually gets what he
wants.
! Ordinarily the hotels will feed the real
! hoboes. Otherwise the real hobo will 90
away and spread evil reports Of that
! house all along the country. He always
| does that carelessly. No one would be
! lieve a hobo's venomous reports, but he
| throws out little sympathizing statements
! that so and so is having hard luck be-
/ cause bugs have got into his house etc
/ or course, that doesn't affect trade so
| far as the hobo is concerned. But the re-
ports very speedily get among the travel
! ing class that pays.
| The true hobo doesn't want money. He
/ has no wish to leave his life Of freedom
In that lie he gets all that his shiftless
/ nature demands. He intends to carry a
! quarter of dollar. so that II arrested he
may escape the charge of being a va
grant. Outside of that quarter, money is
/ OF no account The possession of too much
of the coin Of the realm would attach
! suspicion to him were he arrested. And a
hobo never can tell when he is to be
| searched. Whenever there has been any