Amador ledger., 1900-05-25
A TRAMP AND HIS PAL
THE TRAIL THAT ONE MADE TO GUIDE
THE OTHER.

1ngly Follow His Partner From
Cincinnati to Houston.
1--WE have a good many tramps up in
our part of the country said a sugar
planter, "and I've made something of
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 nom
sense, of course, but nave known sew
eral instances in which one tramp
would leave trail, 30 to speak, for the
guidance of a partner who might not
put In an appearance for months.
"The first case of that kind 1 ever
encountered was rather amusing. 1
was riding, one spring day, down a
road that passes through mX.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 1
arrived.
MY curiosity was at once aroused,
and determined to find out II possible
exactly what the thing meant, so pro-
ceeded to collar the fellow, and after
little vigorous bluffing he told me he
was putting up directions for his part
ner, who would be along some time in
the fall 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 TRAN
gle.
His partner, according to the story
which dragged out of him piecemeal,
was doing six months Jail sentence
for slugging policeman in Cincinnati
and when he got out on Sept. would
strike south, following a trail of carv-
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.
whats your partners nameT 1
asked
It's by rights William Sparks said
the hobo, but everybody calls him
Appetite Bill' on account of his al
ways being hungry. He carries a sack
to pack grub in and has red whiskers
and funny looking wart on one side
of his nose
81 was satisfied from my prisoners
manner that he was telling me the
truth, so 1 took him up to the house,
gave him a good dinner and sent him
on his way rejoicing.
20, 10
planter. Zone afternoon in the fall 1
was driving home from the station
when 1 passed very dilapidated hobo
with red stubble on his chin and a 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 a new
and confident step. That settled it,
and drove ahead and intercepted him
at the house, half mile farther on.
"'Hello, Billv said. 'How's your
appetite this evening?
Appetite? he stammered and gave
such a violent start that he dropped
his gunny sack.
Why, yes said 1. Perhaps they
didn't feed you very well at Cincin-
natl
"At the word Cincinnati he turned
livid and glared around with such evi-
dent intention Of bolting that 1 made
haste to explain.
Don't be alarmed 1 said. I met
your side partner a few months ago,
and he told me to look out for you 1t
took me some time to dissipate Bills
suspicious, but when l finally, succeed
ed in convincing him that it was all
right he told me a 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.
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 a month later i
received the card, bearing a Houston
(Tex.) date mark; so 1 presume it was
there they met.
Both Of these tramps could read and
write, and l 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 add misleading
words, while the little square and tri-
angle passed unnoticed.
"Since then / have encountered two
other nearly similar cases, in each of
which a tramp was leaving a cipher
trail for crony to follow when he got
out Of jail, and l infer that the prac-
tice is tolerably common. At any rate
It is a curious feature of tramp life
which have never seen mentioned in
any Of the numerous papers and maya
zine articles that have appeared on the
subject during recent years. New Or
leans Times-Democrat.
Snow F1eas.
One Of the strangest of all specks on
snow Ia tho SnnU hpQ-nn mimic f1QQ