Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1901-08-23
EPIDEMIC OF TRAMPS.
Two Sentenced to the House
Of Correction.
The Weary Willles Have Become
Bold and Insolent-Some Houses are
Marked as Easy - Midnight
Providers Entered Barns.

Providers Entered Barns.
There's no place like the homeland,
the land of the free born" These
were the words with which James
Brown, the hobo consoled himself yes
terday afternoon as he lay in the lock-
up 10 minutes after Judge Newton had
sentenced him to 1853 days in the House
of Correction in Rutland, Browns ma
tive town. Brown blew in" to Brat
tleboro Wednesday night from Millers
Falls, as he said. How he came,
whether afoot or on the cars, could not |
be ascertained, as he told Village At |
torney Bacon in court that it didn't |
make any difference as long as he |
came honestly. He also told Mr.. |
Bacon that it didn't make any differ
ence how he came by 20 cents which |
he had in his pocket as long as he got |
it by fair exchange.
Brown was the most insolent speci- |
men Judge Newton has had before him |
| for years. He was arrested about 3
| o'clock yesterday on the charge OF
| being a tramp. When arraigned in
court he pleaded not guilty and said
| that he came to town to get work at
the canning factory. Mr. Bacon put
! c. r. Crosby on the stand and Mr..
! Crosby said that Brown went into his
Office and asked for seven cents with
which to buy watch hand. Upon be-
| ing refused Brown made himself gen
orally obnoxious and was ordered out
of the office. Brown went across the
street into the cigar store and asked
John /. Roess for some tobacco. Be-
ing unsuccessful he proceeded to lay
before Mr.. Roess various phases of the
IL. ton, Tr
showed him the point of exit. Mr..
Roess also told his story in court
Judge Newton imposed a fine of S25
and costs, the alternative sentence be-
ing 1913 days in the House of Correc-
ton. Brown thanked. the judge for
his consideration in depriying him of
| his best opportunity in the year for
work. but the judge assured him that
he would find plenty to do in Rutland.
Brown then took from his pocket
scrap Of paper, sized up each officer
and witness against him and wrote his
conclusions on the paper. and then
accompanied Chief-of-Police Hall to
the lookup. He is about 35 years old.
Earlier in the day Chief Hall arrest
ed a hobo on Terrace street after he
had been seen to beg for food at sew
eral houses. He was placed in the
lookup and kept until 230 in the after
noon. when he was arraigned before
Justice Newton. He appeared to be
about GO years old and said his name
was John Davis. He said he came to
Brattleboro from Keene Wednesday
night and slept in a box car He
claimed to be a quarryman by trade
and claimed he was going north; look
ing for work. His wife. he said was
dead. leaving one child for him to sup
port. He said he had had hard luck
the past two years He pleaded not
guilty, but admitted having done all
that the warrant charged him with
doing.
Mr. Bacon told him that the time had
come when the tramp nuisance in
Brattleboro must be abated, but that
in view of his advanced age and other
circumstances he would recommend
the smallest fine allowable, which was
81. Judge Newton imposed a fine of
81 and costs, amounting to 1854. To
this was added the cost of commit
ment to the House of Correction, max
ing the smallest possible alternative
sentence "a days. In less than 10 min
utes after this sentence had been i'm
posed Chief Hall ran across Brown
and arrested him, as stated.
Heretofore tramps have been dealt
with leniently in BrattleDoro, but for
the past week they have been so nu.
merous and have acquired such a de-
gree of boldness that the safety of the
housewives and even of men has been
menaced.
Twenty or more of them have been
seen together near the freight yard.
They appear at houses and beg for
food while their pockets are stuffed
full of edibles, accepting raw tea, cot
fee, and whatever else they can pre-
pare themselves. AT a certain time
they assemble in groups in selected
places, steep their tea and coffee in tin
cans rescued from some convenient
dump" and proceed to enjoy them
selves.
There is scarcely a house in town
that has not been visited during the
past 10 days, some of them half
dozen times or more, and in several
instances the vagobonds have assum-
ed a threatening attitude. Fourteen
calls were made at one house in four
days. Complaints from various
sources have been made to the village
officers, and for day or two the mat
ter has been an absorbing topic of dis
cussion on the streets. The tramps
I |
here to get work at the corn canning
factory, but with many of them the
, canning factory simply furnishes a
! preteXt of an excuse for being here.
The tramps apparently are organic
ed, as several red chalk marks have
} been found on posts and fences in diff
/ ferent parts of the town. Thus far no
violence has been attempted, but some
/ of the tramps proWl around at night,
and one case of entering has been re-
ported. Somebody went into +. w.
Weeks barn on Pearl street Wednes.
day night and milked one of the cows,
and at Cyrus Ramsdells across the
, street some one opened the blinds and
looked in. Mr.. Ramsdell went outside
and waited until after l o'clock, hoping
to get another glimpse of the intruder,
but saw no more of him.
j The entire police force was out look
ing for Wandering Willies this morn
ing, but the news of yesterdays pro-
ceedings evidently had reached their
camp as only one was seen. Police
man Arthur Roberts saw one beg at
the houses of A. V. May and Porter
: Spencer and arrested him. The hobo
gave his name as Arthur Robertson,
almost the policeman's namesake. To
: Judge Newton Robertson said he be-