Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1901-09-05
DEBs' HOTEL ON MYSTIC WHARF.
Boston's Most PopuIous "Hobo" Com
munity.

Boston's Most PopuIous "Hobo" Conn.,
munity.
If there is one place about Boston
which more than any other is the abid-
ing place of tramps it is the property
of the Boston and Maine railroad on
Mystic Wharf. Other places may har-
Dor a few wanderers occasionally;
Mystic Wharf is the one locality
where the police are always certain
of making successful search. Al
though constant efforts are being made
by the company to break up the
"hobo" community, the place still re-
tains its charms for the wayfarers, and
despite frequent raids the property is
never entirely free from their incursion.
Located on the main road between
Boston and Lynn and yet isolated from
other property, the wharf is particu-
larly enticing spot for the homeless
A couple of sheds on the east side offer
accommodations on winter nights, and
the prospective dodgers have no
scruples against entering even if the
buildings are locked. There are al
ways a number of cars loaded with
coal in the yard and the opportunity
to build fire thus afforded is another
reason for popularity of the place. One
of the sheds, painted an artistic red,
is the most frequented. AS many as
forty men have been known TO crowd
into it on cold nights and all efforts to
keep lock on it having been found
useless by the railroad employees, it's
door is now left invitingly unfastened,
and the building has come to be known
as "Debs' hotel" by the fraternity of
patrons. Breaking into the sheds for
shelter is, however, the only objectiona-
bic act that the men ever commit.
Though several thousand lodge there
each year the railroad has never had
any of its cars broken into or any of
its property stolen other than a small
quantity of coal The dodgers seem to
be perfectly willing to let things alone
and ask only that the same courtesy
be extended them.
Railroad people, however, are not
inclined to grant the desired privil-
eyes, and the general superintendent
is ever prepared to make raid upon
their haunts. 1t is impossible for the
Waterman to keep the property cleared
of the irrepressible visitors, but when
augmented by the company's private
detectives and a squad of the city's
police the inevitable result is a wagon
load of prisoners for the Charlestown
court. During the last year the rail-
road company has waged an earnest
war against the offenders, and the raids
have been of frequent occurrence.
DULY last Wednesday three of the va
grants were brought to court and the
only reason that the number was so
few was because the season is so warm
that most of the tramps have sought
the country. AT times during the win
ter the number arrested reaches as
high as twenty, and on one occasion
last winter the officers caught forty
one frosty night.
10 an observer the midnight raid is
a source of great amusement. The
dodgers are not the kind that are
anxious to get arrested and secure a
winters board at the public expense.
They are DESTROYS of their liberty and
evade every possibility of being caught
The sudden approach of a party of
off1cers is always met with much
hustling on their part, and auy oppor-
tunlty OF escape is taken advantage of.
hrst impulse is to take to the water.
and II boat is near by they are al
most certain to appropriate it. 1t is
always found near by the next day.
In their efforts to escape the men never
forget their antipathy to water suffi-
GENTLY to leap into it, and it is in their
EFFORTS 60 leap under freight cars that
they are invariably caught. Regardless
OF how frequent the raids occur there
are always some tramps about the
property. 1t is noticed that the same
ones do not come two nights in sue
cession, and it is probable that they
are willing to run the risk of being
arrested for one night for the sake of
the other privileges that it affords.
II is noticeable that the men are of a
dlnerent sort than those who patronize
the wayfarers' lodge and similar insti-
tuuons in Boston. They do not want
70 saw wood for their nights lodging.
They are the real type of a tramp, and
even oegrudge the effort necessary to
keep out of the clutches of the law.
Boston Transcript.