The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-05-13

Lawrenceville jail:
Il like tramping. 1t is a free and easy
life. No one is your boss. You can do as
you like if you don't break the laws L
have not done that, but 1 guess in a few
more years 1 will become hardened like
| the rest.
Il have found that truth is better than
lying even in 'mooching. People get
tired of hearing stalls that are false. 1t
is an insult TO man with a good nut
on him to give him 'stiffs' tina his grand
mother wouldn't believe. That's not my
game
How do 1 work it? Easy. To get
the 'spon' from a man is not hard, if you
know how. I size him up first. 1t isn't
often 1 miss my guess now. l talk TO
him and then spring him for the touch.
While doing it look him full in the eye.
smile a little. do not look anxious, and
nearly every time it works for a nickel
or dime
with women put up the hard luck
tale about sick sister and me broke. but
it only goes with women. and few of
them. Ny best graft is hypnotism.
These lamps and an honest talk turn
the trick
mo, I never had cause to leave home
Father is a railroad man in Kansas City,
He and mother were kind TO me. 1 have
n sister 16 years old and baby brother
They loved me.
Il like books. When I ran away / was
in the fifth grade at school. Six more
years and 1 would have been through
High school No trouble with my parents
caused me to leave. I just wanted to
get around.
lone morning last August I left the
house. The craving to run away was
strong I had no money. but / climbed
on the bumpers of a meat train on the
Katy and rode to Erie, Kan.
There 1 met Black Jack or Tom, and
Preacher BILL They were the first no.
boes 1 had ever associated with l was
just thinking of going back home when
l met them. They were camping near
town. They liked my looks and 1 ate with
them. Tom and l became chums.
e Preacher Bits home was in Illinois
He was so and smart as lightning. He
was a college man and had been a preach
er. He'd go in some towns and preach on
towns he would lecture against God. He
was case sure enough.
Tom was a stenographer. He had
worked as a miner and had held jobs in
railroad offices. He was a fine fellow. L
never learned his last name. Buns dom
tell about their past. They keep that
quiet Most of them get surly when you
try to learn about them.
Tom must have had good home some
time l could see he had some fine ways.
We were true to each other. He taught
me how to hit the road. 1 soon could
'mooch as well as any.
1--WE rode the beams to Kincaid. Then
we drilled to Lone Elm. From there we
worked our way 10 Westphalia, Richmond
and Ottawa Nights we slept in box cars.
on straw stacks or any place where the
wind didn't strike us We begged our
meals at back doors of houses or hotels.
Whenever we got to a good place we
would wash up. One of us would 'moocn'
a wash boiler. Then we would go to
creek in an out Of the way place, start
fire and boil our clothes. After our
clothes dried we started on the road
again.
I'VE got into Topeka and spent few
days Then we hit the blind baggage in
to Salina. Bennington. Beloit, Downs,
Osborne and Stockton were on our route,
and we had plenty to eat.
Kansas is the best state for the bum.
Illinois was once better, but the sheriffs
and marshals have torn up the graft
The rock piles are hated by hoboes. They
pass up towns where they will have to
make little ones out of big ones.
Kansas is getting spoiled for grating.
Still the people there are generally good
for a touch
1--WE never stole. The worst we did was
to cop a skin (steal a shirt from
wash-line. This was only done when we
had a good chance to make our get
away
at Stockton we met Ryan. He had
horse aand buggy. He whitfield beautiful
fans and windmills out of pine sticks and
raffled them of for SO each. We went
with him a while and 1 helped at the
graft. We did well.
AT Great Bend I ran across the first
lot of hook tramps. They had good
clothes and did sneak thieving. We
didn't yoke up with them. for we were
finding things too easy without running
risks. We visited Ellis. Fort Hays. and
Belpre, near Kinsley. AT Belpre my
mother caught me. She had been track
ing me two months.
she wanted the sheriff to arrest Tom
but he wouldn't do it, for swore hadn't
been kidnapped.
1T was pretty tiresome in Kansas City
after I went home with her. Father
talked to me so kindly that just want
ed TO go and kill myself. Mother was
very nice to me and I tried to stay at
home. But it got 20 be too much of a
job Just had to go.
II left on the second trip March 81 last
I caught the Chicago and Alton to st.
Louis and rode the trucks. From there
I went to Venice and worked to Girard.
Ill, in a box car. There was another
warm box car waiting at Girard, and
so 1 got to Springfield easy.
AT Springfield met Frank Willmouth.
We 'cottoned To each other and worked
out our way to Normal. We heard things
were good at Decatur and We went
there. Onr next stop was Taylorville.
There we slept in a mine, as the cold
snap was on. a lot OF miners saw US and
mother caught the trail there Instead
Of going TO st. Louis we doubled east
from Litchield TO Mattoon.
AT NATION I saw a No. J. the King OF
the Rails He is a kid from Toledo, o.
and the best known hum in the world.
was sitting at the Jury house sec
ton house, when he went through. He's
n swell 'bloke