Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-01-19
Two Hundred Spending Win
ter in Washington.
IN ALL PARTS OF CITY
SOME "PUT UP" AT THE CENTRAL
UNION MISSION.
Others at Municipal Lodging House.
Many Seem to Be Sup
piled With Cash.

day that he believed there are fully two
hundred hoboes now wintering in Wash
irgton who are subjects of King Edward.
''If you were to come in touch with this
class of people as L do" he remarked,
you would probably put the number even
higher than do. They are to be found win
tering In all parts of the 'city-sone at the
Salvation Army barracks. some at the Cen
trail Mission shelter some at the municipal
hotels. and others hanging out at cheap
lodging houses. When warm weather
comes they will take to the roads. but for
some unaccountable reason they seem to
think that there is but one city they can
live in during the cold weather.
The reporter visited the various places
mentioned by this gentleman and was as
tonished to find In every one of them a
large number Of the referred to men, and
in most instances they were healthy look
tramp in intelligence. good proportion
were cocSney English. but there were some
who hailed from Wales. Scotland and Ire
land. and a few from the Dominion Of
Canada.
Naturally. would imagine that the
Britisher who Is doing Yankeedom afoot
must be laboring man. Some Of them
but by means the majority Of them.
There are probably three times as many
skilled workmen, professional men and stu
dents In this hobo army as there are labor
ers. And it is safe to say that at least 30
per cent of these men are what are COM
monty termed "boozers-"
A Trinity College Tourist.
At the Central Mission the reporter found
one Of these English "tourists'' who is q
graduate of Trinity College. This man
practiced law successfully for two years in
Dublin, and then took 1t into his head to
go to Sidney. New South Wales and hang
out his shingie. He spent three years in
that country. pracdcing at the bar. but
when the Boer war In South Africa broke
soldier. So he enlisted and served for two
years in the field. Then he was attacked
with typhoid fever and was finally dis
charged from the army. He found himself
with a broken down constitution and de-
cided to travel for awhile. in hopes Of re-
covering hts health. SO he took passage
on ship bound for New York, and soon
found himself among total strangers. He
had some money at that time. so did not
let the future worry him until he fell in
with bad associates and lost all he had.
Then he was compelled to send to Eng
land for a remittance. and when this came
1t did him but little good. He had formed
an appetite for liquor soon after leaving
college and he awoke to the fact that he
was A slave to It. Again and again he en-
deavored to free himself from its bond
age, but 1t seemed an utter fmpossibility to
do so. All the money he got from home
was either spent for drink or wasted upon
his diSsipated companions.
AT last he decided to shake the dust of
Now York from his feet. hoping that new
surroundings might enable him to conquer
his appetite and begin life anew. He start
ed for Washington but when he arrived at
Philadelphia stopped and made an effort
to get upon his feet there. The effort was
a failure. however, so he struck out again
for Washington. this time in hobo style,
and he has been at the capital several
weeks, making fight not only to over
come the desire for liquor. but for his
70 TEa -,.NS
late have brought him dangerously near his
grave. For two weeks he has been In a
hospital and he Is not yet strong enough
to do any hard work. The Central Mission
people, however, are doing what they can
for him.
The Canadian Tramp.
Some of King Edwards hoboes are Ca
nadians but these are scarce. The few who
are found here are nearly all young men
who have taken to the road merely to salts
fly love of adventure. Probably fifty per
cent of these are members of well-to-d do
families, and in case they find themselves
in trouble all they have to do is to humble
their pride and send home for a remittance
As general thing, however they prefer
to go through all sorts of privations to do
Ing this. for these sons of the dominion are
as a class remarkably Independent.
Then, too, the Canadian tramp as a rule
is not afraid to do a little work as he moves
down the road. He is willing to stop at a
ing his muscles at the wood pile, or maybe
cleaning out the stables when nothing bet
ter is offered. And when he reaches the
city he is willing to shovel snow, push a
dishes.
The Star reporter found a young Cana
dian in the kitchen of one of the big ho-
tells in Washington trying his hand at the
olsh washing business and the help de-
clared him to be mighty handy at It."
When he noticed that the reporter had an
eye on him he colored UP bit. and then
laughed and said:
But you wouldn't catch any of Uncle
Sans boys earning his grub in this way
You see I'm Canuck. and we fellows
would rather do anything under the sun
than Deg I've knocked about the world
good bit in the last few years and been
up against all sorts of luck, but tell YOU
stranger, that there's little need of a man
begging fer his grub If he shows a dspo-
siton to work | get a mighty good hand
out here. and as | sit here in the warm
Kitchen and eat IT 1 have the satisfaction of
knowing that I've earned 1T"
But where do you bunk when night
comes?' asked the reporter
Usually get a bed at the Central Union
Mission. This costs me 10 cents. l do odd
Jobs about the hotel. or l strike somebody
on the market or around store who
wants something done. and in this way I
earn enough to pay for my lodgings. The
cot you get for 10 cents Is by no means an
uncomfortable one and the dormitory is
kept nice and warm. OF course you
wouldn't enjoy lodging there, but we
knights of the road think it mighty COM
Portable quarters. But had you suggested
to me four years ago that l sleep in sich a
place 1 should have taken 1t as an insult
for then l had bed fine the best of
them"
The reporter became deeply interested in
this young fellow. whose language that
of an educated man, and whose manners
indicated that he had had good breeding.
So the interview was prolonged until the
fellow had told his whole story. He frank
ily admitted that he was member of
prominent Ontario family and that he
didn't have to tramp.
My people were well OFF, he said, land
when my father died he left large estate.
| In q few months | will be of age. and then
/ come into possession of property valued
at $1,000. / have college education. but
doubt whether 1t will do me much
good. for / really have taste for bust
ness. | simply delight in a rowing life. /
take To it as fish does to water. l was
never like others of my family, and / re-
member my mother used to say when was
a boy that she afraid ] would turn out