The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1904-06-10
'AM'ERle Can RA n HAVEN.
Mexico - . Country Where the Ma
tives Are Liberal and Charity II:
Is Broad. 4 q f I 81.

lt5,~z.r| &.------ 49, =
AS far as immunity from arrest is con-
cerned, the American tramp in Mexico
enjoys q paradise which his brother in
the, United States might well envy.
Vagrancy is not the crime in the land OF
manana that in the popular mind it has
become In the greater and progressive
republic of the north, says the Mexican
Herald. Not many miles from the Mex
lean border the tramp comes into con-
f1ict with severe statutory laws that
have been enacted for the suppression
of one of the growing evils of modern
in Texas where the hobo is given scant
courtesy and his departure requested
with little ceremony.
There is a town in Arizona that adopt
ed plan of Kidding itself of the tramp
nuisance few years ago which, while
lacking in the principle of humanity,
was successful in effectually disposing
of the itinerant beggar
The plan was this: AS soon as
tramp was spotted, even before any
overt act of begging or other INSIDE
meanor was committed, he was escorted
to the city hall by policeman, where
he was closely examined by the mayor,
who took pains to find out if the man
twas really professional tramp or not.
| His hands were examined, and if they
showed horns he was given the benefit
of doubt and told to leave town, which
he generally did; but if his hands bore
no evidence of labor recently performed,
and the mayor was satisfied that he was
| genuine tramp, the enemy of soap was
confined in the city Jail, where he was
given diet of bread and water and left
to sleep the following night on the bare
floor
The next morning he was put to work
| on the streets, where he had to toll all
day, his food being bread and water He
passed second night in the city jail and
next morning was escorted to the edge
of the town, where he was told to "hit
the trail" and never show his face in the
| place again. It was not very long be-
| fore Blue Gulch, although this is not it's
real name, enjoyed an odious reputation
among the inhabitants of trampdom,
and the result was that the town was
blotted from their list of Snaps" and
more lenient places were selected for the
levy of food required by the gentlemen
of the road during their annual tour
through the country.
AS soon as the American tramp finds
himself in Mexico he Immediately adapts
m RI &c f~~ + In I
| is in a land where he has little to fear
from otflcious policemen with a penchant
| for asking questions about his financial
condition, and where the poorest peon
will divide half his tortilla with him if
told that he is hungry. He soon real
ICES that charity in Mexico is universal
and that it is religious mandate, which
has been preached into the very marrow
Of tile peoples bones. This is usually
| the tfamps' irstintroduction to the Mex
| lean paradise, but after awhile he lays
for bigger game than poems and re-
ligiously inclined senoras, and he begins
| to tackle the tourists from his own coun-.
! try.
His method Of procedure is we'll known
to most Americans. He is unerring in
spotting his countrymen, and is always
| certain to address himself to the gen
erously disposed. On account of his sue
cess in avoiding stingy man, the Amer
lean tramp is nearly always sure to OBJ
tain some money from his fellow citi-
zens-He has hard luck story, of course,
which he uses so frequently that in a
! short time he becomes extremely pro-
| ficient in the art of spinning 1t out so
that it will awaken the most sympathy.
The sympathetic tourists, who have
| read so much about the. hard side of
Mexico, are more than half willing to
help a poor stranded countryman out,
| and the American tramp leaves the hotel
patio, where his studied talk was made,
with enough United States currency to
| see him through a weeks spree. A pc
culiar thing about the American tramp
| is that SO far none of the tribe has ever
been known to be in sympathy with the
| temperance movement
One of the most prominent traits of
| his character is his undaunted nerve A
| well-known resident of this city was
walking along San Francisco street not
very long ago, when he was accosted by
one Of these gentry, who was fairly well
dressed. Stepping up boldly to the gen.
tleman in question, with the air of
brisk business man, he said quickly:
"Just one moment, mister. Through
unavoidable circumstances my funds
| have become depleted, and, as you are
countryman of mine. respectfully re-
quest the loan of dollar Tie we'll
known resident saw the humor of the
| case and handed him quarter.
The common hobo who begs for the
| price of meal is of course familiar to
every one. He is about the same In
Mexico as he is the states, his habits be-
ing somewhat modified by his easier
mode of life in this enjoyable climate.
English Stamp Books.