The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1905-09-15
WHEN WEARY Willie"
is FORCED TO Retire
How the Hobo Exists When
Compelled by Accident to
Quit the Road.
RESORTS TO MANY TRICKS
His Intimate knowledge of Human
Nature Makes It Easy to Gain
a Livelihood with Little
Exertion.
o TO MANY TRICKS
From the Washington Star.

From the Washington Star.
In a recent article in the Star the
hobo was described as a man who is
always going about the country looking
for work and praying that he won't
find 1t. Well, there comes a time in
many a hobo's life when he quits look
Ing for work-retires. That happens
when he tries to ride the rods OF "a
freight car some day when he has too
big a swallow aboard, and miscalculates
the speed of the moving train and falls
under the car wheels and wakes up
later in a hospital TO hnd that a leg or
an arm is missing.
The following story relative to the
pastime of the retired" hobo was re-
lated to the writer by one of the clan:
Il retired when | got my leg cut Off
by a freight train bound west from
Jersey City; since then I've been taking
i.life easy. It's mighty hard work go
ing about forever looking for work.
and it's just like sliding off a park
bench when you're dead asleep TO live
in retirement, like the rich feliers
who've got all the graft they want.
Only they live off what they say is
their own money when they retire,
while we retired hoboes live off other
peoples one and are honest emo. gh
to say so. And say, that's the easiest
thing 10 do that l know anything
about.
A Fortunate Accident.
After my stump had healed up all
right and the hospital had given me Il
wooden peg, l took a room with a
young Teller On the Bowery-l had a
little money ! hadn't swallowed as yet.
We'd been there about a week when
l fell down stairs and lighted OF the
back of my head, and the next thing l
knew l was in Bellevue hospital, With
q half dozen doctors bending owe me
and saying Wonderful Broker neck.
and living. too: and such things. In a
little while l found out what all the
fuss was about-my neck was swollen
twice its natural size. and my head
was hanging down on my chest, and l
couldn't hold 1t up when I tried.
well, they held one clinic after IN
other over me. All the time the doc
tors-they're young fellers in Bellyview,
just out of ~college-kcpt saying my
neck was broken, and jabbered away
about ver-vertebray fit to kill. But all
the line the pain was leaving me. and
so was the stiffness, and l new that
my neck wasn't broker any more than
theirs. | was getting a clean bed and
all the food / could eat for nothing; l
wasn't going TO xiii a good thing until
l had to. so l kept right on letting my
head fall On my chest after ! was able
to hold 1t up in good style. And every
time a doctor would hold up my head
and Id let it flop down. he'd be more
dead certain than ever thai my neck
was broken, and l was a living Won
der.
Things went on this way for about
eight weeks, With clinics every day or
50. Then one day the doctor put a
makeshift brace on my head n gave
me a letter and old me to show it at
the hospital for ruptured and Grip
pied, and the doctors there would fit
I me with n SIRE thing in the hY1r va line
For a minute or two l thought my
graft WAS at an end sure; then ]
thought of my friend, Joe Schmidt. who
Keeps u saloon and stakes hoboes wher
they wan TO play the 'phony' jewelry
, game. | ven to him and showed him
the letter.
jim he said, this is the chance OF
your life And he tool me around tc
a worker In iron and brass he knew
and he made me a brace for my heaC
that fitted as nice as you please, Joe
paying him $50 for the job.
A Second Baldwin.
Then l pasted my letter from The
BellyView on a piece of sheepskin
clapped my head in the brace, and went
down into William street. where a 10,
of swell bankers and brokers hang GU
their signs. ! hadn't been sitting dowr
on d marble doorstep five minutes whe1
a man who looked as if his pockets were
DuiSii6 Will liplicy, lOOheN dl ne.
Hello! A second Baldwin, is it?
he said, and seeing the letter in IN,
hand, took ii and read all about IN,
wonderful case. Then he threw me S
and walked on. Now you see why
didn't want to give up the letter for
receipt for a brace at The hospital
don't you?
We'll. l swear it wasn't more thai
three mute when up walked anothe
Teller and sang out like the first:
"Hello! Another Baldwin,
Then / remembered all at once tina
there was a Teller with d broken nee
by the name of Baldwin going aroun,
exhibiting himself in the side shows o
: %circuses and getting a lot of attention
and money for doing it. So | said t
the man:
Yes, SIR. a second Baldwin. an
here's a letter to prove it,
And he gave me a dollar.
ITO make a long story short. I collect
ed more than the price of my brace tina
day, and ! quit at 3 o'clock, too, m
head feeling IL bit tired from the weigh
of the iron.
For nearly six months l worked tn
game down town among the moneye
crowd, and at the end of each day, re
lnembering the kindness Of 10
Schmidt. Id put up a key of swallo,
in his saloon for the boys. Joe wa
graleful-he showed it one day by con
ing TO me and saying:
You've been drinking too mucl
and the charity people are on to yol
You'd better beat the town for a Will
If you've got enough left to cross tn
river.
Working the Country.
so, picking up another retired not
for company agreeing to pay Il
to travelling expenses and keep him
m swallow-we vent over into Jersey. W