Los Angeles herald., 1905-12-11
CHARLES EBERLE, JR., TELLS
STORY
Youth Says Parent Deserted His
Mother and Left the Family In
Poverty-PoIiee VIII
Aid Lad


terday afternoon after having travelled
more than 5000 miles by hrake-beams.
on top of freight cars and in side
door sleepers
Since September I of this year the
young boy has been travelling a la
hobo. The itinerary Of the trip was:
81. Paul. Omaha, Dallas. Denver. San
francisco and Los Angeles. making
total of more than 5000 miles.
Tired out and so covered with filth
that II required four hours of hard
Dcrubbing to restore his original ap-
pearance, he was found sitting on a
hench In the vicinity of the Plaza yes
terday afternoon by Sergeant Craig.
II was with the greatest pleasure that
he submitted to the order of Sergeant
Craig and accompanied him TO the po-
lice station where he was given the
much-needed bath.
The boys experiences with the
knights Of the brake-beams. would. in
themselves, fill an ordinary-sized popu-
lar novel, and his efforts to find his
cruel father and in the meantime avoid
starvation, offer material for volume
which would rival the works of many
writer's of boys stories of adventure.
Seeks His Father
Young Charles Eberle, although only
ten years of age, is an exceptionally
bright lad. and tells his experiences
with as much dramatic effect as would
Oliver Optic. Charles makes no effort
to secure the sympathy of any one.
In spite of his failures to find his
father he laughs and would much pre-
Ter being the listener than the story
teller.
Charles sole ambition in life at pres
ent is to find his father and make him
give an account of himself and return
10 his mother in St. Paul who is COM
PEELED to labor in various capacities in
order to clothe and keep herself and
her little six-year-old son. Charles
brother from starvation. Charles is by
no means discouraged. His big blue
eyes and manly bearing dspel all such
Ideas as soon as one sees him.
During his trip from far away st.
Paul he has begged food but once, ana
that time only after he had failed to
find work. The boys enforced asso-
citation with tramps has left a tempo
rary stain on him which is noticeab BILE
III his occasional use of "yegg" terms.
Believes Deserter Is Here
One year ago. Charles Eberle. sr.. a
collarmaker of st. Paul, with his son.
Charles. left for Dallas. Texas, where
the two worked for Il while at the
fathers trade. After a couple OF
months spent in that city. the father
sent his son back to st. Paul promis-
ing to follow him in a few days
But the father failed to return.
Nothing since has been heard of him
except that he had left Dallas and
gone to Los Angeles, which was
learned by young Charles when in that
city few weeks ago
All efforts to locate the whereabo
of her husband by young Charles
mother were futile and as the little
money they had in their possession was
rapidly diminishing it became neces-
Sary for the mother to find work Even
with this the conditions gradually be-
came worse in the Ebere home and
young Charles was compelled to leave
school and find work as messenger
boy.
After a few weeks the boy managed
to save up $17 and he Immediately de-
cided to set about to locate his father.
On the first day of September he left
ST. Paul stealing his way out of the
city on a freight train. Laughingly
Charles told the police the following
story yesterday afternoon:
Takes Side-Door Sleeper
"a year ago my father left st. Paul
and took me with him to Dallas, where
he worked at his trade for a while.
Suddenly he sent me back home and
since then he has given us the slip.
But I'm going to get him before long
and make him account to mother for
his negligence and maxim her work
like man to keep us and herself in
food
How did | get out dis far? Why. I
simply made up my mind to get there
and here | am. No. ! wasn't q bit
skeered o gittin' killed on the freight
t'ains besides. haven't | had a little
loose change to hand those easv con-
ductors, the brakemen a 50-ceni piece
now and then and Elake whole di-
vision If | go fiat broke when | am
growed up I'm going to be a brake
man Dere's Il small fortune in being
a brakeman on freight trains. Talk
about d heavy passenger list! Why,
all kinds of buns ride in the side door
sleepers for hundreds Of miles for the
small sum of 80 cents and the brake
men get rich at that.
MY father. was told i'm Dallas,
came to this city for some reason. |
started out for this place and after
/ had been ON the train for couple of
Gays I found that ! was headed for
Denver and so kept on as one fellow
that ! saw in Dallas said that he had
heard that papa said something about
going to Denver. so I thought that il
would not hurt to take a chance on
Denver
Finds Soft Bed
con leaving Denver | started out for
san Francisco but. to ride on the
freight trains there Is not so easy as
In the east and in Texas. The brake
men are always afraid of spoilers
and are much rougher with you than
the brakemen i'm the south and near
home
when I got up into Wyoming some
where near Rock Springs | got into
freight car loaded with autonob biles
and all kinds of fine blankets and COW
ers. 1t was dark when l got In there
and you can bet | just commenced to
make myself comfortable, rolled
out several of the blankets and COW
ers and made up the finest bed you
ever saw.
well, | was sleeping there for sew
eral hundred miles | guess; anyhow.
II was next morning when I woke up
and the train was still going. When
the train stopped, somewhere In Utah.
the brakeman came into the car and
found me and says: Hey. wake up,
how did you get in here?'"
"'On nv luck | says, and then he