The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1905-09-14
WHEN WEARY WILLIE"
IS FORCED TO RETIRE
How the Hobo Exists When
Compelled by Accident to
Quit the Road.
MANY TRICKS
Me intimsts kNe~,sdss Of Human
Mature Mskss u Easy 70 Gain
livslihesd with Little
gxsrtien.
rrom the Washlnxton star.

~
In a recent article in the star the
hobo was described m a man who Is
always going about the country looking
Cor work and praying that he Won't
md Il. Well. there comes a time In
many n 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
bag q swallow aboard. and miscsicuiates
the speed OF the moving train and falls
under the car wheels aud wakes up
later in a hospital TO and that q les or
an arm In missing.
Tae following story relative TO the
pastime Of the retired" hobo Was re-
lated 10 the writer by one OF the clan:
Il retired when I got my leg cut on
by n freight train bound west from
Jersey City: since then I've been taking
NE easy. It's mighty hard work So
Ing about forever looking for work.
and it's just like sliding on a park
bench when you're dead asleep To live
In retirement. like the rich fellers
who've rot all the graft they want.
Only they live on what they say In
their money when they retire.
while we retired hoboes live OF other
peoples money and are honest 9Th
90 say so. And say. that's the easiest
tntnk 10 10 nat 4 KNOW sny'nhhs
about.
A Fortunate Accident.
After my stump had healed up all
right and the hospital had given me a
wooden peg. i took a room with a
young Teller on the Bowery--I had a
title money I hadn't swallowed as yet.
Wed been there about a week when
I fell down stairs and lighted ON the
back OF my head. n the next thing i
knew I was I'm Bellevue hospital, with
q half dozen doctors bending over me
and saying Wonderful. Broken neck.
and living. tool and such things. In a
little while I found out what all the
fuss was about-my neck was swollen
twice It's natural size. aud my head
Was hanging down on my chest. and l
couldn't hold ~ up when I tried.
Well. they held one clinic after an
other over me. al The time the doc
tors-they're young felIers In Beliyylew.
Just out OF coilege-kept saying my
neck was broken. and jabbered away
about ve~r-vertebray NJ to kill. but all
the tire h pain was leaving me. and
an was the stiffness. and 1 knew that
my neck wasn't broken any more than
theirs. l was getting a clean bed and
all the food / could eat for nothing: I
wasn't going TO kill n good thing until
] had To. 40 ] kept right on letting my
head fall on my chest after I vas able
TO hold IL up I'm good style. N every
time a doctor would hold up my head
n I'd let IL flop down. he'd be more
dead certain than ever hat my neck
was broken. and l vas n living Won
der.
Things went on this way for about
eight weeks. with clinics every day or
so. Then onc day the doctor put a
makeshin brace on my head and gave
me a letter and told me TO show Il at
The hospital for ruptured and Grip
pied. n the doctors there would ft
me with n sure thing Ia the brace lire.
For a minute or two I thought my
graft Was at an end sure: then 4
thought OF my friend. Joe Schmidt, who
keeps "A saloon and stakes hoboes when
they want To play the 'phony' jewclry
game. I went TO him ana showed him
the letter.
Jim he said. this 10 the chance of
POUR Ufe.' And he took me around To
a worker IN iron and brass he knew.
and he made me a brace for my head
that fitted as nice as you please. Joe
paying him $50 for the job.
A Second Baldwin.
Then / pasted my letter from the
Beliyview on n piece OF sheepskin,
clspped my head In the brace. and went
into William street. where a lot
at swell bankers and brokers hang out
their signs. ! hadn't been sitting down
on a marble doorstep Ave minutes when
n man who looked as n his pockets were
bulglng With money. looked at me.
Hello. A second Baldwin, IN it,
he said. and seeing the letter in my
hand. took ~ and read Nil about my
wonderful case. Then he threw me g.
and walked on. Now you see why I
didn't want TO give up the letter for a
receipt for a braces NJ the hospital.
don't you?
We'll. I swear Il wasn't more than
three minutes When up walked another
teller " sang out like the first:
Hello Another Baldwin,
Then I remembered all az once that
thcrc Was n teller with "A broken neck
by The name OF Baldwin goins around
exhibiting himself In the side shows Of
ctrvuzes and getting a lot ~ attention
~ money Tor doing u. so l said TO
the iran:
"'Ycs. sur. a second Baldwin. ana
kcre's a letter 10 prove N.'
Ard he gave me "A dollar.
To make a long story short. I collect
Ell ncrc than h price % my brace that
day. and I qIi; az ) o'clock. too. my
Lead feeling a bit tired from the weight
a., Tire iron.
For rcariy six months I worked the
T. = down town among III" Honcyed
,taWd. and az the end ~ each day. re-
Numbering the kindness 81 Joe
:, auidt. III put up a key % swallow
~ his SALOON 20. the boys Jpr Wa
gracefully" showed u one day ny conf
u. TO me and saving:
You've been drinking too much,
sui the charity people are pu To- you.
sAu'd better beat the uwn for = Shi,'
. NpiNc "a; enough iell To cross ih-
rsAc~.
Werkins the Country.
So. picking up another retired it"5o
fag company agreeing TO Ia all
lr. Eelinc expenses and keep him ~
tsEiioW-We went ovcr iEto Jersey. We
tysat ~ delightful four N-eks Ia Tr~u-
t0l. then rustied in Paterson for thrre.
r.li the went To Newark. wher.. We
iousd ourselves up against u, there br-
TX tou UEp. fake cripplcs Ia town.
cffp had abvut worked the k~lud-hesrt-
- geUp.r cry OF sympathy and ready
nah. Ne aeridcd 20 strike for Philly.
I MIS- .oi.rt g TO try iny hands al the
Of gsrgr -. ling the rods. out my pal
trls.d M. Uu, of u. and ~hsl q way
pIsscrgtg train came alons. W" 90, on
Ivtrt ~ ia. smoker and. asli. when
re te. du,iur showed himself I psssed
~. = Io,ar Tor zach OF us--tr had a
t-t,ftr heart ioT crlpp.eS-aGi W, rode
- ur,t.~ IA S.ir. 600, al: s1~ az
" vs. ~ = god t,a. from
a. : - ."-.- :',< g S.o@.