The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-07-22

man. great big buck with lot of his
fingers chewed off his left hand Who
seemed to be the leader, and our guide
goes up to him and they talks us over
for about ten minutes.
Then the big boy, who was Frisco
Slim now doing a little turn in The peni
tentiary comes up to us, ard. after
questioning us, let's off a bunch of loose
talk about how we can make plenty of
money without doing any work five Just
followed his Instructions That bounded
good to us, so we joins the gaig, and
me, on account of my solemn lookin' flz
gets nicknamed Funeral Jim, witch has
stuck ever since.
The next morning Frisco take Fatty
Ben. the guy that run away with me-
fixes his right arm in a sling, ana wraps
his head up in some old bloody bsndages
Then comes my turn and he fixes me I'D
good and proper. He started to York on
my feet, and after having me like off
one of my shoes, padded the SOB with
strips of leather until when I luts 1t
on again | walks like kid thatj Grip
pied for life Then he gets some CHEMICAL
dope and starts to work on my fac and
right arm.
Painted Sores and Burns.
Say. if Frisco had ever had a Chance
all sky, for the way he painted soresand
burns on me was something slick. Well,
finally he had us fixed up to his satisac-
ton, and then he sends us out to leg.
We goes and when we comes back hat
night Fatty had 81 and had s14 Frico
took the money, put it with that which
! the rest had collected, and after taking
out his share and big hunk for the
reserve fund, kept to pay fines and gst
the members out of trouble divided the
rest up between the men. My share vas
something over SO.
I'VE stayed with Frisco until the bulls
got wise and copied the bunch Frsco
got jagged. and those that got off all
scattered except Fatty, myself and tlose
three that are with me now. We decfed
to cut out the grating and confne ,ur
work to legitimate begging. 1t isn't so
dangerous. sRN
las it is now, we goes over the corn-
try seeing all sorts of things liviig
high and don't have to do any wor.
OF course, now and then we gets puld
off freight and have to spend five r
ten days in the work house of some ltts
town, but that's only when things ges
going so good that we get careless. b.
sides, time amt no object with us, AMI
sometimes, in the winter, we're might
glad to get caught. In the summer. when
1t comes to solid comfort we've got YOU
folks skinned to death. Houses Is clSss
together, we have ways of knowing
what's doing inside. there's plenty Of
fruit for the picking and when we Yet
tired, why, there's always a hay Ile
handy where you can roll up and slep
as long as you please If we gets tlnd
of one place, why. we moves on to a.
other.
There's nobody that can tell us whee
to get off. We hoboes are the only pel-
pie on earth that are our own bosse
Our friends are the best, too. for any on
of my buddies will divide their last cen
with me- Any hobo will help anothe
one-we stick together. Don't ever think
either, that just because mans a hobo
he's fool. Hot Air Brown over there
was in Cornell university for two year,,
got fired and has been bummin' 1t eve
since; but say he can spiel some whel
he wants to. There are plenty of Others
too, who bum II because they like tn,
life. I'm one. I've been hitting the pike
counting the time / spent with Frisco
Slim. for more years than I've got fingers
and I'm satisfied. / wouldn't trade with
ANYBODY