The Democratic advocate., 1907-01-11
College Student Becomes a Hobo.

College Student Becomes a Hobo.
MILWAUKEE, WIS. With face bronzed
by exposure in the open air, and hands
roughened by hard work in the fields,
Oscar F. Aschman, junior at Union col
lege, New York, is on his way back east
after being tramp for two months.
EYES," said Mr.. Aschman, in an inter
view, II have been hobo for the last
two months, and must say | have had
enough of it. 1t was my first experience
of that kind and it ought tc,be my last,
and yet I'm afraid that next year the
fever will be on me to try it again. This is
not the only time have been in Milwaukee.
1 passed through here about June 20 on
my way west For obvious reasons | did
not stop at hotel or go sightseeing very
much. | came in at ~ o clock midnight
on freight, and went out on another
freight 20 minutes afterward.
1.-The people generally don't know any
thing about that travelling that goes on in
this country by men who don't pay their
railroad fare When [ left [ thought, Of
course, that | should be obliged to take the
passenger trains in some places. But here
[ am after trip from Batavia, N. Y, to
San Francisco and back again to Omaha,
and [ never paid cent for riding on a
train.
cat Omaha, where [ have some rela-
tives, | ripped some bills out of my vest,
bought some clothes, and have travelled the
rest of the way in style.
CAN through the west [ found plenty
Of work lying around for anyone who want
ed it. At Butte common laborer is paid
three dollars day. If a man knows
trade he gets more in proportion. worked
week there pushing cement car in new
building. Then | quit and made hike
south to some of the ranches. The work
there is hard. They pay you well, but
you are on your feet in haying time from
five O clock in the morning till late at
night [ had all [ wanted Of that game
in few days.
''In Missoula | formed partnership
with a hobo who had been hitting the trail
since the year one He was little bit Of
everything; seemed to have worked at
about every trade under the sun, and he
carried nice bright revolver in his hip
pocket. We didn' t loaf any Oh our trip,
you can bet. There wasn't freight train
in the schedule from the time we left Soula
to the morning we plunked down in Seattle.
Most Of tho roHn
How? Well, it wasn't on the cushions,
but we got there just the same.
eff you ever noticed passenger car,
you'd remember the sort of broad in
verted trough that runs along the top
Well, you fatten out on that about nine
O clock at night when it's nice and dusky
and there you are. At stations you climb
down to the off side and hide, and when
the train starts up you get on top again.
cat Seattle we separated, and by stow
ing away in lumber boat | worked my
way to Frisco. There was another fellow
on board-also a stowaway. His name
was Flanders and he claimed TO be stu
dent at the University of Montana. At
Frisco we found number of ships coming
and going, and Flanders was for working
our way to the Philippines or some other
place caught his fever for awhile, and
thought there might be something in it,
and between US we frequented the water
front quite lot.
''There was full-rigged ship lying in
the stream named the Mary B. Horne.
She was going from Frisco to Hong Kong,
loaded with American goods. The captain
was looking for crew, but we knew a
little too much to travel that way. Those
sailing ships-wind TANNERS, as they call
them-sometimes take the third Of year
for the China trip when the winds don t
blow right. Besides, the treatment and
food is apt to be more or less unsatisfac-
tory. No Mary B. Horne for ours.
well, one night we were down by the
water front, and Flanders saw the ship
ping agent who had tried to get us for the
Mary. The agent was going into saloon.
Flanders left me where [ was and hurried
in after him to find out about a coalship
Just in. [ waited for five minutes, but
Flanders didn't show up. got little
nervous, and looked in the door. A cou
pie of men were by the bar, but no Elan
ders.
81 called the nearest policeman, and
we searched the place, but there was no
trace of Flanders. Then the officer got
disgusted and thought | was putting up
some sort of bluff That night | re-
ported to the police headquarters, and they
promised to look it up first thing in the
morning,
''That sounded all right, but when [
came down in the morning the Mary B.
Horne wasnt in the stream any more.
The natives said she'd been towed out to
sea along about five a. m. And I'm just
as sure as | am that [ am standing here
that Flanders went with her. Poor chap,
he Il see the world all right, but he's going
to have a tough start. There's more
hardship than poetry in being shanshaieo. "
O55 Q31 Tnonojprants