New-York tribune., 1907-12-01
~nOCo REITMAN ARRIVES.
Tells of Plans to Reform Fefio70
Knights of the Highpay.

- 1,ia,,r, T. Re,tmsn OF Chicago, president
of the brotherhood Welfare Assoclauoh' "Ao So
that he has been tramp for twenty years % "
New York He arrived here on Thanksgiving LAY Day
., ,,ves,ieate the condition of the tramp ana MS
treatment by the Charity Organization Socely' ne
bonss TO bring about the reformation OF the VIC
tins of the wanderlust ,o
Dr. Reitman and J. z. How, the Iniiioiien
tranp" who is at the head of the brothefhoou u
e Iouis are probably the best known OF 'Lei
class in the country. Among his coieasue
the road he Is known as Doc the Iranp, W.
in his profession which he sometimes practseS' h
Is best known the author OF seVerai
textbooks on medicine
DR. Reitrnan hit the trail twenty years s
"yyhv did I leave my homer he renec.eu An a
s1vering q question yesterday "Weh, oe.e ;,
co,,d not take It with me- and wanted 10 lamp
And for twenty years he has trampeo' LAM .,
tra,nned and though his crown is only d oio
brin1ned sIouch hat. he is looked upon @. % ts
.t<inr of the Great Unworked- IN MS oal
has "hoofed it, over two hundred thousanu ~ -
of territory his foot work relieved now anu - -.
- . r,,a on the trucks of freight tram. Ano
doc5or has traversed nearly the entire siooe -
to SAYS II hin1seIf-has been in jail IortS Soi7 ~
for vagrancy. In France ne was
anarchist -, ssor+s of How
,,o became a reformer of the tramp and mas siiIIo
devoted his entire time 10 his ne" Hnss'0" che
saws that he is working out the seiso -
wanderer on a scientific basis. ,,, .,o
I'm the first place. he said yesteroay'
starting point in every reform begins WIN q
thorough understanding of the quesuon' win
knowledge Of the causes and the erectS % ~
rna+.er to he reformed and proper cassihcatloh
and subdivision of it ,.
To This end Doc" has classified the itinerant
vagrants into three divisions on "scientinc anu
chronological principles" he says These ci@sSnca-
tions are. Tramp. Hobo and Bum
To the only individual who always uaVeis
comfortably on m, tightly lighted thoroushfares
without ever making detour into the DARK tramp
freauented places II great city, the three terms
have always been synonymous. but let him mere
learn from Doc how widely apart they are Ii
the social scale
The tramp, he declares s a victim OF wanderlust.
which is exaggerated form or wandering. He
tramps about the country; he does not work be-
cause It interferes with his travelling although he
has the "go habit" He may be homeopathic
tramp with .fugue." which is spell of itinerant
vagrancy without a motive He travels for the
pleasure OF it. Besides him there the tramp
criminal and the criminal tramp. His tranpdom Is
along the main lines Of railroads.
The hobo is different type. says Doc" He
is an itinerant yagrant who is without work. but,
unlike the tramp, he tranps around looking for
work. and. what is more. really taking work when
he catches up with it The tramp hobo works only
q short time. however. when he becomes afflicted
again with wanderust. which heretofore has been
known that tired feeling" Then he beats tt
There are also criminal and homeopathic hoboes.
As for the bum. Doc has little add 20
the ordinary laymans knowledge OF his habits.
The doctor-reforner says that the bum is a va
grant who spends his time lounging around low
class saloons and camps where he can obtain
liquor He travels slowly, and the more liquor he
get the less he tranps. Many Of them have
dipsomania
AS for tho tin tramp used to knov-the
kind that drained beer kegs-Dr. Retman says he
longer with because the modern beer
pump completely empues the beer kegs.
Doc has separate and what he believes to
be an eficacious tres tment for each OF the fore
going species.
Il have watched the bread line for two nights
on the Bowery.'' he said ''and 1 find the are
about 90 per cent hoboes, 25 per cent buns and
Is per cent tramps
The vagrancy problem in New York IS much
more difficult OF solution than il Is IN Chicago.
shall study the situation here and see how 1 can
effect their reform
Dr. Reitman is staying at the Occidental Hotel.
In the Bowery-unless the wanderlust has seized
him overnight. When he tramps he wears rough
clothes and a blue flannel shirt. Yesterday he
a long overcoat. white shirt and a flowing tie OF
the Kind affected by artists. He Is tall with long
black hair and stache. and a OF good ad-
dress He hopes before leaving New York 10 give
dinner TO tramps similar to he gave in Chi
caso at the windsor-CIifton Hotel where guests
were l23 trsInps. The menu included hlet of beef.
beer, cigars and cigarettes. On that occasion the
toasts were answered by such celebrities of tramp
dom as ''Pittsburg joe Fred the Bum Ger
man Fritz" ohio Skip" and Gloomy Gus"