The San Francisco call., 1908-11-15

lessly canvassed Reno for a fob. .
ludicrous turn was given to the usual
rounding up Of the vagrants and ship
ping them out of town
"A bunch OF US were herded into the
waiting room of the depot in the even
ing and guarded there by an officer
with shotgun. We weFe told that we
might lie on the floor and the benches
and go to sleep, and that he would call
US when our respective trains were
due. He asked US all to tell him which
direction we preferred to go and
faithfully. throughout the night as
train after train pulled into the sta
tion, he awakened US and saw to IL
that we made our trains out. I rode
out OF this place to Nina on a ticket
given me by a travelling man. This
salesman came through the station
room where we were lying and awak-
ened me by kick that was meant to
be more gentle. no doubt. than 1t was.
" here are you going. young man?' he
asked, and when 1 told him my Objec-
tive poinL he pulled out ticket and
give it to me.
From Sparks to Nina, from Nina
to Goldfeld, GOldfeld to Las Vegas, so
1t went down across Nevada in the
same old fruitless search. Then back
up across the line again. Everywhere
the idle men already on the spot spoke
only too eloquently of the waste OF
time 1t would mean for a stranger TO
look for work. 1t seemed to me that
/ had got into a giant whirlpool in
which 1 swung round and round until I
not only became dizzy, but until all
desire for any Improvement OF my
condition had left me. Ny mind be-
came more or less OF blank-it
Ill, -
self-respect. my honor were slipping
away. 1 was at this time very close
to the line where the permanent and
hopeless bum is born. Perhaps I
might have become such a bum had
not an accident suddenly changed the
current of my existence.
Meets with Accident
Going back from Las Vegas to Cold
field. riding the blind of a special sec
tiOn. 1 was threatened by the con-
ductor Of the train. He said he would
Kick me off while the train was in
motion, and when, slowing down for
water at a tank out in the desert,
he did make a movement as though to
make good his threat. I jumped off in
the sand. The train still had consider
able motion and L fell heavily, wrench
ing my leg and ankle so badly that
the roadbed half conscious. I managed
to crawl over to the water tenders
hut and lay there suffering frightfully
until evening, when the tender put me
aboard a coal car OF a freight stopping
for water, and / was permitted by the
brakeman of the train. to whom told
my story, to ride as far as GOldheld. At
Goldfeld I was conveyed to the county
hospital and placed in the care OF
a doctor.
Il was given the best of treatment
at the county institution. and for the
first time in months ate three square
meals a day and had a clean bed In
which to sleep I remained at the
hospital three weeks. During this time
/, in a measure. regained my lost nerve
and from assOciating daily with those
who held themselves in respect and
demanded it OF others in consequence,
I recuperated mentally and morally as
well as physically
Work, however, was not to be found
for me or by me in GOlddeld and,
having sufficiently recoveDed from my
accident, went up to Reno again. It
was at Reno that the miracle occurred.
At last I naged to secure work, even
though it may have been of very
questionable character. I became as
sistant-'tin hOrn'-tO a roulette and
faro gambler; that is. I acted as his
booster. The work proved to be OF
short duration, however. The very ma
ture OF the job is such that no one
man can hold it long because every one
soon spots him for a booster and then
his period Of usefulness is over. One
week my job lasted
I'm an enforced hike from New
castle to ROcklin, Cal I accident
ally stumbled across a second job
the only other one that I found during
my four months searching. which had
taken me across $500 miles or more
of territory. It may be that the fault
was mine; I am not blaming conditions.
I can simply state facts in connection
with that hunt for work: First that the
search was as thorough and honest as
I could make it; second, that I did find
but two jobs within the time and
distance covered that I have mentioned.
This second job was secured at a
ranch near Rocklin. I had gone in to
beg a meal. having subsisted princi-
pally for the last 20 hours on fruit
taken along the way. and was put to
work building henneries at one dollar
a day and board. This lasted three
weeks. Then the work having been
finished-with nothing more to be done
on the ranch, made my way TO Sacra-
mento and thence to San Francisco by
boat, this time with paid fare.
"And after all had to return TO San
Francisco to find work" concludes Mer-
ritt. Like many another workman
with a streak of the rowing disposition
in him, found out that a region where
work was plentiful and men are scarce
Is not on the map; that the securing
OF Job lies not so much in searching
different parts of the country as In
ones own ability TO stick It out wher-
ever one happens to be at the time
bad luck strikes him."