The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1908-05-16

exactly where I was at the date, or,
rather where ] wasn't. On one occa-
sion l was at work in the bayfield, six
ty miles from the spot. On another
was chopping wood for farmer sew
enty miles distant. am set at liberty,
but grudgingly. The public had Its
mind made up that l WIS guilty and
should be hanged, and It's disap-
pointmcnt to all.
LET me tell you that the dilapidated
gentleman reasoned things out long
stinct than any other man. He doesn't
want to lose his life or his liberty. He
Is not greedy for gain. Not one tramp
in ten would quit the road IL he got a
legacy of $4,000. Give him sufficient
for today and the morrow may go
hang He may bit back IL you hit
him, but he has no cause to want to
murder any one. He may steal to as
suage hunger. but not for profit. Now
and then you hear of some tramp rob-
bng a farmhouse. He is either drunk
or fool. No pawnbroker will take
anything from him, because he is a
tramp. No person will buy any of his
plumber for fear of being compromised.
The tramp with sense In his head
knows this, and if dozen farmhouses
were open to him there would be no
temptation.
Suppose that tramp stole $25 In
cash from house. IL he struck a
town and went to buy a suit of clothes
he'd be suspected. II he went to a ho-
| tel and wanted to become guest he'd
be suspected. If he even bought new
hat or a new pair Of shoes 1t might be
made the grounds for his arrest. How
would It profit him, then, to take the
money?
| 81 have worked for a farmer for six
weeks on n stretch and taken the road
| with $50 In my pocket. j have been
| arrested day later and had to send
for him to prove that wasn't thief
If had = ten dollar bill in my pocket
| might walk 200 miles and not find
anybody to change It for me. l once
found twenty dollar bill on the
| streets of n town. | carried that bill
! with me for four months and then al
last gave tin peddler So premium tc
change It. He felt sure that l had
stolen 1t, but decided to take chances.
Tramp Is Suspected.
"You see that horse has been stol
en- and a tramp is suspected. Bosh
Where would he go with It? Whom
could he sell Il to? You see that 9
country store has been robbed. 1t was
tramps that did It. Bosh! What coult
they do with their plunder? A post
Office is entered and the safe blowr
open. Tramps some more. Bosh
When you find tramp that can blow
safe you may look for cows will
wings. The door of that postoffic'
might be left wide open every night II
the year and he would pass on.
"Three years ago in Connecticut |
farmers barn was robbed of fift,
bushels of oats one night His owl
bags were used to sack them up. Th,
team used to draw them away was fol
lowed for six miles. ] was within tel
miles of the site of the robbery tina
night. and next day was arrested a
Illut IDbbtl. wac hNli ~ Joh hOi
week before being examined to ALLOW
of the sheriff working up the case, bu
when things finally came to heat
you ought to have heard the justic
score him. He was man OF sense
he was, and he made the sheriff out
born fool within ten minutes. If
stole the oats must have stolen
team TO draw them away. Who ha,
lost team? 1t would have taken tw
men to sack and load the oats. Wher
was the other man?
"Oh, yes, there are events In the lii
of every dilapidated gentleman on tn
. road. and the moral lesson to be draw
} from most OF them is in his favor. II
does less lying than any salesman
less stealing than confidential clerkt
, and, as for immortality. your millionair
is convicted of 1t oftener than you
tramp" NJ. QUAD.