The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1909-01-21

arrested on suspicion OF having stolen
two chickens, and, though | hadn't
feather about me, was sentenced to
a dirty Jail for three months. You'd
laugh II told you that ] walked the
width of state just to gaze on the
mighty Mississippi river for half a
day and call up De Soto and his tire
less ambitions, and yet why noti
"If the dilapidated gentleman didn't
do stroke of hard work the year
round he ought to be welcomed aud
fed and lodged for assisting in the
cause of general knowledge. He is n
walking encyclopedia. Scores aud
scores Of times have sat down at the
Preside of farmer and paid my keep
ten times over by the Information |
gave him and his family. have
helped his children with their school
lessons, and l have helped him and
his wife to better understand the coun-
try they were living In. 1t wasn't
two months ago that asked a farm
er how much wheat he thought the
United States harvested this season.
He thought for a moment and then
put It at about 100000 bushels. When
made his figures 5,GG5,000 bushels he
stood with his mouth open for fully
two minutes. He was born and raised
in the country. but didn't think there
was much going on outside his own
county.
zone trouble | have found with the
farmer is his liking for the grewsome.
He'd rather hear of robbery than a
flying machine and of a murder than
all the crop statistics. He tells you so,
and then as his guest you have got to
humor him. That is, you have got TO
put your imagination at work. His
idea is that because you are dilapl-
dated travelling about you must have
met up with all sorts of crimes. go
ahead and give him the particulars of
two or three atrocious murders that
keep on tap and end of with bur
glary and a case of horse stealing, and
when we are ready for bed he is ready
to admit that he has passed pleasant
evening l have made myself n liar,
Of course, but | settle that with my
conscience by saying that the end jus
tlfes the means.
'There is one subject, however that
I don't have TO draw the long bow in
talking about That is the county
magistrates, constabes and jails. !
am walking along the highway, as is
the right of any man to do. | have
been at work for a farmer for the last
fortnight and have $40 IN my pocket.
am no mendicant or fugitive from
justice, and yet constable seizes me
and drags me before the justice of the
peace. They are in cahoots as to fees.
| am charged with vagabondage. |
show my money az proof TO the con,
trary. 1t Is a fatal mistake. ! am at
once suspected of robbery. ask for
a lawyer, but am refused.
Protests Of No Avail.
"The constable swears that / have
been hanging around the nelghbor-
hood for weeks, and am given n sen
tence Of sixty days in jail. Protests
are of no avail; demands only bring
the warning to shut up. They won't
let me send for the farmer for whom
l worked. It's all their way. and to
jail l go, and the food furnished is
hardly ft for hog, because the jailer
stands in with the other two to beat
the county by beating prisoners.
Its the same old game in every
state, from Maine TO California, and
it's no use to kick. Only the prisoners
know how bad II is, and when they
come out and talk no one believes
them. For this reason the dilapidated
must figure that it's all in the days
work and put up with II. The only
way he can get even is to do as much
damage to the jail as he can when he
decides to make hole In the wall and
continue his sightseeing tour. The
last coop | got out of | carried sway
all the iron bars 10 the window and
later on read I'm a newspaper that
was not only tramp, but one of the
most ungrateful of the species"
NJ. QUAD.