Omaha daily bee., 1910-07-23

loose. His feet ploughed into the ground,
his legs crumpled up, his body catapulted
itself in a slide down the right-of-way that
removed much epidermis from the project
ing portions. But landing right broke his
fall and no serious damage was done. The
experience was bit rough, but he caught
a freight three hours later little the worse
for wear.
Toll of Tramp Life.
The amateur soon finds that there are
great many trainmen who have a startling
disregard for the life of a tramp. The rail-
roads themselves state that there are more
trespassers killed each year than trainmen
and passengers taken Notwithstanding
like 10000 OF them.
There Is a favortte trick OF the brake
man. for instance. that is the dread of the
tramp riding the rods. He ties coupling
pin to a rope and lets 1t down beneath the
car 1t bumps along on the ties and the
speed of the train makes this contact so
violent that the coupling pin is, hurled
with great force against the bottom OF the
car. sooner or later 1t will hit the tramp
and kill him. The track walker will report
tramp who fell from the train and was
killed while beating his way.
The amateur may be riding on the top of
| a freight near the engine. The SHACK"
or brakeman, begins to work the train
beginning at the cRboose. 1t is half an
hour before he reaches the amateur. The
train is going slowly up grade. The anna
teur swings off In the darkness and
catches a rod further back. But the shack
has seen him and likewise swings Off and
catches the same rod.
The tramp notes the energy Of the shack
and decides that 1t is prompted by de-
sire for side money"
Being amateur, he has fifty cents
hidden away for an emergency and he
proffers this for the privilege of a ride
But there are spoilers" on the line to
test the brakemen in just this way, and
the amateur looks a good deal like one
of these made-up spoilers. There is moth
ing doing. The brakeman orders the
''cut loose" The amateur responds, but
figures all thu time that he still has a
chance to catch the train before the
caboose passes. The brakeman realizes
this intent. He hates a tramp and above
all he hates a spotter. He has a coupling
pin in his hand, which the amateur sees.
The amateur follows his intuition of dam
ger, takes no chances and is thereby wise
He let's the train pass. the brakeman swing
ing on the oaboose. He is alone in the
night in the solitude OF the great plain
The coyotes howl mournfully in a circle
about him. He has no idea of the distance
TO the next water tank and 1t is hitting
the ties for his.
Boxed I'd.
But the life is not all this strenuous.
The old heads refuse to ride outside and
do not leave a town until they can com
fortably stow away in box car. 1t is
often easy to get inside an empty. Even
headed cars, though sealed. are not entirely
inaccessible. To break a seal is a peni-
Tertiary offense, but hard TO prove There
! Is the big sliding doer at tho side and the
| little door, at the end ana near the top
OF the car. A seal may be found, broken
or even door open, for pTecaution. cannot
! always keep a long train hobo-tight-
A broken seal may be mended by a con-
] federate. who remains nthe. outside, so
as TO appear intact Whenever there is
a haven OF refuge OF this sort in a train
the news OF II goes abroad and soon there
is merry party assembled. ConvivialitY
IL the order OF the day, stories are told. and