The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1911-06-29

will do from time to time, in order
to get a handout from some house
wife. He makes a speciality of the
| of the house to house canvass for
food, and will often eat two or
more meals in succession and then
beg as much as he can carry con-
veniently, to provide for conting-
encies, such as getting thrown off
the train at some water tank if he
is riding passenger, or on some
steep grade twenty miles from no.
where if he is riding in box car.
Thus he lives his life on the
road, spending most of his time
around the small towns, where he
can commit petty crimes and if ar
rested, ordered to leave town. He
spends some Of his time, mostly
winters, in the big city workhouses.
He would sooner spend them in
the country where the jails are
cleaner and where the food is fair
ly good, but he cannot get along
without the society of his kind,
and this he gets in the jails in the
larger cities. He generally makes
it a point to appear just when the
cold weather is coming on and it is
no longer comfortable for travel
ling and he with lot more are
gathered in by the police and Civ
en- sentence that will carry them
through the winter.
This is the manner in which he
lives his life. Carefree and hap
py-go-lucky. Next we see an ac-
count in some paper about an un-
known man being found dead along
side Of the railroad track, or we
hear of a wreck in which the body
of an unknown man or two is
found. In this manner he dies.
Did you ever see a would-be
sport? One of the kind that spend
most of their time around the pool
rooms or cheap theaters. If so, /
am sure that you will recognize the
picture l am about to draw for
you. He can generally be found
hanging around the gambling halls,
or touting for some bookmaker.
He plays a good game of pool, and,
although he has no money, he is
always playing. Someone must
pay and it is invariably his oppo-
nent, or, / should say, his victim.
He is full Of tricks and always has
a bunch of associates han ging
around the table who will do such
favors as taking ball or two from
the table when the victims head is
turned or else they will sit and gibe
at the man, making him so ner-
vous that he cannot shoot straight.
He will insist on small bet, just,
as he says to make it sociable
game. He will win and lose and
play see saw game until he can
get a big bet, then he will win as
many as he can, or as many as the
sucker will stand for. If he should,
by any chance, happen to get stung
on any of the larger bets, he will
hang up his cue and say he is broke.
If the sucker objects he will make
his stock remark, "Well, what are
you going to do about it?'' Per-
haps he, the sucker, is not to be
put off so easily and then there is
a fight. After the bunch kicks
him around for few minutes he
finds himself in the street, often
minus few of his valuables, such
as watch, pin or watch chain, or
it may be his hat or overcoat. If
he gets policeman and going back
demands what he has lost, the
chances are that he cannot find his
pool-playing friend. He has pru-
IDENTIFY left via the back door and
no one in the place seems to re-
member anything about him, ex-
cept that he comes in once in a
while and plays few games of
pool. The policeman then gives
the sucker some pointed advice cal
culated to keep him away from that
locality in the future.
There is another branch who
frequent the better or more stylish
pool and billiard parlors, who at