The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1911-09-03
HOBOES BLOCKING
! IN ON FRE|GHTS TO
. ATTEND SESSIONS
Leader How Expects Many
Additional Delegates-May
Extend Meeting.

From every section Of America dele
gates to James Eads How's conven-
ton Of the unemployed, now in session
In Washington, continue to pile in. and
1t is beginning to look as II the con-
vention originally advertised will ma
terialize
Every incoming freight train from
the West and South is bringing quota
OF bearder ard smokeblackened
knights of the road" and by tonight
the rooms in the G street building
where the convention is being held.
and the various mission houses about
the city, will be crowded to the over
flowing point.
All has been quiet in hobo land to-
day. The only excitement attending
today's informal meeting of the self
confessed tramps has been the entrance
to the large gathering of new delegates,
whose faces are familiar to every true
itin-can knight Of the road.
George Brown, former star baseball
player. drifted into hobo headquarters
early this morning, threw himself
across row Of chairs borrowed from
the fashionable Church of the Epiphany
across the street, and started to snooze
Brown hadn't traversed dreamland
very far before his familiar features
were recognized by at least half a
dozen of his professional compa nions
Brown had to tell all about his ride
across the continent from San Francisco
Just to attend the convention.
Tells of Trip.
Brown, formerly a miner, and later a
railroad engineer, is of good training,
and has an unusually good education.
1Ie started from Frisco July /, and came
through to Washington, doing not a
stroke Of work on the long run He
left home without a penny in his pocket
and his financial resources were no
lower on his arrival here.
Il was passing through the Barbary
coast on the morning Of July l." Brown
said this morning, when a fellow hobo
asked me If l was going to the conven-
ton asked him of what, when,
where, and why. He told me of the
hobo convention called for September l,
In Washington ] said ! was going. He
said when. l said, Tonight / start for
the East and l did.
II hadn't a penny in my pocket, but
that didn't worry me. ! made the trip
with as much ease as If l had been
travelling in a Pullman"
The two months spent on the road by
Brown has stiffened him a bit, and he
says he won't be in good condition for
two or three days yet He has some
things TO say TO his fellcw-hoboes about
how many different conditions must be
changed before the unemployed class
will be relegated to the past.
At the Gospel and Central Union Mis-
Bions the religiously inclined OF the
will be a meeting in the G street build
ing this afternoon at 5 o'clock, but all
day the rooms, both the private ones
and the Assembly" hall. have been
given over to the visiting 'boes" for
loung1hg quarters.
Ed the Barber.
Brother Ed Farmer came near put
ting the Society for the Propagation OF
Boards out of business this morning,
when he arrived at convention head
Quarters with a dull razor, half cake
Of laundry soap, and part of an old
shoe, which he used as a razor strcp.
''Erother Ed showed a true hoboe's
spirit by refusing to turn bearded
man down just because he didn't have
money, If any of the unshorn and IN
shaver "boes" had 8 or 10 cents, BROTH
er Ed got it. If he didn't, he got his
shave just the same.
The appearance of the entire delega-
tion was completely changed within an
hour after Brother Ed started hts
attack on the s. p. B. Tramps upon
whose faces a razor has not played
since the boyhood days when parental
care tried to prevent the useless de-
struction of fuzz. seemed to be anxious
to get the growth of stubble off. The
rate of two every five minutes, the
''boes'' passed through the barber 3
hands, had their faces shaved and
washed, and their financial resources
IaCG
Mr.. How believes that the conven-
ton will last till the middle of this
week. If the belated and tardy dele
gates continue to arrive tomorrow, and
Tuesday as they have today, he is sure
the meetings will be continued.
, How Is Happy.
"I knew they would come" he said
this afternoon. But many things
have happened recently which have
delayed the delegates. 1t has been
raining in certain parts of the coun-
try for days, and in, stormy weather
the progress of the hobo is slow. He
prefers smuggling up in an out of the
way barn till the sun comes out, even
81 It remains in hiding for hours
These things have kept the delega-
tons strength to the minimum
! An entertainment unique in the his
tory of Washington theatricalS Is
lschcduled for Tuesday night, when
th0 hobo delegates will give a real
exhibition of their talents, in their
HEADQUARTERS at 1914 G. street north
west. Hundreds of pink and red tick
Iets, the sale price of each being 10
cents, have been placed in. the hands
of the delegates for disposal. They
are going like the proverbial circus
hot cakes, and the down-and-out men
will receive much assistance from the
entertainment.
Tomorrow night, an open air enter
tainment will be given at Eighth
street and Pennsylvania avenue by
THE delegates.