Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1911-04-17
CASEY SET RIGHT
IN THE HOME TOWN
He Was Never Arrested and He Never
Wants to Be.

Joe Soto. otherwise and more IA
miliarly known as Casey, returned yes
terday morning from Los Angeles.
clean faced and well dressed, and last
night appeared in The Republican Of
flee with quivering lip and injured look
To demand justice and reparation for
his abused feelings His hasty de
parture from Phoenix some weeks ago
was made the occasion of a couple of
local stories at the hands of a reporter
who never had the nerve To ride
brake beam or the cleverness to beat
his way over transcontinental rail
road. These stories had been eXagger-
atoms that Casey felt may have set
him in wrong light before his fellow
townsmen and he desired that cor
rectiOn be made
He was welcomed feelingly. for as a
newspaper kid Casey stands high in
the guild and everybody likes him He
is a good sort even if he has got a
little too much boy in him. After due
and heartfelt apology was made for
any distress of mind that may have
been OcCaSiOned. Joe was invited to
state his grievances. The substance
of the offensive stories was that Joe
had set out deliberately to live the life
Of a hobo, that he was 10 years old.
that he was arrested in MaricDpa. that
he had a hard time getting to Los An
geles and a harder time after he got
there and wanted very much to be
home again. and that he had enlisted
under the union banner and was max
ing life miserable for the Los Angeles
Times. the enemy Of union labor, etc.
For correction Joe deposes and says
that he is l6 years old instead of 10.
that he evaded the railroad police and
was not arrested in Maricopa or any
where else: in fact was never arrested
in the entire long sixteen yeas of his
life. that he had plenty 10 eat in Los
Angeles and that when lie left the Los
Angeles Times was still doing buSi-
ness at the old stand. He admits that
he did beat his way there, but denies
that he has desire to become a pro-
fessional tramp. He mere wanted to
find out by experience how it feels 10
be a tramp and now that he has found
out he proposes 10 settle down To some
useful employment and become an
esteemed citizen.
Joe says that it was untrue that
he rode the brake beams for he man
aged TO work the blind baggage going
and coming and he says the brakeman
showed him no favoritism. When they
caught him he had to wait over until
the next train. like any other penni-
less tourist. He says L is true that
he affiliated with the newsboys' union
in Los Angeles and makes no effort
to keep II a secret. on the contrary,
he wears a celluloid badge as big as
pancake to proclaim that fact to the
world
Joe says also that he ate regularly
in the Angel city and is convinced ne
could have done so had he stayed
longer. though opportunities for acquir-
ing wealth seem To be about as elusive
there as elsewhere But the truth is
that he wanted to see the folks again,
and his old chums The Los Angeles
kiddies are all right, but they cannot
take the place Of the associations of
his early life. formed i'm the days when
an agate taw meant a great deal the
best of it i'm a close game 1t is with
some pride that Joe insists on his gen
eTal cleanliness Of clothes and person
when he arrived here and also to the
fact that his stomach was replete with
ham and eggs and his heart joyous
when the Phoenix stock yards hove
in view. 1t was not a scene an artist
would picture, but there was a home
ly interest in it that appealed to Joe.
But the thing that made his heart
bleed was the story about his teing ar
rested and chained to the Southern
Pacific railroad track. which he man.
aged To tear loose from. He hopes he
never will be arrested. and his many
friends hope he will never deserve il.