Albuquerque evening herald. [volume] (Albuquerque, New Mexico) 1911-1914, 1912-01-24
ARMY
IS MARCHING IN
DROVES ALONG
RAILROAD
Twelve Wanderers from Many
Different Points Faced
Judge Craig in Police Court
This Morning.

you are charged with vagrancy;
guilty or not gullty2"
This was the query put hy George
n. Craig. police Judge TO twelve
sturdy young men, who faced him IN
court this morning and with but one
exception the reply was:
Guilty"
The one exception, stood up. held
out his hands 60 show the calious
palms, and said:
Judge. sir, I suppose I'm guilty but
J hardly Ike to say so. I'm q man
with family. wife ana three child
rem. Ny home Is In indianapolis but
! simply could not get work there. 1
have no excuse To omer for tramplne
about like this except that I want 10
work; ! heard that thcre was work M
the Elephant Butte dam for an en-
gineer. ! am an engineer and n good
one but | could not get work at
home"
The men were brought In during
the night by the police dragnet. the
officers having been given orders 10
bring In anyone who could not give
an account OF himself Not one Of
the men had been In the city twelve
hours. Most of them had been ar
rested within a few hours after hav-
ing walked of freight train.
They made an interesting study aud
they were q contrast 60 the average
run Of men usually seen I'm police court.
out OF the twelve. there was one-a
boy 20 years old--whu did not want
work. tie had tho appearance OF hav-
ing been con the road" most OF his
life and ais talk ana manners In
dicatod that he was a wanderer nom
inclination
TIN going to flne all Of you $40 or
ten days said Judge Craig. Then he
leaned back In his chair aud took a
second survey OF the crowd. Several
or the men sat with eyes downcast.
others flushed slightly aud gazcd at
the ceiling One--the engineer with
a tamil. had worried, carew0rn
air and looked at the Judge IN a
straightforward manner. twirlinR "a
irayeu nat nervously Several times
ne swallowed hard and his lips NOV
ed as though he wore about u skcak.
Taen ne leaned back on the
mourncr's bench and showed his
hands dcjoctediy into his overall
pockets Two or three young lads
with half bearded faces. looked
straight "a the court with twinkling
eyes-and tho youth smiled. as though
the proceedings amused him. II was
not the cynical smile of man hard
ened ~ crime or by the bumets of for.
tune, but tho smile Of a carefrce lad.
whose homo was where his hat might
hang az night
But as the judge questioned each
one the men spoke out frankly and n
WAS apparent to- any unprciudiced
person that they were pretty much
il"e every American citizen except
mat they needed jobs. Three of them
told the Judge they were married
the young man, who OF all the prls-
oners appeared TO be the only hobo.
told the court that he had no home.
His parents had separated. He said
ne had been In Texas 10 visit his
mother and was en- route 10 Trinidad
To visit his father.
Would you go Ia work building u
road or a street at q dollar "A day 20
was one OF the questions tho Judge
asked each one. Each one replied
that he would.
Several OF the men admitted that
they had started from nome together
and that they had worked together
before. Probably half OF the men
were Of tho type that usually follow
railroad construction work and who
ere accustomed 10 tho yagaries OF IN
fortune. when the cold weather scts
la hack east
There was not dlsslpatcd or erin.
lnal looking face In the twelve. Not
one of them had so much an a nickel
Ia money
one man came from Tennessee, 50
he said. Another from Canada one
was from Kansas city. three from
Denver, one from Arizona. one from
Texas and one from Indiana Tn,
oldest was thirty-three years of age
II believe that you men would
WORK. said Judge Craig, "and It &,
not tlo intention Of the court nor of
the police to hold YOU here.
But az the same time you must
remember that we do not know YOU
You enter the city az night. most OF
you stealing your way on freight
train. Your hands show that you
have worked ana none OF YOU look
like professional hoboes. Il rs no dis.
grace Ia be- Out of work nor 10 10,
making an honest effort Co get work
You have pleaded guilty to vagrancy
yet you are not Migrants from choic,
| but from circumstances. The cOufI
has worked with his hands lie hal
been out ~ employment and he knows
what IL means tn hunt q Job when Job,
are scarce. You have spent the nigh
In e warm place iat least, and yot
have had your morning meal ! an
now going to suspend your sentences
ana let you go your several ways
do not wan you riding out Of this
city on trains nor lettering about IN,
streets begging. The suspension Is IL
effect FOR thirty minutes and theroaf
ter antll YOU can get work or Civ,
reason for an officer bringing you bach
here"
Thank YOU, Judge said the vagran
who was Hn engineer when he had Z
| fob. Then h. started for the door
With tho others, paused and umidl,
remarked.
~ suppose ! can get my property,
! he said "Ccriainlg" the chief ans
Wered and Wknt ttd fihft hoard safe