The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1912-10-01
A NO. l." DUDE HOBODEAD?.
ONE REPORT HAS HIM KILLED IN
TEXAS RAILROAD ACCIDENT.

About the Same Time a New York
Newspaper Printed an Interview
With Him in Its Town.
Is ga No. l." the famous tramp,
alive or has he been killed by train,
as he often predicted he would be?
According to newspapers "a No.
/" was killed in a railroad accident
near Houston, Texas, recently, their
reports stating that on the crushed
body of tramp were found a num-
Der of papers and clippings showing
that the body was that of "a No.
| l."
But the report may or may not be
true, because this mysterious indi-
vidual has been killed several times
before, and has turned up safe and
sound. The probability is, too, that
there is a mistake again in his re-
ported death. Only few days ago
The News saw in Utica, New York,
paper that ga No., l" was in that
city, and the announcement was ac-
companied with one of the lengthy
ready-prepared interviews the noted
hobo gives the newspapers wherever
he goes.
This unique individual spent Jan
uary 10th last in Dawson, and his
trade mark as he styled 1t, is to
| be seen on a wall in The News office.
Similar marks are to be found in
scores of places in Dawson and
throughout this section. His sign,
"A No. /, Jan. 10. 1912" with the
arrow pointing south, has been peer
ed at by many visitors to The News,
and each time the old story of the
| famous tramp is related.
He was called the king of
| Tramps," and undoubtedly he OBJ
| tanned more publicity from the news
papers and magazines than any other
tramp that ever lived. He was fond
of publicity, and in every town or
| city he visited he went to the news
paper offices with his clippings and
| his pictures and his letters from rail-
road officials certifying that on GER
tain occasions he had prevented dis
astrouS wrecks. He wore hand
some and costly suit of clothes. He
| boosted that he never wore suit of
| clothes that cost les than $40. He
| looked more like a bank clerk than
! he did a tramp. He beat his way
! in these clothes, but with a suit OF
overalls drawn over them. The over
alls, he explained, not only protected
his good clothes, but they prevented
him from being arrested when ne
dropped off a train in new city.
The special Waterman and the police
man did not see a tramp when he
came up; they saw, apparently,
Woodworking railroad man in his
overalls. Once out of the yards he
took off his overalls, folded them
into two packages and put them in
his pocket
He then went up town looking
like a bank clerk or prosperous
salesman. "a No. l." when he got
broke, usually made money by spe-
cial skill in carving faces and fig
ures out of potatoes. He said that
he was born and reared in Pennsyl-
vania and was of Jewish parentage.
His people, he said, were honored
and respected citizens in a small
PENNSYLVANIA city. In that city he had
prepared already his vault and his
monument with the mystic sign "A
No. l." He said that almost at any
time he might be sent to the little
city to occupy the untenanted vault,
because, he said, the wanderlust was
in his blood and no matter how much
he might try he could not help being
tramp. He predicted that he would
die in some railroad accident, and
that until that time he would con-
tinue to be the king of Tramps."