The Colorado statesman., 1913-07-18
.HOB0Es HAVE STYLE
Supertramp Has Been Developed
in England.
Ono Wanderer Carried colIapslbIe
Kitchen and Folding Bed, and His
Own Bank; Travels With
Toilet Accessories.

Although the United States is
known to possess the hobo" In high
state Of development, England has
discovered that among the 10000
tramps that adorn her countryside are
some sure enough aristocrats who. pa
triots believe, would take lot of
beating from even the swellest Of
American knights of the road. Eng
land, In fact. claims to have evolved
the supertramp; hobo who is shaved
and manicured as carefully as a west
end nut" and whose dandyism lacks
nothing but spats and a crease down
his trousers. One such Beau Brum-
mel of the turnpike-whose cash capi-
tai consisted of cent-leaned against
the dockrail of London police court
In an attitude Of Piccadilly grace the
other day and smiled languidly while
a police sergeant recited from his
notebook as follows:
Il found upon the prisoner, your
worship, the following articles:
Razor, in case, leather backed
shaving mirror. shaving brush dad
ger hair), tablet, Windsor soap, bone
na1lbrush, case OF needles, spool OF
cotton, thimble. table knife, dessert
spoon"
Referring to the case, a Scotland
yard inspector with whom the writer
talked declared that searching an
English tramp was like dipping into
lucky bag" and instanced a woman
named Willis who was arrested for
vagrancy a short time ago. To the
outward eye she simply was home
less woman, without money; food or
property, but closer examination re-
vealed leather belt under her waist
to which were attached, with neat
row OF hooks, an equipment of knives
and forks, collapsible frying pan,
changes of clothing, needle work,
purse containing $3.50 and bag of
food.
This outfit, moreover said the Scot
land yard man, was not luxurious,
but primitive compared with the por-
tables carried by many British wear
tes." One connoisseur is known who
brews exquisite China tea under Sur
rey hedges, while there is another
known to the brotherhood as "the doc
tor" whose luggage includes a beau
tiful little medicine chest which he
hides in thick grass or under a heap
of stones before he knocks for admis-
sion to the nearest casual ward"
Some British hoboes are ardent col
lectors. They collect everything ex-
cept work. The police at Kingston
on-Thames discovered tramp awhile
ago who was travelling about with a
handsome kitbag. They found in It,,
among other things, sixty-one lead
pencils, four pairs of spectacles, two
table knives, three linen collars, three
boxes Of matches, looking glass, a
boot brush, two pairs of laces, a
handsome magnifying glass and a sill
yer mounted pipe.
The owner of this collection proud
ly denied that he was a peddler, de-
claring Indignantly that he had "nev-
er fallen SO low" Money he had
none, but every now and then tramp
is discovered in possession of a sum
that none of us would be sorry to
have to his credit in the bank.
One such Monte Cristo among ho-
boes was Patrick Halloran, who, after
touring the beauty spots Of Ireland for
35 years, was discovered at Middle
ton, in County Cork, with s575 in his
possession, all in golden half-sover
eigns. This money was neatly piled
up in two tin canisters on a wheel
barrow which Halloran had been push
ing before him for many years. He
had a collapsible kitchen and a col
lapsible bed on his wheelbarrow
too!
Then there was a queer character
known as the eccentric duchess" who
sought the aid of the police at Ket
tering to find shelter for the night
This duchess" was as tattered and
torn as the man In 1.-The House That
Jack Built" and her personal bag
gage consisted of only two brown
paper parcels. When there were op-
ened, however. 344 bright sovereigns
worth SIS each flowed out on the in
spector's desk among the pens and inl
and memoranda.