Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-04-03
CHIEF HOBO KEEPS
BOYS FROM ROAD
A No. 1, Himself a Wanderer,
Has Noble Mission in
Life.

Lie.
Marked up in blue or black chalh in
various places In and about Boston
within the past week has appeared
this cabalistic inscriptions
Yours truly, A-No. l, the Ram
bier. Going West. -"
On fences, on dead walls, at the
bottom of elevator wells-in fact, in
all sorts of places where ii is pos
sible to scribble it so that it may
readily meet the eye of the beholder
appears that odd legend, and many
are the questions that have been
asked here as to the meaning of it.
That odd combination of words, be
it known, constitutes the signature of
one of the strangest characters in the
country, and gives notice of the fact
that the worlds champion tramp has
been passing through Boston, the
final words Going West with a
pointing arrow, indicating the direc-
tion in which he is travelling.
This man has been doing the hobo
act ever since 1888, and in all that
time he has been known only as
"A-No. l." Nobody knows his real
name, and very little else about him,
for in the thirty years that he has
been on the road he has kept close
| secret of his identity.
"A-No. T. Is his signature and "A
No. 1" is his name-he has no sem
blance of any other, not even Jim,
Jack, Bill, Dick, Bob or Joe.
Wherever he goes up and down
the country on his ceaseless wander
ing he leaves behind him his strange
signature. just as he has done here.
and q trail of "A--No Is" can be
IL. IaRs
fences, rocks railroad depots.
shanties and water tanks.
Victim of wanderIust.
During his long years of hoboing
he has been around the world three
times. has Travelled more than half n
million miles, with total bill for
railroad and steamship fare of not
exceeding $40 for the entire thirty
years.
But this mysterious man is not an
ordinary hobo. He is a linguist,
speaking and writing four languages
English, French, German and Span
ish-wears, when in town or city,
$40 suit of clothes and "A fine gold
watch, and does not drink, chew or
smoke, swear or gamble.
He tramps in oVerslls and jumper
but on arrival In a town he drops
these and arrays himself in a neat
suit, and, with a clean shave, he APP
pears "a very prosperous traveller.
He carries a toilet set with him,
toos for this tramp evinces a great
care for his personal appearance; it
is n very modest toilet set, consisting
of n toothbrush, comb, a box of
backing, some polishing rags
and a small cake of soap.
HE toilet set iG necessarily
what restricted, as he is forced to
carry all the articles in his pockets.
His best suit he carries in a neat
bundle slung over his left shoulder
while travelling.
It Is Il strange life that a man of
his stamp leads-homeless, nameless
and without q real friend in tho
world--for he possesses qualities that
one might think would lead him to n
more successful sort of life.
The reason for his choice of a
tramps life is not far to seek; II may
be summed up in one word-"wan-
derlust." He is "A victim of that dis
ease that forces n man to roam con-
tlnually about the world with no aim
or destination in view.
What Mothers Might DO.
Yet although "A--No. u leads such
a life Of barrenness, without home or
friends, unable to resist the force of
| the wanderlust in his blood, and APP
pears to be doomed to be ever moving
ON and on, he is not without a mis-
sion in his queer life.
Whenever he meets runaway boy
he Immediately takes him in charge,
in order TO show him the error of his
ways. He gives the runaway such n
talk as is pretty certain to make an
impression on the boy, and give him
a severe attack of inconsistencies.
When the right spot is reached in
the boys heart the lad Is only too
glad to accept the railroad ticket that
"A-No. /" buys for him in starting
the lad back to the old-home town
and his parents.
In talking about runaway boys
while in Boston the past week this is
what "A-No. 1" said:
EVERY year in this country fully
100000 boys run away from home. or
that great number about $4,000 be
come confirmed hoboes, $500 are
killed and 1000 crippled in railroad
and other accidents, and the rest are
able to stand the hardships and dan
ger Of tramp life for about ten years,
when they wind up in the poorhouse
or the grave.
"If they only knew it, many good
mother is the cause of young men
continuing in the life of hobo. For
instance, il veteran grown-up tramp
of years of experience goes to a house
and asks for a meal the woman Is
pretty sure to turn him away. telling
him TO go to work and earn his liv-
ing.
But when young fellow comes
along, one who is just starting out on
the life of a tramp, she takes him in,
feeds him on the best she has in the
house. never stopping to realize that