The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1914-02-20
ALONG THE
HIGHWAYS
ks - Tn.p Th.s Ca . 1as U.tssd.
B. M. QUAD
Copyright, 1Sl3. BY Associated Lit
erary Press.

At II o'clock at night he stood lean.
fng against 4 lamppost ut an angle of
forty-0ve degrees. Only 4 tramp
sould have maintained 1t q minute.
Where I'm going to sleep tonight
he devil only knows-right here, meb-
be. II this ord Amppost don't get tuck.
sred out
Say. this touring the country hain't
half bad. wouldn't 10 20 Tar ~ to
recommended the heir to 4 million dol
aar estate to turn tramp, but at tho
Same time l wish to say that enjoyable
events are constantly happening In
this profession. Perhaps the leading
one u being suspected Of murder. lt
has happened to me some I've or six
times. and l now look forward to It 40
4 part and parcel Of the seasons pro-
STam.
There has been Z murder commit
I'D In q city. q village 0r out In the
country. and the murderer has xot
away. The frst thing the police do.
failing to dnd the guilty party within
SCW SOObW, ~ W Jay II bSu1S "
tramps. Their own records would
show them that the tramp Glars 10
more clear Of capital crimes than al
most any other. and yet the frst in
stinct Ia to 10 for 1t. The call goes
forth In city and village to round Il
up. and country constables for tfty
miles around are warned to be on the
lookout
Il am. blowing along a country high
way or taking a nap under a tree he
side the road when the heavy hand of
the law IL laid upon me. The constable
may have five or six men at his back,
all armed and all regarding me AZ n
most desperate character. am bound
hand and foot. There Is much rejoic-
ing.
THE procession heads for the u
ty Jail and makes a triumphal entry
into the town.
III l have been captured for a MR.
derer outside the county | am taken
away after three or four days. II It
IL In the county l am kept in jail until
the examination colne Oh.
I'm the ourse of a week one of two
things ia sure to happen. The officers
either get the right clew and l AM net
free or l am arraigned for ANNA
ton. In the former case the sheriff
comes to my cell and calls out:
"'Here. you miserable old tramp, get
out Of this:
"'N'hat forr'
"'Recauxe l say 70. You are dis
charged from custody. Why in the
devil didn't you say you weren't
guilty!
"'But I did,
Don't lie to me! Get out Of this
jail. People are calling me the biggest
n in the state. Get a hump ON your
self
Let me tell you that the dilapidated
gentleman reasoned things out long
II He Is no more a criminal by in
stinct than any other man. He doesn't
want to love his life or liberty. He is
too greedy for gain. Not n tramp in
ten would quit the road II he got q
legacy Of $5.OOO. Give him sufficient
for today and the morrow may 20
hang. He may hit back n you hit him.
but he has no cause to want to murder
any one. He may steal to asSuage hun
ger. but not for profit. Now and then
you hear Of some tramp rObbing a
farmhouse. He IN either drunk or q
fool. No pawnbrOker will take any
thing from him because he is a tramp.
No person will buy any Of his plumber
for fear Of being compromised. The
tramp with sense in his head knows
this. and II q dozen farmhOuses were
open to him there would he no tempta-
ton.
Suppose that q tramp stole $25 in
cash from u house. II he struck q
town and went to buy a snit Of clothes
he'd be suspected. II he even bought
\ new hat Or a new pair Of sh >es 1t
might be made the grounds for his ar
rest. How would 1t profit him. then.
to take the money?
IL have worked for q farmer for six
weeks ON n stretch and taken the road
with $N in my pocket. have been
arrested a day later and had to send
for him to prove that l wasn't q thief.
IL ! had \ ten dollar bill in my pocket
might walk AM miles and not lind
anybody to change It for me. l once
found q twenty dollar bill on the
STREETS Ut u town. l carried that bill
with me for four months and then ut
last gave \ tin peddler e premium to
change II. He felt sure that ! had
stolen It. hut decided to take chances.
Three years In Connecticut q
farmers harm was rObhed Of fifty
bushels Of oats one night. His own
bags were used tn sack them IN The
team used to draw them away was
followed for Nix miles. | was within
ten miles OF the site Of the robbery
that night and next day l was arrest
ri Aa the ,r"hber. ! wHs held in jail
for a week before being examined to