The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1916-11-27


these numerous occasions, Jack Lon
don lounged back in the boat, declared
his rights as prisoner. said he didn't
want to stay in the boat anyhow and
would get out and leave his guards if
they wished, but that he'd be eternally
darned if he would help labor on his
prison-help push off the boat. Far
above Keosauqua, his guards rebelled
and General Kelley released London
from arrest-but had him watched ev-
cry minute and prevented his leaving
the main body Of hoboes. All this was
very amusing to w. H. Given, the in
telligence officer of the railroads in
the midst of Kelley's army. AS soon
as Jack London became talked about
az writer, Given told ME all about
it."
London's Own Story.
London chronicled many expert
ences of his trip with KeIley's army IN
his book, ssThe Road" He shows him
self leading spirit in much OF the
"devilment"> General Kelley had to
combat in his ranks.
The celebrated army came east to
Omaha on the Union Pacific but was
stranded there when the railroads re-
fused to carry the two thousand
tramps farther. After stirring scenes
at Council Bluffs they began a one
hundred forty mile walk to Des
Moines. In his book London speaks
Of the fiat Iowa country and the hos
pitable Iowa farmer folk"
He mentions the Des>Moines expert
ence of the army at some length.
"Last year, while on a lecturing
trip rode into Des Moines in Pull
IN,
city saw the old stove works where.
a dozen years before, the army lay
down and swore mighty oath that its
feet were sore and that it would walk
no more. We took possession of the
stove works and told Des Molnes that
we had come to stay-that we'd
walked in, but we'd be blessed II we'd
walk out Des Moines was hospitable,
but this was too much of a good thing.
Do little mental arithmetic, gentle
reader. Two thousand hoboes, eating
three square meals make six thous-
and meals per day, 1900 meals per
week, or 10000 meals per shortest
month on the calendar. That's going
some. We had no money. 1t was up
to Dies Moines.
Des Moines was desperate. We lay
in camp. made political speeches, held
sacred concerts, pulled teeth, played
baseball and seven-up and ate six
thousand meals per day and Des
Moines paid for it.
Des Moines pleaded with the rail
roads, but they were obdurate; they
had said we shouldn't ride and that
settled it, To permit us to ride would
be to establish a precedent, and there
weren't going to be any precedents.
And still we went on eating. That was
the terrifying factor in the situation
We were bound for Washington and
Des Moines would have to float
municipal bonds to pay all our rail-
road fares, even at special rates, and
If we remained much longer, shed
have to float bonds anyway to feed U.s.
London recalls that local genius"
solved the problem. That man was
General Weaver who conceived the
idea Of building flatboats to float the
army off down the Des Moines river
anywhere away from Des Moines.
Business men contributed lumber.
nails, rope and money. 1tOn the banks
of the Des Moines was inaugurated q
tremendous era of shipbuilding." Lon
don writes. He also says, "Des Moines
got off pretty easily and she certainly
owes a statue in bronze to the local
genius who got her out of her diff
Guilty."