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

Jack LOnQOn'6 OeaIn recalls IL INC
vividly his activities here with kel-
ley's army" said DR.. 8. w. Moorhead
reminiscently this morning. Dr.. Moor
head was mayor of Keokuk when the
army Of hoboes marched here-literai-
~, they noated down the Des Moines
river to Keokuk and here rested sew
eral days before proceeding down the
Mississippi: the disintegration of kel-
ly's army really began with Its de-
parture from Keokuk, The city pre-
pared for the invasion by assigning the
army a nice camp ground near the Des
Moines river bridge and feeding 1t
while in camp here. But to let DR..
Moorhead finish his story:
you remember how the army OF
tramps planned to seize the railroad
equipment at Council Bluffs, and how
the railroad ran it, all east before the
army arrived Then the army march
ed upon Des Moines where it got on
RATS and in boats to come down to
Keokuk. I met it up near Des Moines
and came down parallel with 1t In the
official car of the general superintend-
ent of the Rock Island railroad. That
road was vitality interested in Kelley's
army and its plans to seize railroad
trains for transportation to the real
east and this interest deepened when
the army headed toward Des Moines
and Keokuk.
Railroad Spy in Hobo Army.
''W. H. Given, later superintendent
OF the Des Moines valley division and
now higher up, was assigned as the
corps of the railroad
against the enemy under General kel.
ley He joined the army near Council
Bluffs posing as a tramp newspaper
man, but really spy among the forces
of the enemy-and he was in about as
much danger in that bunch as II he
had been British or French spy in
Germany. Given lived with the army
of hoboes, stole more chickens than
anybody else and maintained his pose
of being genuine tramp.
ALSO, he had concealed on his per-
son a small cut-in telegraph set with
some insulated wire wrapped around
his. waist. Every night he slipped
away to q railroad line, climbed pole
and cut in his instrument to report to
superiors in railroad headquarters;
and on the way back he stole chicken
or two to cover his absence from sus-
picion Given told me about Jack
London's activities in the march Of
Kelly's army across Iowa from Council
Bluffs to Keokuk.
Jack London was the real bad boy
of the whole bunch Of tramps. He soon
acquired the reputation Of being the
best forager Of that army Of chicken
thieves and beggers of handouts. But
also, he made an equal reputation as
looking. out for himself personally in
the acquisition of forage. He would
go ahead of the main body Of tramps
and collect the cream Of the culinary
offerings, the latest of the chickens.
and the most luscious Of the custard
pies. He was enterprising at that
early stage of his career-too enter
prising for his associates in the migra-
tory horde Of tramps which frightened
Iowa almost as much a. Morgan ever
scared southern Indiana and Ohio.
Jack London and Prisoners' Rights.
General Kelley finally arrested Jack
London and put him in charge of two
guards, SO that the rest of the army
might find some eatables when 1t ar
rived at camping places 1t was Lon
don and two men in boat, coming
down the Des Moines river to Keokuk.
The river was low, and you know it's
bottom is not far from the top OF the,
water at low stage. The boat contain
ing Jack London under arrest often