The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1918-02-24

Inelr ureary WanderlngS.
Joe Doe will often have about him a
pocket comb-the hobo's toilet set, the
ultimate bit OF decency-or worn let
ters from home. or an l. w. w. card,
or draft classification card. But these
trifles vary: tobacco is persistent
In the little lockers at the police
station where the belongings OF pris-
oners are kept, one may unearth a
dozen tragedies any night. In each
box are gathered together the evidences
OF some mans misfortune. The odds
and ends from John Does pockets
speak eloquently Of their owners sorry
state.
Contents Of Pocket Label Man.
By the contents OF a mans pockets
you can read much of his history
Empty your own pockets and see II
that is not true And the histories re-
vealed by the lockers at the police sta
ton are not often happy. Consider the
harvest of typ.cai night In the
cells below are six John Does. gathered
from cheap saloons. from the "jungles"
and fssss hack alleys. All are hooke
as drunk and disorderly" and tomo..
orrow will be packed out of town.
Here 10 John Doc No. I.
Let us empty the locker of John Doe
No /. We find:
A postcard Hello, kid" it says.
Hope you are well. Minnie"
A toothbrush.
An l. w. ", membership card and q
red covered l. w. w. constitution.
Fifteen cents.
A sack of tobacco and cigarette pa
pers of the kind known as give
always"
Not a Permanent "vag."
Here, then. is a man down on his up
pers but not yet permanently I'D. and
d. The toothbrush and the postcard
prove that. The one is a sign of a
sense of decency, the other indicates
redeeming human relationship and IA
fairly recent job, for without "a job the
man would not have possessed an ad-
dress to which Minnie" could have
written. lie is a middle aged man or
IL draft registration card would be
among his belongings. He has SELF
respect enough to be assertiye, or why
the |, w. w. card? A migratory la
borer. probably, out of work for the
time being and on the bum.
Is This a "Nutty swede."
No is different sort His pock-
cts yield:
Six stubby lead pencils.
4 comb.
A draft classification card giving
Glass la.
A big bundle Of dirty. year old let
tiers.
A worn Swedish prayer book.
No. 2, apparently, Is a young fellow
down and out for a year He is not
too old for the draft and not crippled.
his youth and good physical condition
for he is in the first class. Yet for all
he has neither money nor other evil
dence of having worked. "A nutty
Swede," is the verdict OF the police de :
tectives. noting the nationality of the
prayer book and the obvious eccen-
tricity of the six pencils. But there is
d tragedy here. The letters indicate a
fairly regularly spondence broken
off year ago, perhaps with the father
whose name is written on the fly-ieaf
of the prayer book. The comb and the
fact that the letter and book have been
preserved show that hope has not been
abandoned, no matter what caused the
slip IL months back.
A lurberjaek on a Tear.
The next man is easy, No. IS box
contains:
3l.35.
An /. W. w. card.
4 draft classification card.
a Plug Of chewing tobacco.
A lumbcrjack. In town for jag while
the summers wages last. Young and
husky tthe draft card says Al and
an I. w. W. Tomorrow he will be back
to the woods.
Next a Bad Actor.
No. has:
A purse containing IS cents.
4 skeleton key.
4 collapsible drinking cup.
A diary. which served as a time.
book for a week of farm labor in July
The skeleton key may explain why
No. 4.s diary shows only one week
OF labor in half a year. A gentleman
OF fortune urregular) apparently. No
Of draft age and not a member of tn,
]. W, W., she organisation cy the mi