The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1920-04-22
THE HOBO ALMOST
CONEFROM COUNTRY
OLD TIME ARMY OF TRAMPS
THING OF THE PAST.
Result of Prohibition?
Prosperous Times of Past Few Years
Cut Big Figure-No Loafers En-
cept Those Who Prefer Idleness.

The American hobo is rapidly be-
coming extinct. Reports from western
railroad centers indicate that at the
present rate the genuine Weary Will
lie, hordes of whom traversed the
country up to couple of years ago,
will soon be as great curiosity as
the buffalo.
His passing has been from vast
ly different reason, however. No
tragedy turks in the background; no
pathos tinges the tale on the disap-
pearing knight \of the road. The
hobo has not been hunted to death.
He has been transformed into an in
dustrial citizen, or at least is now SO
classified.
Incredible as it may seem to some,
thousands of men who few years
ago were full fledged tramps, beating
their way from town to town, filling
county jails and working spasmodi-
cally on farms when compelled by
necessity to do so, are today in pros
porous circumstances.
They have deserted the life of wan
dering to take up steady, profitable
work in cities. They have exchanged
the tattered habiliment of the scare
crow for modish, costly clothing,
purple and, fine linen.' Instead OF
crowding around the jungle fires in
railway yards, skulking from the po-
lice, they are today living in hotels
or in their own homes, many reunit-
ed with families whom they had de-
serted years ago. "Mulligan'
doesn't fill the soul of the transform
edjhobo with content today. In its
place he is living on the fat OF the
land.
What Put Them on New Road.
The great war, which brought
such incalculable suffering and desc
lation to the civilized world was very
kind to the American tramp. 1t prov
ed melting pot in which many OF
them, enlisted in the ranks as fighting
men, were refined. Other thousands
were literally taken by the throat by
military necessity and put to work.
After a few months, the habit of in
dustry formed, life looked differently
to them and they graduated once and
for all from the vagabond to the pro-
ducing element of society. A small
number have dropped from the ranks,
faithful to their old lazy Instincts.
The good fortune of the hobo has
spelt despair and great 'vexatlon OF
spirit to western farmers. In the
good old days. the farmers largely
depended upon the itinerant help
that dropped or was thrown of the
freight trains, or who happened to
like the look of the place in passing
Today the farm is looking IN vain
for such help. The tramps who once
were willing to work for him for a
week or two are now working at
trades in cities, drawing big wages
or in business for themselves and
flourishing like a green bay tree. II
is impossible to get tramps to WORE
in the country now. The few tramps
on the road, if they feel like working
head for the nearest big city, ano
there find work at pay two or three
times as big as the farmers can offer
Communities such as Aberdeen, S
D., report that the tramp farm hano
is no more known in the land. He
neither works there nor is he arrested
and put in the "cooler" as was his
wont of the dear dead past.
Jailer Neuman, custodian of the
Hotel Abandon" at st. Paul. reports
that his old customers are few anc
far between today. He gives the wal
credit for the change to a large eN
tent, and says that the passing OF the
saloon has also helped in the work O.
reclamation.
Captain James Hussey, specla
agent of the Pennsylvania railroad al
indianapolis, takes the same view
holding that when the hoboes who
went to war learned that they were
useful and acquired habits of cleanll
ness aud regularity and discipline
they passed through the door into
new life, and closed the door be-
hind them.
Social welfare workers at Lincoln
Neb., report that they receive an av
erage of only nine appeals for help
month from tramps as against two
hundred calls three years ago. They
say that prohibition and shortage o.
,h hoyo o1roadv heen reSDOnSi ble