The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram., 1922-10-19
nv FREDERICK J. HAsKIN

by FREDERICK j. HASKIN
WASHINGTON, D. c., Oct. 10
At this season of the year that vast
footloose and carefree tribe generally
known as the hobo fraternity starts
pouring into our large cities, with the
idea of locating comfortable quarters
for the winter. Already the historic
reading room at New York's Cooper
Union is crowded with veteran vaga-
bonds. snoozing over their unread en-
cyclopedias while the cheap lodging
houses along the bowery are rapidly
filling up with winter boarders. At
the same time, Boston, Buffalo and
Philadelphia all report large increase
in street beggars.
By late November the weather is so
cold that tramp1ng on widespread
scale is out of the question, even when
aided by requent rides on freight
trains, so that for at least three
months in the year the wanderers
wanderlust must be held in check and
he must live the fixed existence of the
ordinary citizen. Some of them man
age to spend this enforced period OF
retirement in certain jails which do
not require much work on the part or
the inmates; others earn regular in
comes from street or office begging,
while still others loaf comfortably on
40 or so cents a day, saved from there
summer earnings.
Hoboes who have enjoyed especial
ly prosperous summers in the begging
line usually go South in the winter ito
rest up. New Orleans, ST. Angus
tine, Jacksonville, Tallahassee and Al.
lanta are the favorite resorts of these
fatigued idIers-especially New Or
leans, where a we'll trained beggar can
nearly always earn a dollar day, if
necessary, and easily discover a con
genial dive in which to spend it. This
wholesale migration to the South
starts about October ! and lasts for
month or more, during which time
the southern railroads are heavily bur
dened with free passengers. One so
ciologist, who hay made valuable
study OF tramps " mingling among
them and temporarily adopting thei!
habits, says that on one trip which he
made to Florida there were over lC
tramps travelling on the same train
with him.
Except for the winter months, how.
ever, the South as a whole is largely
free from these nomadic parasites
because it is now good working ter
ritory" In other words, the hospitali
ty for which this section of the coun
try is famous evidently does not ex
tend to hoboes The negroes, who US
ually have full charge of the southern
kitchens, have shrewd method of get
ting rid of unwelcome strangers. wheT
such a one applies for meal at tht
kitchen door they inform him that they
are not permitted to give any foot
without permission from the mistres:
and refer him to the front door. Bu
when the tramp applies at the from
door he is Invariably informed tha
Ge mistress is not at home Big cite.
which are the chief mainstay of tbs
Fagabond brotherhood. are also muel
farther apart in the South than the.
are in the North, which greatly add
10 the difficulty of tramping.
Hoboes Shun
New England.
For practically the same reason New
England, with the exception of Boston
Is carefully Stunned by hoboes durini
the entire year. The average southeI
ner has a marked distaste for tramps
but the New Englander is aggressivel.
opposed to them. He not only refuse
to feed them upon his well scrubbe
$ doorstep, but he seizes the first or
portunity to place them in Jail wher
they are provided with plenty of har
work And as hard work is the las
thing that a hobo is willing to do, tn
New England states are not muc
bothered with peripatetic beggars.
Undoubtedly, the greatest strons
hold of the hobo tribe in this countr
is New York City, particularly in wiz
ter, but to large extent throughou
the entire year. Here the professions
vagabond finds an abundance {
cheap lodgings, renting from 15 to 8
cents night; and here during the vii
ter he may be practically certain of q
least one meal day in the free brea
lines and soup kitchens, where it take
an expert eye to distinguish his spe
les In the groups of normal workin
men, only temporarily out of job
Here moreover. the career OF the be