The Wisconsin weekly blade. [volume] (Madison, Wis.) 1916-1925, 1922-08-12
Denver Dutchy Declares That
Wanderers Bear Brunt of
Many Heavy Tasks.
BEMOANS THE GEAR OLD DAYS
Old Thoroughbred Tramp Has Passed
and Profession Has Petered Out
Only in Comics Do You See
Tried and True Tramp.

Seattle, Wash.-Where are the
tramps of yesterday those aptly
dubbed knights of the road" who, in
halcyOn days, were a common sight.
along stretches of railroad right-of-
ways, throughout the country. Shift
less, happy go-lucky fellows they were
readily identified as wandering
WilleS," or members of the rowing
mendicant fraternity, by their make
shift hats, unkempt and usually I'M
washed stuhble boards, ill-htting
patched trousers, nOndescript coats.
battered and tattered diversified
shoes, but. best of all, by the tools
of their trade" tin can and ban
dana handkerchief bundle which they
carried on the end of a short stick
over the shoulders.
ALAS, poor Dusty Rhodes! 1 knew
him well, Horatio!" mOaned Denver
Dutchy, Il more or less retired veteran
of the road, as he gently closed a
grimy paper-bound edition of Finer
sons Essays, which he had been read
ing for diversion while beating it a
division" several weeks ago in box
car from Pueblo to Denver, Colo, over
the Colorado & Southern railroad His
travelling companion and Confidante
of the last three days, the reporter. a
mere novice, whose experience as a
hobo consisted of tritling $4,000
miles covered at intervals during a pc
Rod Of four years, had asked for rem
iniscenceS of the old days when box
cars were box cars, and men We're
men" stirred by fond memories of the
past. was visibly affected.
Bemoans Dear Old Days.
"Ah will those dear days ever come
again" he said almost sadly. shifting
his weight as the train took n sharp
curve and rumbled into long. dark.
tunnel in the mountain side. When
daylight again showed through the
open door Dutchy continued: II think
not. The old thoroughbred tramp has
passed, and the profession has petered
out. Only In the comics do you see
the tried and true tramp Of yesterday.
TRAMP life is a different life now
from what ii was ten years ago. And
what makes it different is this: The
od-time tramp was on the road to do
as little work as possible. When he
needed stake to hold him over the
winter in the North there were plenty
of Jobs in almost any town where he
could put in few days work and
come clear with enough money To live
for a few weeks. On the road he
could always tackle n w0odpile for
some kind lady and get fed Then,
again. tie jungles in every town were
always fun of hos who had plenty of
food they had bummed or had bought
Getting was easy in those days
Dutchy went on. but now, There
are several million men on the road
trampS and buns ali--but they're not
on the road because they want to be.
Unemployment has put them there.
Homeless, penniless and sometimes
friendleSS, they are beating it from
one town to another looking for work
Few Realize Hardships
people in the city with Jobs don't
know What hobo is UP against. For
that matter few of them know what
hohp In the true sense Of the word, is.
They don't know that q real hobo is q
travelling workman who does some OF
the hardest and poorest paid labor in
the United states. Who harveStS the
great grain crops OF the Middle West
each yca~? Uohos who drift in from
all over Tie country harvest II. They
also build the railroads irrigation
projects aud other construction Jobs
cut the timber in the oftenlousy log
ging camps. harvest the ice crops,
work in mines and oil fields and per
form other work that lasts for only
& short time and which only the drift