The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram., 1922-10-19
Tramps Prepare for Winter
States at All Times.
Go South to Spend the Cold MOnths-Shun New England
gar offers the most brilliant opportuni-

gar offers the most brilliant opportuni-
ties.
When the New York police made one
of their infrequent but spectacular
raids upon street beggars recently, the
city's courts were literally filled with
prosperous beggars whose weekly in.
come ranged from $40 to SIS, One who
aroused great indignation in the breast
of the good-natured metropolis, had
been accustomed to drive to and from
his daily beat in his high-priced limou-
sine. Inasmuch as the attitude Of the
New York police toward street beg
gars, except for occasional outbursts
of aggression, is apathetic, and as the
New York jails do not require hard
toll from small-time prisoners, the city
is likely to remain a permanent favor
ite with the hobo fraternity.
While Manhattan is the best place
for the hobo to make money, with Ne
wark, n. j. ranking a close second, 1t
is in Philadelphia and other large cit
les of Pennsylvania that the tramp Is
best fed. According to one veteran
tramp, there is scarcely town or ham,
let in the Keystone State which does
not provide at least a Comfortable
living" for vagabonds. The good-na
tured hausfraus of the agricultural
districts especially believe that i'll luck
will come to them if they refuse hun
CRY man food, and so keen is their de-
sire to avoid calamity that in addition
to the large dinner set out for each
tramp, they provide him with a box
of food to take with him upon his
journey"
Chicago Is Unpopular
With Wanderers.
Chicago, white popular with tramps,
especially as winter abode, is con-
sidered slightly dangerous, as the Chi
cago police are disconcertingly prompt
in arresting suspicious-looking beg
gars, and the Chicago jails are stern
/ in their treatment of yagrants.
Thirty days in Bridewell" is a sen
/ tence that no tramp is likely to risk
/ twice. Besides, the city is heavily
/ populated with earnest students of
/ crime, who are always invading Hobo
4 hemia in West Madison Street and
/ making Sle residents extremely un-
/ comfortable
/ A tramp is by no means an easy
! subject of study. Unless the inves-
/ tigator adopts the heroic method OF
/ joining the hobo fraternity, he is noS
likely to obtain much true information
| of the brotherhood's character Not
only are tramps full of suspicion and
/ prejudices and apt either to exagge
/ rate or to keep silent if they suspect
! their questoner, but they have clea~
/ ly drawn caste lines and a slang oi
their own altogether bewildering to
the uninitiated.
The lowest type of tramp, one which
largely dropped out of sight since the
war. is known as the "tomato-can vag'
| This type used to be particularly nu
merous in New York City, where II
1 lived in boxes, barrels, cellars and un
4 der wharves, where it could curl ur
and have a 'doss" (sleep). 1t fed up
on the refuse of garbage cans and
not-quite-empty tin cans recovered
from ash barrels.
The "gay-cat" is another typt
spurned and often prosecuted by tn.
body of the fraternity, for the gay-ca
is one who cannot depend entirely up
on his wits to support him but who
!. in the face of necessity often accept,
) work. 1t is this type which engages il
various seasonal occupation such a.
/. hop and berry picking, harvesting, ant
commercial canning.
Almost in the same class with tn
gay-eat is the poke-out, the tramp VIII
is content to subsist on cold foo
,, poked out to him through the house
hold door. It is this type which live
in the cheapest lodging houses in tn
cities, sleeping en- masse on the floo
of one room ana paying only 10 or
cents for the chance. 1t is theepoke
out, also, who is most commonly foun'
in the free bread line, because accord
ino To hiS Snnerinrs in YagrancV he