Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1926-12-11
Capital City Played Host
10 Nearly 700 Hard Luck
Guests In Past II Months

Gentlemen who thought that +bax
could play cards and paid nerfectIs,
good money finding that thew conld .
M gentlemen who were SUFFERING
rom an acute attack of hookworne
gentlemen who weren't at home when
Dame Opportunity knocked on their
uool anu lew weary. footsore
lneInoers OF the great Army of I'M
hptuyeu, formed the woof and warp
Tor nights lodging at the Auemsta
police station during the first eleven
months of 1926. 'e''
A grand total of 693 men, from "a
states and the province of New
Drums WICK, temporarily on the outs
win Lady Luck. asked for and re-
celved temporary shelter at the civ
Bulldlng during that time. the MN.
Der averaging over two a day. The
most interesting part of the figures
is the remarkable dropping off of an
pllcants as soon as the weather is
warm enough to sleep out. In Feb
ruary over one hundred slept at the
station while the total for the month.
~ June, July and August was less
than that number.
who drift in and sign their Names
to the guest book" are the Bows Who
think that the world owes them a,
ilving. They drift in around bed
tune and drift out again with the
arrival OF dawn. evidently planning
on taking little walk before break
last Going nowhere in particula r
and in no hurry to get there. these
gentlemen of leisure are the countrv's
floating population and their sigma :
lures carefully inscribed on the rec
ord show that little trouble was taken
to make the name legible but the
nome town is carefully written out.
Ine next greatest number of an
plicants were men who were fooled
more or less cruelty by rumors that
work was plentiful in this State.
Many OF the out of State guests
had ridden into Maine on the train
and were walking out again. their
slim bankrou exhausted and reaIiz-
ing that there is only a certain
amount Of work in every state. Most
or these signatures are written In q.
heavy hand, making 1t easy to pic
ture the writer as a rugged charac-
ter, strong on the Drawn but an
parently rushing into a new state
without stopping to weigh all the
arguments for and against the pro-
position.
I The great minority, the most in
teresting class of all, is composed
mostly Of men who claim the State.
OF Maine as their home. A gentle
man from one Of the outl ling towns.
whose desire to play a little poker
or perhaps drink little liquid dyna-
mite eventually oyerwhelms him.
scrapes up all his cash, sometimes
amounting to over $50 and wanders
into the city with the avowed In
tentions of having good time while
the money lasts. They don't stay
long. The percentage of people who
haven't any money, but are willing
to acquire some, is so much greater
than the people having money they
want to get rid of, that the victim
soon finds a willing scalper. Tho
funny part of 1t is that they keep
returning at intervals and duplicate
the stunt.
Having lost their money they get
nights lodging with mine most, the
Augusta Police force and borrow the
swim back home. They nave no
money and consequently have Moth
ing to worry about. Free hearted,
philosophical and absolutely care
free, they keep their money in cir
culatlon if they have to give 1T away.
The 693 people who passed the
night in Augusta could all be cIassi-
fed under the three heads. Crowd
ing the station when the nights are
cold and studiously avoiding it when
the weather is warm. these visitors
enter and leave the city unheralded
and unsung. If they liked the way
they were treated, the most of them
will be back next year, If they
weren't satisfied they will avoid the
city in their wanderings. Not
bothering about where they will stop
the next night and not even knowing
where the next meal is coming from,
these gentlemen from the floating
population of the country and the
number enrolled on the books for the
first eleven months would seer, to
denote that the Capital City is a.
favorite jumping off place for the Idle
or wilful poor.