The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1933-01-23

bV1o IN AulS country. AT present
ne IS visiting the southeastern states, to
winch large numbers of the wanderers
nave Hooked during the cold weather
hiS second article follows.
BY GEN. PELHAM ID. GLASSFORD
GHEENVILLE, S. c., Jan. 23.-
Leaving Greensboro 1 PICKED up
Guy WICh Cnree youths III Cne Jun
gle outside the Town.
Guy, my son, VINO accompanies me
or tnS "Trip, Is proving himself an
eiIecClVe tieId worker. de Is II, ana
haJleSs, wearing an old wind
breaker, ana looking slightly UNI
kempC, is lndisting uisnaple from
hundreds OF otner boys 1 have met
ana TAXED with on the road.
Without his help, l am sure l
couldn't get very much out OF the
boys, who generally are shy and
always suspicious, defensive, with an
older man, particularly one VINO
shows an interest in them, ques-
tions them. Any consideration from
one obviously not on the road, and
they Immediately are suspicious Of
motive.
Approaching a large town, my
usual procedure is to drop Guy in
the outskirts, near the Jungle" to
which he makes his way alone.
Later, after interviewing local Of
ficials, railroad police and welfare
workers, I return to the jungle.
Suspicious of Strangers
BY that time Guy has made
friendly terms with some of the
fellows, and l find him squatting
with a group around fire. We
greet each other casually. I, too,
squat by the fire, in silence. The
boys eye me furtively at first, but
shortly, fed by Guy, fall again into
their easy chatter
So long as I hold my tongue and
let the talk run where it will it
flows on, but if I inject a question
it stops short
The three boys we're waiting for
a south-bound freight train, and
promptly accepted my offer Of a lift
in their direction.
One of them, Edward Mcguire, 10,
was a high school graduate from
Pleasantville, N. j., a fine looking,
well-mannered lad. He had been
on the road for several months
since losing a grocery store job in
Atlantic City. He claimed to be an
orphan, said he had no relatives
who could give him helping hand.
Believe There Is Job
The other two boys had been out
of employment nearly year That
is, voluntary employment. One of
them had been released the day
before from the county wOrkhouse
at Greensboro. Picked up by the
railroad police, he had served
twenty-five days for riding the
rails
He spoke of it with humor, and
said it was the only steady work
he had found in year. Both youths
were aiming for New Orleans,
where they heard Seamen were in
demand.
A job in New Orleans! Just
rumor, suppose, one of the many
circulated about in flop houses and
jungles. 1 have heard men and
boys, in all seriousness, passing
their rumors on to each other.
Invariably the job is in some dis
tant point, and they seem to he
lieve it, or at any rate they accept
1t, probably because it gives them
some objective for their wanderingS.
YOungster in Chain Gang
At Charlotte, N. c., soap, water
and a comb made my hitchhikerS
surprisingly presentable. Entering
a quick lunch we might have passed
for a group of men on hunting
trip.
At Spartanburg, my first task was
to look up Jack Long who, according
to my youthful informant of the
night before, had been tapped
there by the police.
Jack was not to be found in the
local Jail. I was told, however,
that he might be in one of the five
chain gang camps recruited from
the county Jail. But the young
ster is only 16," 1 said. surely you
wouldn't put him in chain gang"
You can't tell about their ages"
the official replied If he's husky
looking he's probably with a gang,
all right"
Dark Ages of PenOlOgy
Farther on, between Greer and
Grenville, I stopped at one of the
camps. 1t was dusk, and ninety
five convictS were huddled together
in the bunk house, preparatory to
turning in for the night.
Stepping into the gloom of that
room I felt that l was stepping
back into the dark ages of penology.
All the men were CARRIED in gro
tesque and misfitting striped suits,
and an iron chain and ShackleS
hobbled their ankles.
I was struck by the blank indif-
ference on the faces OF the older
men. Only here and there sharp
and intelligent or a hard-looking
one peered at me.
There were many young faces in
the group, still fresh and unspoiled
by their experience. Some of them,
like our young passenger, were
guilty of nothing but their hope
less efforts to find a lob.