Rensselaer Republican, Volume 16, Number 34, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 1 May 1884 — Tramps’ Baggage. [ARTICLE]

Tramps’ Baggage.

“Do you see that old pile of valises there in the corner?” said the agent of the Pacific Express Company. “All of these yalises belong to tramps, who have shipped them to various parts of the country.” “How do you know that the valises belong to tramps ?” “Because, after many years’, service ‘in the express business we locate things by instinct. The majority of the valises will never be called for and will be sold at auction, because their aspiring and migratory owners have long since been killed while trying to steal a ride on the track of a freight train. ” “How long is such freight kept before it is sold?” “We allow it to remain for a year, and then sell it at auction to the highest bidder. Very often I have seen a tramp come into the office and show a receipt for an old valise that had been on hand for at least eight or ten months. He would open it and take out a comparatively clean shirt and put a soiled one in its place, and then ask me what it would cost to send the valise to Little Hock. I would state the express charge, and then he would say, ‘ Will it cost much more to send it to El Paso ? ’ 4 Yes a little more.’ ‘lf I send it to Santa Fe, how long will they keep it before it is sold ? ’ ‘ One year.’ ‘Well, if that’s the case, just send it to Santa Fe; I’ll be there in that time. Here’s your money sir,’ And without another word, he will turn and'walk out, and you will never see his gentle face again. New Means Times-Democrat.