Rensselaer Republican, Volume 26, Number 25, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 15 February 1894 — TRAMP LIFE. [ARTICLE]

TRAMP LIFE.

A Genuine Friend of the “Hobo ” The Februry Century eon tains another article in the series on tramplife, written by a yutiflg man who, disguised as a tramp, has lived among the t ramps of several countries. He then describes an adventure with a kind-hearted American brakeman: “At nightfall sixteen tramps, including myself, boarded a freighttrain bound west. I was now. on the main 1 ine of the New York Central, and had no further need to fear any- large amount of walking. During the night ride I had a very pleasant talk with the brakeman at my end of the train, I was in a -‘■’gondola” (open car), and he espied me from the top of a box car, and came dowm. "Hello. Shorty,” he said, “where are you goin’?” “Just up the road a bit, boss,” I answered. “Well, let's go to the other end of the car where we won’t catch the cinders; I’ve got one in my eye now filin’ it to pieces. Can you take it out, d’ ye think?” he asked- I held his lantern on my arm, and looked for the cinder, which was soon out. Just then the train whistled for Fonda, and the brakeman said; “You want to lay iow here, for there is a watchman in the v ß ards. I’ll bring you a bit to eat out of my pail after we pull out."' He returned, when we were again started, with a parcel of food, and began to speak of the towns up the road. “Utica." he said, “if you intend gittin’ your breakfast there in the mornin’, is sort of a snide place, this time of the year. You see, the hop pickers are around there, and the police always arrest a lot of ’em, and you fellows are likyly to be jugged too. This town that we’ve just left, however, is the meanest one on the road. I was cornin’ through there about a week ago, and didn't know there was a bum on the train. The watchman scouted around and found three of ’em in a box car. and yanked ’em all up. If I’d known they were around I’d posted ’em about this town, but 1 hadn’t an idea they were there. I hate to see a lad get pulled fbr ridin’ a train, because I’ve been broke myself, and I know what it is to be on the road. I’ll always carry a man on my train if I can. But of course you know, Jack, that sometimes the ‘con’ is a mean devil, and we can’t do anything that’ll give him a grudge ag’in us; if he should see a bum on the train he might report us. So you see what risks we run. But I’ve given many a lad a ride, and I’m always willing to be square to a square plug” (fellow). This is a typical kind-hearted Eastern brakeman, and the tramps like him.