Rensselaer Union, Volume 9, Number 44, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 19 July 1877 — Statistics of Tramping. [ARTICLE]

Statistics of Tramping.

The other day they caught a boy tramp at Albany, N. l. He pretended to be on his way from Omaha to Portland, Me., where his home was before he went wanderiig. He was exceedingly insinuating. He was a handsome boy of seventeen, and was small of his age and looked like a girl. He had come to “work” Albany and then qiove on to the next t wn. A city official suspected his real character and had him arrested just as he was leaving for Troy. The boy said his name was Frank Taylor. He was sometimes called “ Frank la Belle” because he looked so much like a girl. He had been arrested :' ■■ r . ; > '

two or three time* in hia life on au&picion that he; waa a girl dreaaed in men’s clothes, but never before waa lie suspected of being a swindler and a fraud. He felt very much outraged atsuch treatment. He had two diaries upon him, in which he had recorded the names of places he had 44 worked” and the amounts he had beaten out of them. His notes were interesting as statistics. He had visited cities as far West as St Paul, and as far South as Galveston. He had pretty thoroughly traversed the Western States. Hie cash account showed that from the 7th of iast December to May 9 he took $449 05 above expenses. From May 2 to 9 his receipts were $35.05. His best day’s work was at Galveston, March 15, where lie took $15.50. He remarks that Galves. ton and Houston are the most generous towns he was ever in. He credited the victims with the amounts they gave him, when he could get their names. The boy said in extenuation of his tramping trade that he 44 beat only those who could stand it.” He was sent to the Penitentiary for six months as a vagrant. A tramp ought hot to keep books.— St. Louis Republican.