Rensselaer Union, Volume 10, Number 33, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 May 1878 — The Queen of Tramps. [ARTICLE]

The Queen of Tramps.

Mrs. Mary Merriman is a respectable appearing woman of thirty, is not bad looking, and has every appearance of being upright and of good character. She is, however, without doubt, the queen of female tramps, and can discount the great majority of male tramps. She is not a genuine tramp—not of the regular kind who are a terror to the country, and “work” cities and towns in a systematic manner, having their gates and door-post signs, etc,, for of these she knows nothing, and with this class of people she does not associate, for they are no society to her, but she likes the business. She was born in St. Albans, in this State, and her folks were farmers. She has since lived in Hermon with her brother, Joseph Merriman, who does a good deal of trading in this city. Three years ago this fall she took it into her head to see the country, and out with neither scrip Uor staff, but a gbod pair pf thick shoes. She walked across the country, braving all kinds of weather, and finally brought up in Clinton, lowa, wheir she - took tne back track and returned to this city. Two yearn ago she decided to start out again and this time selected a longer i

tour. She walked through portion* of Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, New Ydrk, Pennsylvania, and on to Washington, where she remained a few days and -‘did the Capital,” and then made a bolt for Savannah, Go., where she remained a short time. Then on she went again, doing the States of Kentucky, Tennessee, lowa, Indiana, and finally got round to Kansas City. Mo. Here she 'stopped awhilo and earned a new tramping outfit. Again she started, this time with the intention of crossing the plains to California, but finally stopped when told by many persons that it would be very unsafe for her to think of attempting it alone. She then started on a return trip, walking from Kansas City to Chicago, thence to Detroit, doing Niagara Falls, and crossing to Canada, thence to New York and through Massachusetts, arriving at her home in Hermon a little more than a week ago. She says she averages twenty-six miles a day. She says when she gets tired and out of clothes she finds no trouble in getting a few days’ work, and in this manner enjoys her life. —Bangor (Me.) Commercial.