Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 40, Number 15, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 29 October 1907 — THIEVING TRAMPS THOROLY THUMPED [ARTICLE]

THIEVING TRAMPS THOROLY THUMPED

Section Foreman Koepkey and Jim Hurley Handle Two Hobos Without Gloves. The desperate character of tramps was demonstrated here Thursday. Two bad looking fellows, one a mulatto and the other a white man were loafing out about the depot and the attention of Marshal Parks was called to them and he ordered them to leave town, so along about 10 o’clock they started up the track toward Surrey. Section Foreman Chris Koepkey and his gang were working up the track a few miles and after the tramps had passed them and were out of sight Chris happened to re member that they had left their hand car and dinner buckets up the track and out of sight from the place they were working, and he thbught they had better investigate and find out it things were all right. All four min on the section gsug at once hastened up to the hand car, and, lure enough, three of the dinner buckets were missing. They soon found tracks thru the cornfield, leading off to the right and all of them went on the trail. They soon saw the tramps and the latter began to run and the section men took up the chase. After about a mile two of the section men played out, but Boss Koepkey, who keeps his legs in training for either a baseball game or a foot race, and Jim Hurley, who is not so slow himself, kept up the pursuit, aud were rewarded after a chase of two and one-half miles by coming upon the tramps. After a short altercation the colored tramp whipped out his knife and made a dash at Hurley, cutting bis shirt sleeve. Koepkey then struck the tramp on the jaw and upset him and Hurley took care of the white tramp. There was a lively mix-up for a few minutes and the tramps got thoroly beaten up and Koepkey and Hurley did not leave anything undone in making it complete. The tramps were left in a rather dazed condition arid the section men resumed work none the worse for wear. This again illustrates the dangerous character of tramps and is another evidence of their general worthlessness, and we wish to re new our admonition of a week or two ago that tramps be refused aid in any-way. If they are deserving they can be provided for at their own homes, and it is not infrequent that the very worst criminal class are chased out of cities and take up tramping thru the country. Give the hobo a wide berth.