Hoboing.

Maoriland Worker, Volume 2, Issue 69, 5 July 1912, Page 3

Hoboing.

A NEW ZEALANOER IN AMERICA

Mr. M. Laracy, secretary Shearers' Association, is in receipt of a letter from a well-known Now Zealander, giving a most interesting account of his experiences as a hobo. "Here I am in Omaha, Nebraska," ho writes, "740 miles on the way to 'Frisco, a full-blown' 'hobo.' It has iieen a checkered journey. A whole week gone, and less than quarter of the journey covered, but there has been more incident crowded into that week than most people experience in a lifetime. "After beingehascd out of tin? railroad at the outset and a second attempt at train-catching proving abortive-, >we succeeded at 11 p.m. in scrambling into a box car. It was a bitter cold night, and at 6 o'clock next morning we had only covered 70 miles. Here wo transhipped with difficulty, and got a fast ride to Chicago. "Sunday we spent, morning and afternoon, listening to lectures by Percy Ward (Agnostic) and A. M. Lewis (Socialist). Sunday night and Monday wo rambled round the great noisy, brilliant, dirty city of Chicago. "Tuesday morning we set out to catch a freight train for tho West. After some futile attempts we got started, but 10 miles out from Chicago a railway detective eamo along and hunted us off. Wo took a street car back to the city, and at 6.30 made another and successful start. "By the time we reached Burlington, lowa, we had learned some'points about hoboing from our fellow hobos, and profiting by it, wo jumped a "highball,''' or fast freight that bade fair to carry us 300 miles without a stop except to take water. Our unfon cards and a drop of whisky put tho train crow into good humor, and all went merry as a marriage bell. "At Fairfield, lowa, we stopped to take water, and hardly had the brakeman left us to attend to his duties than wo heard tho command "Hands up!" A burly policeman towered over us, and tho business end of a shiny sixshooter was pointed right in my face. 'What's upP' I asked, .at the same time dutifully lifting my hands. Without deigning to reply, the 'bull' ran his left hand quickly over my pockets, likewise over my mate's, and finding nothing, gave the sharp order, 'Get down out of this I' W© got down. Ho followed. 'Walk on,' he said, and when I hesitated a rough jab under tho shoulder-blade from his heavy nightstick was the only response. We walked. Ho walked, too, right behind, revolver in one'hand, club in the other. 'Turin to tho right.' We turned. So did he. 'Are you going to arrest us?' I asked. No reply. 'Turn to the left.' and so on he drove -«s right through tho town, while wo listened to the parting whistle of our beloved 'highball.' At the cell door I turned and asked, 'What's the charge against us?' 'Never you mind,' ho said, and roughly pushed us in. "I could go on and describe- to you the cell, its other occupauts, how we spent the night and were turned loose at 8 o'clock next morning, but a mere recital of tho bare facts of the case would convey but a faint idea of the tremendous significance with which the incident was fraught. Tho natural impulse that every living thing possesses to resist outrage, to deliver blow for blow, rose up strong within mc. Mv 'fingers fairly itched to take that brute policeman by tho throat and kick his dirty carcase bl.iok aid blue, but fortunately for mc prudence prevailed. In my struggle for self-restraint I found help in the reflection that the policeman was only exemplifying a trait that seems unfortunately to dominate the entire human race—a tendency to tyrraniso over our JVilow mortals whenever the opportunity io do so present!) itself. "Next night we started out in an open truck at 8 p.m., and were soaked to the skin by a heavy shower at the very outset. We put in a wretched night, and when hunted off the train at Iff o'clock next morning we were not sorry to take a rest, being two days and two nights without sleep. "Wo are resting heio in Omaha over Sunday. At present rate nf progress, it wili take us three weeks more to reach 'Frisco. Our route lies through Denver and Salt Lake City. After this trip no more hoboing for mo. It is all right whilo tho novelty lasts, but repeated rebuffs and Fairfield incidents arc not good for one's health."