University of South Carolina Libraries
MOST FAMOUS TRAMP VISITED NEWBERRY MODE RODS HERE AND RODE! RODS OUT. "A No. 1" is His Assumed Name aud He Associates With the Truly Great. Last Saturday about 11 o'clock a man, small in stature, neatly dressed. came into The Herald and News office and asked to see the editor. He had an intelligent face and bore the ap pearance of one who was prosperous. At first we thought he was a repre sentative of some foreign advertising 4g,at, and desired to make a contract. He seemed nervous and restless, and wanted no one else to be present while he was talking. He carried with him a number of visiting cards and busi ness cards of professional men and railroad presidents which bore the evidence of genuineness, and which were 'high testimonials of service ren dered these railroads in preventing wrecks and total loss of life and de struction of property. He announced that he was an ordinary tramp but known to the profession and to the -world of "A No. 1." He stated that he had come in the night before on the rods of the C., N. & L. freight from Laurens, and that it was late and: Newberry seemed to have an over abundance of police force so he con cluded that he would spend the night in a box car at the depot rather than run the risk of arrest as at that time he had on his overalls and was not prepossessing in his appearance. i I He is known as probably the most I Jamous tramp in the world and has I frequently left on water tanks and, shanties artistically carved the words "A No. 1." with the date and ,an arrow beneath. He is well known C ito railroad men, and when he reached . Newberry, he had traveled up to that time 482,745 miles at a total expense for transportation of $7.61. He has been on the road since 1883. He has written and published a book, "The Life and Adventures of A No. 1," which he sells at 25 cents per copy, and whiQh My b6 obtained irom the Amer scan News Co. It is illustrated and Scontains some 'helpful advice to boysp 'who are not satisfied with their home. Ee als~o sells post cards with his pic *ure, records and autograph on them. 'On that post card is printed on one side, "Champion Tramp Record: 1894 New York City to San Francisco, 11 Ba ys and 6 Hours; 3,260 Miles." "Con tinuous Pullman Car Record: 1897 Nelena, Montana, to Seattle, Washing eon, 781 Miles." "Continuous Passen ger Train Record: 1893, Bell Plaine, Io'wa, to Denver, Colorado, 815 Miles.". On the reverse side is the following: "Meal Ticket-Preserve this card, circumstances might force you to be *ome a homeless tramp. Should you meet me, this card will be good for a square meal, if I am not dead-broke! myself. Yours -truly, A No. 1, The Rambler. "Be sure to read my book, a true story of my wanderings and hiardsh3ips all over the known world. 'Life and Adventures of A No. 1.' Thrilling from cover to cover. Illustrated. Price 25c. For sale everywhere." "A No. 1" is a linguist, speaks and 'writes four languages. He has been around the world three times and has prevented more than twenty wrecks,h wears a forty dollar suit of clothes and a gold watch, keeps his name a secret, does not chew, drink or gamble. How did he adopt this queer name? That is a story, too. When he first started on the' road it was with an older man. The latter was attracted by the ingenuousness of the younger companion, by this bright ways, his naatural aptitude for a life in box cars and ridng the rods beside the grinding wheelsi beneath the heavy freights where release for a moment of the bar *of iron would have meant instant death. "Kid, you're all right," declared the older one at the end of a particularly hard journey. "You're A No. 1." The title has since stuck and the wanderer has more than lived up to it, for if ever a hobo's life could be said to be a success, it is that of this fellow. He travels in overalls and jumper, but af 'ter arriving in a town divests himself of these and appears in a neat suit; is always clean shaved and has a very prosperous appearance. He has a profession, wichi is carv ing potatoes, and in this he has no - equal. Hundreds of times he has carved faces for persons in return for small favors. He is also a wood carver of ability. He has a memorandum book full 'of cards and letters gi':en him by rail-: road officials. Many of these state, that he has prevented the possible lcss iof human life and property by telling train operators when beating his way, of broken car wheels or other disar \rangements and he has preventedi se rious wrecks and disasters. He has Sbeen in five wrecks, but luckily, has a wer been hurt. He also nuis a n p w i from Jack London. the author, telling : of their companionship on the road to- j gether in 1894. During his travels "A No. 1 has t learned four languages-English, Ger- I many, French and Spanish. His par- j ents were of the French and German: ationalities, but he was born in Sani Francisco. His toilet set is complete, though it bakes little room to carry it. It con 5ists of a toothbrush, soap, comb and a ew other necessities. His carving Lools are two knives, kept very sharp. Blacking and shining rags occupy a part of his pockets, also a pocket edi- C ion of Webster's dictionary, a rather trange book for a traap to carry. He was asked why he had not writ- C :en his book sooner as it is an illus rated and highly interesting story, ind he stated that lately, after twen-! is ;y-seven years of roving, he has comet :o the conclusion that the dangarous, ;enseless and pitiful life he has led all . :hese years has been wasted, and 4 lat perhaps by telling his own pitiful rxperiences he might possibly prevent n thers from following his footsteps Ie said that to force a boy to stay at: iome after he has once started to vander, is almost impossible, as the naxim, "once a tramp, always a 1 raunp," has been many times proven o him by actual experience. as he hast aet many a boy of fine family and r iome who never knew of the filth, mis- L ry and dangers a tramp comes con ,tantly in contact with, yet can not I esist the ca!! to wander. Had these ads read a book like his own or Jack C .ondon's or Josiah Flint's, showing he pit , dark side of tramp life. >erhaps they would never have left heir home and friends in exchange C or a roving, restless existence. si When asked why he did not stop, he s oplied: "Do you know that the call P o wander is so irresistible that often, n dark and rainy nights I find myself 0: alking about railroad yards looking I or a chance to move on? You would 01 Lot believe me, yet it is a fact, that I c ealize that my end will be the same ,s that of 90 per cent. of all tramps- p ,n accident. This g why I have at F east provided for a decent burial. In B 894 I received $1,000 cash and a beau- oj ifiw '=edai from the Police Gazette C or traanping from New York to San G rrancisco in eleven days and six ours, and with $750 of this prize I p ~ought a tomb'stone in a cemetery in t< amridge Springs, Pa. Seems strange G hat almost every night that silent a hite monument seems to beckon from$ onder green hillside in my dreams .nd entreat me to stop my roving. 7his I have tried to do many times, iut in vain, and my epitaph, which I Lope will 'be a silent everlasting warn-b rg to others who seem to be afflictedb vith this strange longing to roam, very eptly call'ed 'wanderlust,' is simply: t< "A No. 1, t "The Rambler, "At rest at last." He stated that 'he could not remain n Newberry as 'he was affected 'with that he called "wanderlust," and iaust be moving on. Deacons Elected. At a congregational meeting at the autheran Church of the Redeemer on sunday, the following deacons were c 1ected: J. C. Goggans, S. J. Derrick' F. M. Kibler, W. G. Houseal, E C. ~onnenberg, J. B. Hunter, Geo. W summer, H. C. Holloway, Jno. C. Hipp Ld C. T. Summer. The pastor, Rev. Edward Fulenwid-t r, was granted a vacation of two veeks, which, with his family, hfe will .pend with relatives at his old home n North Carolina. c LAD EILLED BY TOY CANNON. son of Mr. T. Bissell Anderson, of j Charleston, Dead as Result of Accident'. Charleston, Dec. 17.-John Turner nderson, fifteen years of age, son of Vr. and Mrs. T. Bissell Anderson, of Co. 4 Lucas street, died at the River- ~ side Infirmary yesterday evening from ~ shock and injuries sustained to his eg yesterday afternoon at about 5 t >'clock through the premature explo- t ;ion of a toy cannon. The buckshot, ' with which the cannon was loaded, f ire a greaot hole in the right leg of the lad, ar.d aldhough he was accorded t immediate medical assistance and was t rushed to the ihospital, the loss of t blood and shock proved too much for t hir to stand. Young Anderson died 21 before' e doctors dared to undertake ; n operation. 3; JONES HILLS PEARLSTINE. Prominent lBranchTille MIan Shot int Postofice.-Dispulte OTer Ac count. Branchville. Dec. 15.-Abe Pearl tine, one of the most prominent young business men of Branchville, 1 this morning was shot and killed by t John J. Jones, a well known attorney< of this place. The killing, which (s'- t cur.,d a t+e potofice at 9:45, fo!-, o:c a lsticun arisg 01 of a iis >ute regarding an account which ones, it is said, had collected from "earlstine, but had not turned in to he firm which had employed him to rake the collection. Jones was ar ested and taken to Orangeburg, vhere he is now in the custody of the heriff. "DUTH FORK" IN RICHLAND. our Townships Involved Favor a Change-May Help Free Bridges. olumbia State. The rich Dutch Fork section of Lex gton county has been made a part f Richland, according to returns re eived yesterday from three of the >ur townships involved, and the vote i the other could not change the re ult, although there are indications dat those who voted there were in ivor of annexation. The area involved amounts to about 6 square miles and this addition ieans much to Richland county, tak ig in one of the richest sections in e State, one long-ettled and pro-1 ucing some of the best citizens. Some time ago the agitttion was tarted, the people in that soction be ig dissatisfied with conditions and inking that it would be easier to ach Richland court house than the: exington county seat. AREER COTTON MILLS COMPANY apital Stock of New Concern to be Five Million Dollars. Columbia, Dec. 17.-The Parker otton Mills company, with a capital bock of $5,000,000, bas been commis loned by the secretary of State to urchase, erect and conduct cotton iLIls in South Carolina. This is thie rganization of the proposed cotton, ill merger announced several days go. The books of subscription to the ympany will open in Greenville. The petitioners as given in the ap ication for a charter are: Thomas Parker, Lewis W. Parker, H. J. aynesworth and David Jennings, all Greenville; J. H. M. Beattie, of olumbia, and M. L. Marchant, of r'eer. In the petition it is stated that the rincipal pla.ce of business of the cot n mills company will be located at reenville. There will be 50,000. ares of the capital stock valued ait L00 per share. The proposed merger of a number Sthe mills of the State was announc i several days ago'from Charleston y ewis W. Parker, who is one of the est known and most successful mill residents in the South. The first an ouncei capital stock of merger was be $10,000,000. It is thought that iere will be an increasie. OEE FROM DRUNK AND FOUND A WIFE rnest Brooks Walker Did Not Enow He Was Married.-Has Marriage Annulled. he State. Spartanbu'rg, Dec. 17.-For want of onsent on the part of the plaintiff, irnest Brooks Walker, of Greenville, yrmerly a ticket agent at~ the South rn station in Spartanburg, Judge T. .Sease, sitting in chambers, has an uled the marriage contracted be een Mr. Walker and Miss Ida Jor an, a pretty telephone operator of 1s city 'on August 20, last In his complaint Mr. Walker de lared (he was so drunk when the iarriage ceremony was .performed at he had no recollection of it and id not know he was -married until he1 roke up in the Argyle hotel the fol >wing morning and found Miss Jor an with him and she told him she ras his wife. Admits Allegations. In her answer to his suit, Miss Jor an admitted all his allegations. Rev. V. M. Whirtesides, pastor of Green treet Baptist church, who married tie couple, said 'that when they came a him it was evident that Mr. Walker ad been drinking, but he was in per et command of all 'his senses. "I talked 'to them both for some ine," said Mr. Whitesides, "telling hem what an important step it was hat they were taking and asking hem if they had fully made up their ninds. Mr. Walker said he and Miss ordan 'had been sweethearts for two. !ears 'and were determined to be mar jed."I In asking for' the annuIlment Mr. Valker said that on August 20 and he day preceding, 'he and other young1 nen had been drinking to excess in 'reenville. He was drunk that even ng and while in that condition went o Spartanburg, arriving about 9 >clock. He entered a hack at the sta-. .ion, bought a pint of whiskey from he hackman and took a big drink, 'and soon became oblivious to all ra.spiring events and unconscious of 5 More Shol UNTIL CHI Do Your CHRISTMAS AT Anderson's THIS LOT 101 con cc IE I-I U)l O i ors o- '0mumm@*1 Anerson One of t ~h0Uid pping Days RISTMAS SHOPPING Today 10 c. Store 70 c EACH eIn seM U'r A I i: C. 9.. *-0) Oc.Stor 5 nd10CetsStre