Good Feeding In Ann Arbor

GOOD FEEDING IN ANN ARBOR

That Is What the Tramps Claim They Found. Actual Memories of Ann Arbor as Given By One of These Tramps.

That the annual procession of bums is arriving on the freight trains to take up their temporary abode in the barns and sheds is no surprise to those who know Ann Arbor well. This city has the reputation among the hoboes all over the country of being a "bang up town to feed in" and a "good place to mooch on the main drag," to use a few tramp terms. A party of U. of M. students made a tour during the past summer vacation through the western states in the regular hobo fashion. One of the party related an incident to the Argus showing the liking that tramps have for Ann Arbor.

"During our trip" said the Amateur hobo, "we fell in with a number of professional burlies who make it a point never to work for their meals. Some of them asked us what part of the country we came from and when told that two of the party hailed from Ann Arbor a gleam of fond memories of pork chops and potatoes lit up the burly's face. 'Gee!' he said, 'Ann Arbor's a good place to get a feed in, up around them boardin' houses yeh c'n git all the handouts and settin's yeh want.' They also seemed to think that the city poormaster was a very generous man and looked upon him as the biggest and highest official in the city.

"One party we fell in with wanted to know if we knew how 'Dirty Bill' and his place was getting along. We had never become acquainted with any such individual. They concluded that we were not 'wise' I guess, for they moved off into a dark corner of the car, remarking that 'it was kind of funny to come from Ann Arbor and not know where the best place to eat and sleep in the country was situated. 

"Previous to last summer," concluded the narrator, 'we never felt the need of the city poor master nor of 'Dirty Bill's' free lodging house, but traveling in the under world certainly does give one an insight into things he never knew before." 

Ann Arbor is not especially overcrowded with tramps owing to the lack of railroads, but the gangs that hang out about the unoccupied places for months at a time show that it is easy to eat and sleep.