A Look at the American Hobo

Hobos have played an interesting role in American history. Although hobos have often been confused with bums or tramps, there is a significant difference between each one. The term 'hobo' was originally applied to migratory workers after the Civil War happened in the South. Most of these traveling workers would perform farm work and regularly carried their own hoes. Hence, they were frequently called 'hoe boys' which was eventually shortened to simply 'hobos.'

Perhaps you have never seen a true hobo before, since bums are much more common. A bum is someone who mooches or begs rather than works. And a tramp is simply a traveling bum. Although a hobo is a traveling worker, such a haphazard lifestyle often forces one to go on the bum. So it's easy to see how the terms can be confused.

Many people were forced to become hobos when the Depression occurred and these individuals soon became inured to the travel and rugged existence the lifestyle demanded. Even if a hobo did find permanent employment, it was often difficult for them to abandon their previous adventuresome lifestyle after they got a taste of traveling and living more carefree. Many hoboes were reluctant to trade their wanderlust for shelter and security since they preferred a life of action instead of accumulation.

The hobo has been depicted in movies and novels as a man dressed in ragged clothing with a beat-up hat, carrying a stick with a bundle tied on it, and frequently using freight trains for transportation, which is an accurate image for the most part. But did you ever wonder what exactly was kept inside a hobo's bundle, or 'bindle' as they were usually called? The exact contents of course would vary, but often the bindle would contain necessities like a razor, soap, tin cup, and extra matches. Other items might be a whet stone for sharpening pocket knives (or to acquire a little money from sharpening knives for others), a small can of coffee, needle and thread, a bit of wire or string, also perhaps some simple tools such as pliers, or a screw driver.

But not all hobos carried a bindle. Sometimes their possessions were carried in coat pockets, or inside extra-large pockets sewn inside the coat. But usually a hobo's most important items were: matches, pocket knife, and walking stick. Matches were of course necessary for anyone who depends on a camp fire for warmth and cooking. And a pocket knife could take the place of scissors for sewing and repairs, or to cut branches to hold food or cans over the fire, punch holes in cans for wire handles, trim fingernails, cut out a walking stick, whittle or carve clothes pins, or other objects for sale.

Concerning the hobo's walking stick, it was not only an aid in walking over hills or rough terrain, but also a means of defense against vicious dogs and animals. When traveling off the beaten path the walking stick could be used to repel snakes or other unsavory animals.

The hobos primary mode of transportation was the freight train, although modern hobos rarely use this method of travel. Riding trains could seem as safe as simply sneaking into a box car and riding for hundreds of miles, but if the door slammed shut and stayed closed for a week or longer, the hobo could die of thirst, get sick, or starve to death. Falling under the metal wheels of a train and getting crushed was also common. Or getting trapped in a freight car in severe weather and freezing to death. There really wasn't anything safe about hopping a freight train and riding inside, outside, above or below one. To make matters worse, the rail road employed security guards to keep hobos off of freight trains. These security guards were vicious men with clubs called 'bulls' by the hobos. No hobo ever wanted to run into a bull. Why would the railroad want to keep hobos off of the train? Because some unscrupulous hobos would loot or damage the freight. There have been instances of meat being cut off of live cattle to be consumed.

But most hobos were not criminals. The simply lived by their wits when they were between jobs. And they had a code of ethics they would follow. One example of which is the fourth law that states: "Always try to find work, even if temporary, and always seek out jobs nobody wants. By doing so you not only help a business along, but insure employment should you return to that town again."

Also there is a legend (who knows how legitimate) that some hobos were forced to eat 'rock soup.' Smooth river rocks were placed in a large coffee can or lard can and then filled with clean water. This was set on a camp fire beside a well-traveled road. Passersby were usually curious about the fire and the hobo would call out that he was making rock soup and would the passerby like to have some. "Are you really going to eat this?" someone might ask. Then the hobo would say, "Do you have anything to offer the pot to add a bit of flavor to the meal?" And after several passersby and more inquiries, more substantial food would be acquired for the pot other than smooth rocks, and finally the hobo would have ample ingredients for his stew and would eat everything but the rocks.

Hobos also had a system of signs and codes worked out to help other hobos on the road. They would mark curbs or posts with signs and symbols to let other hobos know of wealthy people in the area or if a kind woman lived in a certain house who was inclined to give away food; other signs warned of hostile police in the vicinity who were opposed to hobos.

There is also an entire vocabulary common to true hobos, a few terms of which are:

Big house: prison

Blowed-in-the-glass: a trustworthy person

Cannonball: fast train

Flop: place to sleep such as a cheap hotel

Graybacks: lice

Gump: meat scraps

Mulligan: stew made from scraps where several hobos pitch in whatever food they have into a pot

Snipes: cigarette butts

One hobo story runs that a hobo was passing through a small town when he overheard some men talking about a rat problem. Noticing a cafe across the street, the hobo approached the men and said, "If you buy me a meal at the cafe over there, I will kill all of your rats." The men agreed to the deal and took the hobo to the cafe and bought him a large sumptuous meal. When the hobo had finished eating he walked out of the cafe and seated himself on a bench, then he slowly raised his walking stick and announced, "Now bring on your rats!" Do you get it? Catching the rats is the difficult part, while killing them is easy.

I've been fortunate enough to have met a few hobos and have been entertained by their stories. One hobo I knew carried a large pair of hedge clippers and claimed he had traveled from New York all the way to California, and from Texas to Canada, earning his way the entire time by trimming people's shrubbery. Another hobo told me about breaking rocks on a chain gang, all the men of which were outfitted with muleskin shoes, and the hair still on them. Who knows how true these stories actually were.

Sources:

It's The Pits, R. Leroy Carson, ISBN: 1600020313, 2006.

The Backwoodsman Magazine, Vol. 26 No. 3, May-June 2005.

Wikipedia, Hobo, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hobo