e all over the States
concerning the life of these gaols, and things go on that would be
impossible in any well-regulated prison. In one of these places I once
witnessed the fiercest fight I have ever seen among hoboes; a boy was the
cause of it. Two men said they loved him, and he seemed to return the
affection of both with equal desire. A fight with razors was suggested to
settle who should have him.[277] The men prepared for action, while the
crowd gathered round to watch. They slashed away for over half an hour,
cutting each other terribly, and then their backers stopped them for fear
of fatal results. The boy was given to the one who was hurt the least.

Jealousy is one of the first things one notices in connection with this
passion. I have known them to withdraw entirely from the "hang-out" life
simply to be sure that their prushuns were not touched by other tramps.
Such attachments frequently last for years, and some boys remain with
their first jockers until they are "emancipated."

Emancipation means freedom to "snare" some other boy, and make him submit
as the other had been obliged to submit when younger. As a rule, the
prushun is freed when he is able to protect himself. If he can defend his
"honor" from all who come, he is accepted into the class of "old stagers,"
and may do as he likes. This is the one reward held out to prushuns during
their apprenticeship. They are told that some day they can have a boy and
use him as they have been used. Thus hoboland is always sure of recruits.

It is difficult to say how many tramps are sexually inverted. It is not
even certainly known how many vagabonds there are in the country. I have
stated in one of my papers on tramps that, counting the boys, there are
between fifty and sixty thousand genuine hoboes in the United States. A
vagabond in Texas who saw this statement wrote me that he considered my
estimate too low. The newspapers have criticised it as too high, but they
are unable to judge. If my figures are, as I believe, at least
approximately correct, the sexually perverted tramps may be estimated at
between five and six thousand; this includes men and boys.

I have been told lately by tramps that the boys are less numerous than
they were a few years ago. They say that it is now a risky business to be
seen with a boy, and that it is more profitable, as far as begging is
concerned, to go without them. Whether this means that the passion is less
fierce than it use