“Go down to Apple Island in a boat. Stay out at night; stay in paper offices on Washington Street. Lots of boys get there at one and two o’clock for their papers. When woke up, say: ‘I am waiting for the papers.’ Run away from home several times. Get as far as W——, turn round and come back at nights. Say we would try it some other times.”
Or, to sum up:—
| 23 | boys had | jumped freights to other towns or cities. |
| 3 | walked to distant towns or cities. | |
| 4 | paid fares on cars to different towns or cities. | |
| 30 | gone off to distant cities. | |
| 14 | of the thirty had run away from home. | |
| 16 | had stayed out nights. | |
In addition to the records of travel found in these gangs, the following records taken later are interesting:—
Boy Number 1
L. E. has a fair home ten miles from Boston; both parents are living. This boy was fourteen years of age by the time he was finally committed to a Reform School and had run away from home eight times. He went the first time when eleven years old. His reason for going always was: “I like to see places.” The places were, however, all near-by.
Trip A. “Went to F—— to the military encampment; stayed there two days. Walked to B—— [twenty miles] and stopped around the wharves. Begged something to eat. Slept in alleyways and in mission. Policemen caught me; took me to the station till father came and got me.”
Trip B. “Went to R—— to watch them drive cows to get killed. Stopped there for three days and worked for something to eat by driving cows. Slept in the stockyard barn.”
Trip C. “Went to W—— to see them make guns and stopped at Arsenal two days. Went to C—— to a boy’s house that I knew. Went to theatre, stopped out too late; policeman took me; father came and got me.”
Trip D. “Went to H—— to the place where they keep warships. Stayed there a week looking at guns and things. Went on errands for men; slept in a barn; took some apples off a fruit stand; policeman took me; father came and got me.”