Been There
Well-known Member
- Location
- Florida
There are still a good number of trains in southern Ohio, mostly hauling coal from the mines in West Virginia and Kentucky. While I was being raised by my grandparents in southern Ohio and before I was able to drive, I would walk the rails from my grandparent’s farm into town, which was about 3-4 miles away. On one such walk, I saw a man walking the tracks and even though I was about 5 foot 10 inches tall and being just a month short of 16, it kind of worried me. When I got close to him, I noticed he was a hobo. This would have been in 1977.
He said something like hi, young man and I said hi and he asked if he knew which way was the closest town. I told him the way I was going and he asked if he could walk along. I said ok, but I was still suspicious. After we had walked and talked for about 10 minutes, I felt more comfortable. He said he got off the train he was riding because it had stopped to allow another train to pass and he thought the area looked like it may be a good place to stay.
He told me that he wasn’t homeless, he had just decided to leave home one day. He was about 30, or so I thought. When we got into town, I asked him if he had any money and he pulled $3 out of his pocket and a little change. I asked if he wanted to go with me to the local burger joint and I would buy him a sandwich and he accepted. After that we parted ways and I took in a movie and then started for home. When I got back on the tracks, there he was again. He asked me if I knew where he might get a little work for the next day. I told him that there were plenty of farms in the area and someone may need help. He asked if I minded if he walked along. I told him it would be ok.
As we walked back home, he told me he had only been on the rails for 2 years, but was thinking about going home. He said he left because him and his dad had a really bad argument. He wasn’t married and was still living at home. I don’t think he was very intelligent because he didn’t know much about certain things he should. For example, I asked him what he thought about Gerald Ford and he didn’t know who he was.
He stopped at 2 farms on the way, but no luck. At the end of my walk, I told him to wait and I would ask Gramps if he needed a man for the day. Gramps said to bring the guy into the barn. Gramps told him if he wanted to sleep in the barn that night, (it was the middle of June), he would give him a day’s work. He accepted. Gramps had me take him a pillow and a blanket out to the barn and grandma sent a plate of food along. Gramps said he would be gone by the next morning, but he wasn’t. Gramps told grandma and me he cried the next morning because no one ever treated him so kindly. Gramps pulled the hay wagon around to the front of the barn and told him that the hay had to be stored upstairs. The man tied a rope around each bale of hay and using the pulley already on the barn, he lifted 2 bales at a time into the hayloft. At the end of the day, Gramps gave the man $20 and told him he could again stay the night, which he did, but was gone when Gramps went to do the milking in the early morning. Gramps told me it was ok to do what I did, but he would prefer if I didn’t do that again without first asking before I showed up with someone.
He said something like hi, young man and I said hi and he asked if he knew which way was the closest town. I told him the way I was going and he asked if he could walk along. I said ok, but I was still suspicious. After we had walked and talked for about 10 minutes, I felt more comfortable. He said he got off the train he was riding because it had stopped to allow another train to pass and he thought the area looked like it may be a good place to stay.
He told me that he wasn’t homeless, he had just decided to leave home one day. He was about 30, or so I thought. When we got into town, I asked him if he had any money and he pulled $3 out of his pocket and a little change. I asked if he wanted to go with me to the local burger joint and I would buy him a sandwich and he accepted. After that we parted ways and I took in a movie and then started for home. When I got back on the tracks, there he was again. He asked me if I knew where he might get a little work for the next day. I told him that there were plenty of farms in the area and someone may need help. He asked if I minded if he walked along. I told him it would be ok.
As we walked back home, he told me he had only been on the rails for 2 years, but was thinking about going home. He said he left because him and his dad had a really bad argument. He wasn’t married and was still living at home. I don’t think he was very intelligent because he didn’t know much about certain things he should. For example, I asked him what he thought about Gerald Ford and he didn’t know who he was.
He stopped at 2 farms on the way, but no luck. At the end of my walk, I told him to wait and I would ask Gramps if he needed a man for the day. Gramps said to bring the guy into the barn. Gramps told him if he wanted to sleep in the barn that night, (it was the middle of June), he would give him a day’s work. He accepted. Gramps had me take him a pillow and a blanket out to the barn and grandma sent a plate of food along. Gramps said he would be gone by the next morning, but he wasn’t. Gramps told grandma and me he cried the next morning because no one ever treated him so kindly. Gramps pulled the hay wagon around to the front of the barn and told him that the hay had to be stored upstairs. The man tied a rope around each bale of hay and using the pulley already on the barn, he lifted 2 bales at a time into the hayloft. At the end of the day, Gramps gave the man $20 and told him he could again stay the night, which he did, but was gone when Gramps went to do the milking in the early morning. Gramps told me it was ok to do what I did, but he would prefer if I didn’t do that again without first asking before I showed up with someone.
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