“Josiah Flynt” who wrote the foregoing account of tramp-life for the second edition of this volume, was well known as author, sociologist, and tramp.  He was especially, and it would seem by innate temperament, the tramp, which part he looked to perfection (he himself referred to his “weasoned face and diminutive form”) and felt completely at home in.  He was thus able to throw much light on the psychology of the tramp, and his books (such as Tramping with Tramps) are valuable from this point of view.  His real name was F. Willard and he was a nephew of Miss Frances Willard.  He died in Chicago, in 1907, at the age of 38, shortly after writing a frank and remarkable Autobiography.  I am able to supplement his observations on tramps, so far as England is concerned, by the following passages from a detailed record sent to me by an English correspondent:—­

“I am a male invert with complete feminine, sexual inclinations.  Different meetings with ‘tramps’ led me to seek intimacy with them and for about twenty years I have gone on the ‘tramp’ myself so that I might come in the closest contact with them, in England, Scotland, and Wales.

“As in the United States, there are two classes of tramps those who would work, such as harvesters, road-makers, etc., and those who will not work, but make tramping a profession.  Among both these classes my experience is that 90 per cent, or I even would be bold enough to say 100 per cent, indulge in homosexuality when the opportunity occurs, and I do not make any distinction between the two classes.

“There are numerous reasons for this and I will state a few.  A certain number may prefer normal connection with a female, but except for those who tramp in vans and a limited number who have ‘donnas’ with them, women are not available, as prostitutes very seldom allow intimacy for ‘love’ except when drunk.  Tramps are also afraid of any venereal disease as it means the misery of the Lock Hospital.  Most of them are sociable and prefer to tramp with a ‘make.’  With this mate, with whom he sleeps and rests and ‘boozes’ when they are in funds, sexual intimacy naturally takes place, as my experience has been that one of the two is male and the other female in their sexual desires, but I have known instances where they have acted both roles.  Then male prostitution is to be had for nothing, and even occasionally when a tramp meets a ‘toff’ it is a means of earning money, either fairly or otherwise.  I have never known a male tramp to refuse satisfaction if I offered a drink or two, or a small sum of money.  One told me that he envied ‘no lords or toffs’ as long as he got plenty of ‘booze and buggery.’