Notes of an Itinerant Policeman

In this vivid first‑hand account, a curious observer trades his pen for a police badge and rides the rails as part of an experimental “flying squad.” For two months he patrols a two‑thousand‑mile stretch of railroad, watching picnics, circuses and fairs become hunting grounds for pickpockets, burglars and professional gamblers. The narrative blends the author's previous wanderings among tramps with the fresh perspective of a law‑enforcer, revealing how these itinerant criminals move, organize and survive.

Through visits to lock‑ups, jails and workhouses along the line, he sketches the varied faces of the “unknown thief” and the attitudes of the officials tasked with keeping them in check. Readers gain a clear picture of the seasonal cycles of crime on the rails, the challenges of protecting passengers, and the uneasy camaraderie that sometimes forms between guard and rogue. The book offers a rare, measured glimpse into a world where the frontier of law meets the restless tide of America's traveling underclass.