In the early 1900s, newspapers were publishing the “secret” hobo code for people to recognize and understand whenever they saw the strange “Cabalistic” drawings.
Here are the symbols and their meanings:
Reading from top to bottom, the left column mean:
1. Hostile town – bulls’ (police) eyes open.
2. Slow town – bulls asleep.
3. Dry town – dipper inverted.
4. Many blind pigs – dipper up.
5. One cop town; stroke below means only night watchman here.
6. Many handouts – sign near station.
7. Good for handout – sign on gate or door.
8. “Beware Montana” – warning of the 11 months 29 day sentences imposed there.
9. Dog sign – four legs and tail.
10. Bum jane – calls cops, hates hoboes.
11. Woodpile – meal if you chop.
12. Give money here – circles denote coins.
13. Railroad ducat – these folks give money for fare.
Top to bottom, the signs in the right hand column mean:
1. Many ties – warning on being ditched with long stretch between stations.
2. Jail – go there for bed.
3. Thirty days – if pinched.
4. Cheap town – cheap wages, poor conditions, and so on.
5. Stake – good town to work in to get a stake.
6. Good bulls – treat hoboes right.
7. Float – boat, indicating judge gives hoboes ‘floaters’.
8. Ten days here.
9. Six months here.
10. Hostile cops – police bracelets or jewelry.
11. Good restaurant – good feed for dish washing.
12. Mission – good for feed and ‘flop.’
13. Angel at mission – too sympathetic welfare worker.
14. Mother with boy, a hobo – always good for food and clothes; seeks tidings of son.
Source: The Ogden standard-examiner. (Ogden, Utah), 17 Nov. 1922.
