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=                        Leon_Ray_Livingston                         =
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                            Introduction
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Leon Ray Livingston (1872-1944) was a famous hobo and author,
travelling under the moniker "A-№1" and often referred to as "The
Rambler." He perfected the hobo symbols system, which let other hobos
know where there are generous people, free food, jobs, vicious dogs,
and so forth. He was not a poor man; he simply preferred a life of
travelling the country by train to sitting at home. In his memoir 'The
Ways of the Hobo', Livingston admitted that he was uneducated, but
began his self-education at the age of 35.

He has been lauded by many American historians as the King of the
Hoboes and has followings all over the U.S.

Livingston wrote twelve books on traveling the hobo way. His books
brought attention not only to the state of the homeless in America,
but also to the excitement and benefits of traveling the country for
amusement. He lived and published his books in Erie, Pennsylvania, and
Cambridge Springs, Pennsylvania. He described Cambridge Springs in
'The Ways of the Hobo' as an "idyllic," "delightful" and "charming"
summer resort town known for "the medicinal properties of its
numberless gushing springs" which he chose as his headquarters to find
"a brief respite from the hardships of the Road" after the hobo
lifestyle brought him "dangerously close to the verge of a mental and
physical collapse." As a result, Cambridge Springs became a "veritable
'Mecca' to chronic hobos."

There were many hobos who imitated Livingston and claimed the moniker
A-No. 1. Due to this, Livingston was known to travel with a scrapbook
of his journeys (which included a personalized note from President
William Howard Taft and an autograph from Theodore Roosevelt), copies
of his books, and always two $50 bills. In a rarity among hobos of his
time, Livingston did not smoke or drink, and was known to always dress
well and be exceptionally clean.

The year after the death of author Jack London, Livingston published a
memoir in which he described their cross-country adventures together
during the late 19th century. According to Livingston, the "keen and
penetrating" 18-year-old London had tracked him down and was
"faithfully acting the role of the dog who adopted his master." The
book, titled 'From Coast to Coast with Jack London', became the basis
for the movie 'Emperor of the North Pole' (1973), directed by Robert
Aldrich.

During his later life, he continued to roam the country, but he became
a lecturer warning families and children against tramp life. "I began
out of necessity, continued because I loved the life, and now because
I know nothing else," he said.

He died in 1944 in Erie, Pennsylvania of heart failure. While having a
grave marked "A-No.1 At rest at last" in a Cambridge Springs,
Pennsylvania cemetery, his actual body was buried in Laurel Hill
Cemetery outside of Erie.


                          Published works
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* 'Life and Adventures of A-No.-1: America's Most Celebrated Tramp'
(1910)
* 'Hobo Camp Fire Tales' (1911)
* 'The Curse of Tramp Life' (1912)
* 'The Trail of the Tramp' (1913)
* 'The Adventures of a Female Tramp' (1914)
* 'The Ways of the Hobo' (1914)
* 'The Snare of the Road' (1916)
* 'From Coast to Coast with Jack London' (1917)
* 'Mother Delcassee of the hobos: And other stories' (1918)
* 'The Wife I Won' (1919)
* 'Traveling with Tramps' (1920)
* 'Here and There with A-No.-1, America's Most Famous Tramp' (1921)


License
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Original Article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leon_Ray_Livingston