A PRIMITIVE TRAMP.
About this time John Baptist Dezarno was quite a noted
character in the county. He was able-bodied, but a notorious tramp,
perhaps the first one ever known in this section of the country. He
occupied his time in strolling through the county without any object in
view, walking frequently from one end of the county to the other, in a day
and night. The court directed General Samuel Hopkins to take possession of
John Baptist, and deal with him as the law directed. This fact is
mentioned for the benefit of the great army of tramps now beating over the
country, particularly that they may sufficiently claim a starting point
for their society. These "John Baptist Dezarnos" may in this, trace their
history, and find a name agreeable to their organization.
History of Henderson County, Kentucky
by Edmund L. Starling
p. 131
published in 1887
public domain material
