Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-02-26
LONDON BEGGARS.
Ho,c They Rave Reduced the Art OF Getting
Aims to q Science.

From the London Telgraph.]
The reader may be surprised to learn
that it is not in all cases that bona fde
cripples and those who are Enthusiastically
| afflicted and who implOre charity, are
really entitled to commiseration and re-
lief 1t is quite within the verge of pos
sibillty that they have rendered them
selves objects of compassion deliberately
and with "a purpose At notorious
common lodging house In the neighbor-
hood of Drury Lane the manager pointed
out to me two such characters. The one
was wretched looking woman Of past
middle age. who was very poorly
though tidily dressed, and who, while L
was talking with the man in the pas
sage, passed through, carrying in her
hand nice piece of rump steak and
small cauliaower. "That's how she does
| it," said Mr.. Manager, as the woman,
| who was too weak to walk well, held on
! to the balusters with her disengaged
hand while she descended the steps that
| led down into the cellar; "that and
pint of stout will make her decent din
ner. She can afford it, and if she
On my requesting an explanation of this
ued: 81 can't give you all the particulars,
because what she doses herself with is
secret. But dose herself she does.
She remains in doors until
after the gas is lit, and an hour
or so before she starts she takes her
dose, whatever it is, and it makes her
that horrible i'll that, 'pon my soul, it's
wonder how she finds pluck to continue
at the game. Her face grows CHASTITY and
pinched, and she grows black under the
ewes, and she's so weak that there's no
CANNON about her hand shaking as she
leans on her stick. She toddles out every
evening, and you may find her afterward
standing just off the pavement with
paper pinned to her breast, on which is
written, 81 am very i'll and in deep dis
tress" She doesn't say word, [ am told,
or even hold out her hand. She hasn't
any need to. I've known her to 60 out of
here at o'clock, and she's been
going it so the night before that
She's fairly stumped, and been glad
to borrow twopence-h a'penny of me
for half-quartern of gin to start her.
Well, sir, I've known her to go out at six
and be home before tea with a matter Of
eight or nine shillings, all in coppers.
Does the stuff she takes do her any harm?
1t makes her thin, and she has such pains
inside her that sometimes all the drink
she can swallow don't make her forget
lem. But 1t is an out and out game while
it lasts, and plenty of 'em that lodge here
would give her something handsome if
she weuld put 'em up to what her dose
is Do think they would? I'm sure Of
it. Why, take notice of that chap out
there in the yard washing his shirt.
You see his arm?"
| looked at the individual Indicated,
whose braces crossed his naked shoulders,
and 1 saw at once that his right arm was
frightfully misunderstanding mere
skin and bone, while the corresponding
limb was well nourished and plump.
'sThere is no pretence there" remarked;
'sthe poor fellow has withered arm!"
Mr.. Manager grinned. 81 don't say he'sa
liar SAID he, ''but he brags that he did
it himself on purpose that he might have
the advantage of being cripple. He's
been soldier, and what he says iS-be-
tween friends and in confidence, you
know-that wanting to get out of the
service, and not caring to work for liv-
ing, he gave himself bang on the ell
low with a hammer. 1t passed as
of accident, he had few months in the
infirmatory, and came out of the army
with allowance of sixpence a day for
eighteen months, and his arm has been
gradually wasting to what you see itnOw.
Does he show it to excite compassion?
Rather. He can use 1t bit, and he plays
on the fiddle with it about the streets,
showing it all bare up to the shoulder.
But he doesn't make very much-not more
than four or four and-sixpence day."
"But that is much more than the
average hard working laborer earns,''
L. remarked. "The hard work.
ing laborer'' remarked Mr.. Manager,
with undisguised contempt; "I'll find you
dozens IL fellows about here who haven't
got the advantage of being crippled who'd
be sorry to earn as little as hard working
laborer." And there is no doubt that there
might be found scores of men and women,
disabled and helpless, who make such ex-
cellent living by displaying their infirmi-
ties that they would decidedly decline to be
made sound were such miracle possible.
l can speak positively as regards blind
men who are street beggars. Finding
them in wretched homes, with drunken
wife and grown-up, lazy children, living
in clover on the money bestowed on their
sightless parent during the day, have in
terested in their favor those who, had they
been willing, would at once have placed
them in comfortable asylum where, for
the remainder of their lives, they
would have been well fed and =.
lodged and taught trade as
well. But in at least three instances
they declined to avail themselves of the
opportunity Two of them excused them
selves on the plea that they could not bear
to live among strangers, but the third
bluntly told me that though he was blind,
he was not exactly fool, and it wasn't
very likely that he was going to be Gagged
up for the sake of his food and bed when
he could ssmake' seven shillings in short
day by going about with his dog, and en-
joy his pipe and his glass every evening.
Not Party to the Affair
Rev.. L. Berne Indignantly disclaims
having anything to do with the Holdship
wedding ceremony and as evidence pre-
sents the following letter from the bride: