Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1882-03-12
TRICKS OF TRADE.
Odd Beggars and Their Devices to Dodge
WOrk-The Ingenious Methods to
Which New York
Mendicants Resort to Avoid the Necessity
Of WOrk-Street Begging and How
il is Carried On.
New York sun.

New York sun.
There, Forget me not; forget me not,
| my dear said a woman 10 Mr.. Blake, super
intepd5nt Of outdoor poor, at the Office of the
! commissioners of charities, handing him a
| bunch OF flowers neatly done up in tin foil
/ She had a flaming face. and was slaiternly
| in appearance. On her head she wore
| faded velvet bonnet, tied under her chin with
red ribb9ns. The superintendent took the
flowers aad put them in glass OF water on
| his desk
will it come Tomorrow asked the
woman.
"We shall See replied the superintendent
"Oh, say it shall come tomorrow, God
bless you But, for the world, don't send
that man around with the high hat"
our name is
Betsy Brown with low courtesy ~Will
it come tomorrow? God love We, Mr. Blake
and don't We forget me. Please don't let that
man with the high hat come. Forget me
not"
That woman" said Mr.. Blake, after Mrs.
| Brown had tip-toed her way into the street,
brings me bunch Of flowers nearly every
day. don't know where she gets them. 1t
was coal she was talking about; but she
really don't want any. She has not even
room OF her own, and she knows that know
it,"
"Have you many such callers"
"a good many shams. There il a woman
who comes often and asks for help in the
| most pitiful way. She walks on crutches,
! but sometimes she forgets herself and walks
| half way across the floor without them. She
| is large and strong, has a healthy, rudy COM
pleIon, and can walk as well as l can"
Have you had much to do with profess
sionsl beggars?"
"Now and then l get case. Not long
| ago a man came here and applied for assist
ance. He was pretty well dressed, and had
| easy way and an oily tongue. | didn't
like his looks and / didn't believe his story.
| The next day | went to visit him in Avenue
| A. The landl adv smiled when | asked for
! the family. l found a neat card on the door,
! with the mans name written on it in good
| round hand and when the door was opened
| found myself in a nicely furnished apart
! ment. One or two adjoining rooms were
. stuffed with stoves brooms, carpets and all
| kinds of household goods, almost enough to
start general store. This man was beg
| ging letter writer"
Are most street beggars impostors?"
There isn't one OF them that deserves a
penny. There was a time when l carried
loose change in my pocket to give to them,
| but l have learned better. Now and then
you will find man who is we'll dressed
That's his game. He wants people to think
| that he Is a gentleman by birth and educa-
| ton, and is reduced to asking for money by
| only the force OF circumstances. | met one
OF this sort six times In one year in different
parts of the city. He told me the same story
7 each time. He was just the sort of man
| many women call nice and give something
to-"
"Do you know the woman who holds out
her hand in Aston Placer"
yes, che has been there for years, and is
out all kinds of weather. When she is alone
she looks cheerful enough; but when a man
or woman approaches she assumes a most
distressed look. | have seen women walk
back half a block to give her money. She
is suffering from paralysis, and she should go
to an institution. These old women who
have hand-organs on the street corners ut
night that cannot be heard are all frauds.
They are so well padded that they can sit in
| the rain all night without getting wet and
instead of sitting on the sidewalk, as they
appear to, they have stools under them. In
almost every case they beg for some WE'LL
dressed foreigner, who turks in 4 shadow on
a neighboring street corner"
The conversation was interrupted by an
other visitor. She was short and stout, and
had round face OF the German type. The
superintendent spoke to her pleasantly, and
gave htr little pile OF silver dollars, which
she took with thanks.
"That money" the superintendent resumed
"was left here by that woman's husband an
hour ago. This case is only one of many. If
a woman complains to me that her husband
has abandoned her, word is sent to him to
leave so much every week for her support; if
he refuses TO comply, he is arrested and taken
to court. Frequently this office is the means
of bringing husband and wife together"
"How do you determine who is worthy of
charity"
81 know hundreds-their whole history.
When g man or woman comes here whom /
fk1r- l..
true one an inspector is sent around the next
morning to verify it. But hundreds of cases
turn deaf ear to at once. What is it,
madsmeW
He spoke TO stout, elderly Irish woman
dressed in black, "If you please, sir, would
like some coal, sir" she said.
Husband sick2"
any husband is dead, SIR"
GLOW many children have you"
1.-TWO, sir"
''But they are grown up. Let them take
care OF you. The idea OF big stout woman
like you, with grown up children, coming
here. Pass right out, madam"
This woman's husband has been dead if
teen years, and her son and daughter are
both over twenty. She wore distressed
look, which quickly passed off when her
back was turned to Mr.. Blake.
"This is a case in point" said Mr.. Blake.
''The fact is, those who are most in need of
charity are the last to ask for it. The other
day a young woman came in and set down
on bench near the door. She didn't seem
able to walk step further, and before
could get to her to see what she wanted abe
tainted and fell over on the floor. She was
young mother, and had gone SO long without
food that she could not nurse her baby. 1t
was only to save her baby, she said, that she
came when she did. She was a gentle
hammered little thing, and had, without
doubt, seen better times"
A surgeon who was formerly at the out
door dispensary at Bellevue Hospital was
asked subsequently il it were true that he
had cut off the fingers OF a professional
beggar.
at is true" said the surgeon. "a stout,
round faced man, about twenty five years old,
came here to get a finger amputated. The
finger was black with modification, and had
the mark of a string on il close up to the
knuckle. Not long aiterward he came again
to get another finger cut off that had been |
made TO mortify in the same way. He came |
again and again, until al his fingers on both |
hands were smputated, except thumb and |
forefinger. which he reserved to hold up his |
cap with
"Did you get any evidence that the man |
inflicted the injuries on himself other than
the marks OF the strings?"
"a boy accompanied him once or twice, |
who said he had seen MIN tie strings around |
his fingers"
"What has become of him."
II have seen him several times begging in |
the street. He goes around with another |
Ian, who wheels about hand organ. His |
part is to hold up his stubs TO excite pity
and to screw up his face to give. it the ap-
pearance Of being pinched by poverty"
The Good Little Boy and the Drum.
Troy Times.
A little boy wanted a drum. His mother
wishing TO give him sn impressive lesson,
that if he should pray for it be
might receive one. So at night, when ready
'or bed, ne knelt down and prayed:
a. Now lay nae down 10 sleep,
II want drum.)
pray the Lord my soul to keep.
II want drnm.
II should die before I wake.
II want a DRUM
pray the Lord NJ soul 20 take,