Stephens City star. (Stephens City, Va.) 1881-1883, 1882-03-18
TRICKS OF BEGGARS.
How the froternity In London Deceive tn
III Charitable.


cripples, and those who are unmistaka-
bly, afflicted and who implore charity
are really entitled to commiseration
and relief. It is quite within the verge
OF possibility that they have rendered
themselves objects Of compassion de-
liberately and with purpose. At a
notorious common lodging-house in the
neighborhood OF Drury Lane the mana
ger pointed out to me two such charac.
| ters. The one was wretched-lookine
woman, of past middle age, who was
very poorly though tidily dressed, and
who, while I was talking with the man
in the passage, passed through, carry
ing in her hand piece of rump steak
and small cauliAower. "That's how
she does it," said Mr.. Manager, as the
woman, too weak to walk we'll, held on
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 dinner.
She can afford it, and if she couldn't
she would be dead in q month" On my
requesting an explanation of this enig-
matical speech, the manager continued:
II can't give you all the particulars,
because what she doses herself with is
a secret. But dose herself she does.
She remains indoors till after the gas
is lit, and an hour or 80 before
she starts she takes her dose, what
ever it is, and it makes her that horribly
ill that 'pon my soul, it's wonder how
she finds pluck to continue at the
game. Her face grows ghastly and
pinched, and she grows black under the
eyes, 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 pave
ment With paper pinned to her breast,
on which is writ, Il am very ill and in
deep Distress She doesn't say q word,
l am told, or even hold out her hand.
She hasn't any need to. I've known
her to go out from here at six o'clock
and she'd been going it SO the night
before that she's fairly stumped and
been glad to borrow two-pence-ha'pen-
ny OF me for half-quartern of gin to
start her. Well, sir, I've known her to
go ont at and be home before 10 with
matter of eight or nine shillings all
in coppers. Does the stuff she take do
her any harm? 1t makes her thin, and
she has such pains inside her that some
times all the drink she can swallow
don't make her forget 'em. But it is
an out.and-out game while it lasts, and
plenty Of 'em that lodge here would
give her something handsome if she
would put 'em up to what her dose
is. Do I think they would? I am
sure of it. Why. take notice of that
chap out there in the yard, washing his
shirt. You see his arm ?" I looked at
the individual indicated, whose braces
crossed his naked shoulders, and I saw
at once that his right arm was fright
fully attenuated-seemingly mere skin
and bone, while the corresponding
limb was well nourished and plump
"There is no pvetence there" I re-
marked; "the poor fellow has with,
cred ARM" Mr.. Manager grinned. 81
don't say he is liar" said he, "but be
brags that he did it himself on purpose
that he might have the advantage of
being cripple. He's been a soldier,
and what he says is-between friends
and in confidence, you know-that
wanting to get out of the SER
vice and not caring to work for
living, he gave himself bang
on the elbow with hammer. It passed
as an accident, he had few months in
the infirmary, and came out of the army
with an allowance of sixpence day for
eighteen months, and his arm has been
gradually wasting to what you see it
now. Does he show it to excite corn.
passion? Rather. He can use it bit,
and he plays on the fiddle with it
about the streets, showing it IL bare
up to the shoulder. But he doesn't ever
make much. Not more than four o
four-and- sixpence day." "But that is
much more than the average hard-work-
ing laborer earns" 1 remarked. "The
Woodworking laborer?" returned Mr..
Manager, with undisguised contempt
'I'll find you dozens of fellows about
here who havn't got the advantage OF
being Crippled, who'd be sorry to earn
as little as a hard-working laborer." !"
And there is no doubt that there might
be found scores OF men and women, dis
abled and helpless, who make such an
excellent living by displaying their in
firmities that they would decidedly de-
cIina 10 ho xoa5a coupd uara auch n