, 1884-08-05
CHEEKY P%AUPERISM.
What an Energetic Beggar Can Make
on the Street.
Advantages and Drawbacks-An Am-
ateur Tries His Hand nj the
Panper Trade-Percent-
z or Impostor..


New York World
Begging as 4 profession In a great city il
almost as hard work as driving a street-car.
A reporter for The World, who sacrificed an
educated, silken whisker, stained his face
brown and donned his Sabbath suit that he
might live two days among the beggars as
one OF them and WOO the coy nickle from the
~philanthropic pocket, can testify that asking
aims Is no easy work The older beggar1
looked down upon the dedgeling and refused
to associate with him until he had proven
himself worthy to bslong to their guild. An
old padrone who rents a heap Of straw on the
top floor of the swarming tenement in Pell
street, near Mott, finally took the newcomer
under his protecting wing and instilled into
his youthful mind some OF the simpler
secrets of the trade. Translated from the
alangy plgeon-English, HIS instructions were
somewhat like this;
@You must, = he explained, take advantage
Of our working houn, from o o'clock in the
evening until midnight, for in that time cur
money must be made. Tho easiest places TO
work are tho entrances to restaurants and
eating-houses, and | will give you a stand
whore you can make at least 81 a night. But
never nsk a man for money except when he is
coming out. Then he feels good, has had a
square meal, Is just tucking the change away
in his pocket, and the chances ara he will be
good for q dime"
So with many admonitions to beware Of the
police, and to keep within tho dark shadows,
the amateur beggar was given as his beat the
corner OF Beekman and Park row, there to
porunce upon unwary diners I'm Hitchcock's
restaurant. So from 4 O'Clock until midnight
ninetY-tnree persons were stopped and
the usual formula Of haven't-tasted
fo-od-for-a-month fired at them. The
- u..4.~ff. hurrfoI 49,. -.
stopped and gave a dime, five gave nickels
and nine donated pennies. At the end Of five
hours the learner had collected IS cents, an
old suspender button and enough curses TO
run the play OF Richelieu a month. Then he
moved up the Bowery asking pennies on the
way and receiving only an invitation to take
a drink with a party of jewellers In a Great
Jones street dive. SO passed. the first night
and the next day, after the padrone Ind
added a few choice Italian explosives to the
stock Of curses already on hand, a new beat
was selected, which took In the west side
ferries. But having twice been nearly
dubbed by q policeman, and being able to
show only 3 cents as the not result Of four
hours work, the mendicant business was
given up in disgust and Il hasty return taken
TO more ~congenial methods of work. H
During this time nearly a score Of beggars
were talked with on the east side, but all
were fearful Of saying too much, and even
when overcome by the fumes Of their stale
beer dives they kept close guard upon their
mouths. 1t was generally admitted that the
old padrone, affectionately called Father
Guilliani, was very wealthy, worth at least
t25, 900, but Just where hs kept his money no
body could tell.
The great haunts OF beggars are Baxter,
Mulberry, Bayard, Hester, Center and Elm
streets, but the professional aims taker Is a
nomadic individual and never remain long
In one spot. He or she usually rents a squalid
couch in a filthy room surrounded by equally
dirty deniEens, and when they grow tired OF
this move to cheaper places if such can be
found. LAziness seems to be at the bottom Of
all street beggars' character, and the profess
sional will not work outside OF Blackwelrs
Is land and will not even beg aftef he
has gotten enough TO keep him from starya-
ton. II a few pennies more than are re-
quired to keep him over night have been col
lected thcy go for stale beer at 9 cents a can.
A few more are prudent n thrifty, who
ave entered upon this mode of gaining a
livelihood with their eyes open. These have
money in the bank, but they are few indeed.
Statistics carefully collected and compiled
by the Charity Organization society shows
that out Of every 100 persons who ask for
money on the streets Of New York ninety-six
are impostors. SO they claim that the
philanthropist should allow himself TO. be
solicited twcnty-four times before putting his
hand in his pocket. And then the chances
are that he is giving wrongly. From an
army OF CA strectrbeggars recently brought
TO the notice OF this society only twenty-eight
were found at all worthy Of charity. Every
month the agent OF the society pounccs upon
from eighty to 100 men,, women and children
who refuse to earn a living when
the opportunity Is offered them, and
after a warning TO keep of the streets
these idlers are sent up in patches, for six
months at n time. Several are known to be
wealthy, but 1t requires long watching and
great patience to find where their bank &C
counts are kept. This once done, the rich
pauper finds little opportunity to ply his
trade in New York again.
Among their friends and associates beggars
are given to boasting of their easy mode Of
life, and to the poor laborer or miserable fac
tory girl, shut up for twelve hours in a hot,
buzzlng factory, the picture of restful ease
drawn by the beggar Is delightful 1t re-
quires little inducement to tax the first step
towards city tramp life. Once having gotten
something for nothing, the taste is said to
grown upon one, and n few weeks spent In
begging on the streets makes the victim al
why's q bebhuI. Vi NOuoa butI0 dI6 u lew
who, suddenly thrown out of employment or
just recovering from ILLNESS, beg for a few
days and honestly need charity, but these
cases are extremely exceptional.
Thu queer lodges to which the upper class
OF beggars resort are almost as numerous as
the wiles Of their brethren, the confidence
operators. These willy beggars are nearly
always Americans Tho lower class count
more Italians among their number than any
other nationality. One OF the commonest
plans Is for a fairly intelligent victim TO select
his man and approach him with "Beg pardon,
but you look like a college-bred man. lam
myself. Have been on a prolonged spree
am just SOLDERING up. lave no place TO sleep
tonight. You look like an intelligent gentle
man. so ! pocket my shame Can you sparefr
and the iattered philanthropist is seldom so
hard-hearted that he cannot spare half a
dollar.
The lady who has just had hor pocket
picked, the man who lives In Philadelphia
and is caught short OF funds in the city, the
youth who has run away from a cruel uncle,
are all familiar types Of beggars. but this
class lives in comparative luxury on their
wits, and is recognized by the authorities as
entirely distinct from the street beggar
proper.
An Ohio man has Just remarked the wife