Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1884-08-22
CHEEKY PAUPERISM.
What an Energetic Beggar Can Make
on the Street.
Advantages and Draw bacl,s-An Ann
atcur Tries His Hand at the
Pauper TraJc-Percent-
age of ImpOstOrs.
New York World.1


educated sIrn whisker, stained his face
brown and donncl his Sabbath suit that he
might live two days among the heggarS as
one Of thom and WOO the coy nickle from the
philanthropc pocket, can testify that asking
nlns is no easy work. The older lcggars
looked down upon the tledgeling and refused
to associate with him until he had proven
himself worthy to belong to their guild An
old IairOne 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 mstiled into
his youthful mind some Of the simpler
secrets of the trade. Translated from the
slangy pigeon English, his instructions were
somewhat like this:
you must, r." he explained, take advantage
of our working hours, from o'clock in the
evening until midnight, for in that time our
money must be made. The easiest places to
work are the entrances to restaurants and
eating houses, and will give you stand
where you can make at least 81 night. But
never ask 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 are he will lie
good for a dime"
SO with many admonitions to beware of the
the amateur beggar was given as his beat the
corner of Beekinan and Park row, there to
pounce upon unwary diners in Hitchcock's
restaurant. SO from o'clock until midnight
ninety-three persons were stopped and
the usual formula of haven't tasted
food -for-a-month fired at them. The
great majority hurried on, two men
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 Richeleu month. Then he
moved up the Bowery asking pennies on the
way and receiving only an invitation to take
a drink with party of jewellers in a Great
Jones street dive. So passed the first night
and the next day, after the padrone had
added a few choice Italian expletives to the
stock of curses already on hand, new beat
was selected, which took In the west side
ferries. But having twice been nearly
dubbed by n policeman and being able to
show only cents as the net result of four
hours work, the mendicant business was
given up in disgust and hasty return taken
to more congenial methods of work
During this time nearly a score of beggars
were talked with on tho 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 atfectionately called Father
Guilliani, was very wealthy, worth at least
so, 600, but Just where he 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
i,,,li
in one spot He or she usually rents a squalid
couch in filthy room surrounded by equally
dirty denizens, 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 profes-
sional will not work outside of BackwelIs
is land and will not even beg after he
has gotten enough to keep him from starva-
ton. If a few pennies more than are re-
quired to keep him over night have been col
lccted they 60 for stale beer at cents can.
y few more are prudent and thrifty, who
have entered upon this mode of gaining a
livelihood with theireye 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 tho
philanthropist should allow himself to be
solicited twenty-four times before putting his
hand in his pocket. And then the chances
are that he is giving wrongly From an
army of C94 street beggars 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 pounces upon
from eighty to 100 men, women and children
who refuse to earn a living when
the opportunity is offered them, and
after warning to keep off the streets
these idlcrs are sent up in patches, for six
months a n time. Several are known to be
wealthy, but it requires long watching and
great patience TO find where their bank ac-
counts arr kept. This once done, the rich
lauper finds little opportunity to ply his
trade in New York again.
Amorg their friends and associates beggarS
are given to boastmg of their easy mode of
life, and to the poor laborer or miserable fac
tory girl, Shut up for twelve hours in a hot