Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1886-10-04

Beggars followed us everywhere, and they
were of ell classes and ages. AT every turn
of the road and from every rock, bare.
headed, bare-legged, ragged girls and boys
from 4 years old to Is sprang forth and made
for our stage, holding out their bands as they
ran, and saying, "Penry Il you place, sur.
Penny if you place" This refrain they would
keep up for miles, running all the time as
fast as the horses and keeping even with the
stage. If q penny was thrown to them, they
would scramble and fight among themselves
for it and then dart on to beg for more. Some
OF the little girls were almost naked, and
none of them had hats, shoes or good clothes.
One ! remember, a %strapping, good looking
girl of Is, had upon her rags which left her In
a state of ~semi-nudity, and which looked as
though the breaking of Il thread would leave
her clad a la Madam Eve before the fall. She
got about five pennies in a tln.ee-mile run and
was profuse in her God bless yous.
One of the best beggars Of the whole lot
wasa little red-headed boy Of about 10 years
who followed us five miles at least. He was
oil rags, but quite pretty, and his barel feet
kept him up with the stage though his face
was flushed with the exertion. Heran along
and sang Irish songs for us, and then asked
us II we would give him a penny if he would
stand on his head. Without waiting for a
reply he dashed ahead of the trotting four
horseNeam and after he had gotten about 800
yards in advance he stood on his head and
balanced his bare legs in the air, and SO re-
manned with red face while the stage passed,
his almost bursting eyebdlls looking into faces
and inquiring as to the result of his chief
begging trick. He did this a half dozen
times, until l promised him a penny if he
would follow us no longer. He promised. l
threw him the penny, and he turned to run
back when an Australian wag on ttps front
seat held up another copper, and he broke his
word and put after us again.
AT kenmare an ~ahle-hodied Irishman of
40 stood in the street and sung songs, while
the stage stopped, for the few pennies which
We're given him. He had a shillaleh in his
hands and danced an Irish dance at the end
OF each verse. 1t was a humiliating and de-
grading scene and l pitied the man more
than laughed at his antics.
At the Lakes of Killarney the beggars are
legion. They seize hold of you and will hard
~ let you go. They meet you at every turn
and by laughing or crying, by Importantly
and cheek, coax the coppers out of your
pocket al every turn. They try to force you
to buy, md swarm about you to such an ex-
tent that the scenery Is hardly worth the
struggle in getting past them.
The same begging ] found at Dublin, and
so everywhere in the south of Ireland where
tourists &c. There was less of it in the north
ern counties, and off of the lines of travel
scarcely any. Mr.. Robert P. Porter, who
Travelled over the western counties, tells me
that away from the railroads he found the
people miserably poor but no beggars.
Western and southern ireland are the
poorest parts. Milk, potatoes and Indian
meal mmsh, which they call stirabout, is the
starle diet. and nent is seldom seen excep. on