Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1886-05-07

Why So Many People Prefer Begging to Work
ing.
Catching" is a new term for that very
prevalent species of street begging which
is being carried on extensively on our
streets at this time. Hardly any one who
has occasion to be on the large thorough
sares of the city after 6 o'clock in the
evening escapes the vigilant eye of the
catcher"
The term arises perhaps from the fact
that this species of begging is outlawed,
as 1t is made a business of, and the person
who contributes his mite to these people
would be surprised and hurt if he really
knew that his charitable intentions were
entirely misplaced and that the mendi-
cants spent the nickles and dimes in some
convenient saloon for beer or drinks of
some other kind. These 'catchers' sell
dom ply their vocation until the shades of
night begin to fall, and they are encOun-
tered Oftener in some public place. One
can hardly pass Bessehl's, on Broadway,
without being tackled, and where the
bright rays of the electric light verge in
to shadows and darkness a short distance
from the door of some all night eating
house or around and near to the entrances
of the great caravanasaries of the down
town thOroughfares, these medicants are
rure to be found. Sometimes they go in
to partnership and "whack up" on the
proceeds of the evenings begging tourn-
ament.
catcher" wishes for no greater snap
than a man VINO has Just stepped out of
some eating house with toothpick be-
ween his teeth and n look of satisfaction
on his cOuntenance and feeling of con-
tentment with himself and with the world
filling his soul.
These ''catchers" learn to be good judg-
es of the human nature, and can tell
when, if ever, and under what circum-
stances, mans charitable feeling will as
sert itself. They invariably have some
pathetic story to relate, in which the de-
tails of the circumstances which forced
them into this humiliating position are
eloquently and feelingly portrayed the
chance passer-by is willing to listen to 1t.
Sunday is harvest day for the 'catch-
ers,n and they work the down town streets
during the whole day. Often the ''catch-
er" appears as little girl, almost respect
ably clad and heavily armed with heart
rending story of bedridden and widow
ed mother and not less than six or seven
famished brothers. Woe to the nice
Fourth or Fifth streets Sunday afternoon
with his best girl" for he is tackled at
every corner and in the middle of the
block. He could easily give away his
weeks salary in donations of cents each
in a promenade of fifteen or twenty
blocks. OF course the nice young man
with his best girl wouldn't wish to appear
stingy and uneharitable, but on the
other hand would wish to appear rather
the opposite. These street ''catchers'
know this, and the nice young man falls
their pray accordingly. OF course a
great number of these vagrants are run
in by the police and given hours the
next morning by Judge Cady. at the four
courts. OF course they evade the police
whenever they can. and are watchful not
| to ply their yocatisn whom an officer Is in
| sight. Two of these specimens were ruu
| in last night, one of them having almost
a dollar in nickels and dimes. 4 great
number of them represent themselves as
| railroad men out of employment on ac-
count of the strike, but seldom say they
are Knights of Labor.