Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1886-07-28
SWINDtERS' TRICKS.
METHODS sY WHICH STREET BEG
CARS MANAGE TO SECURE VICTIMS.
Money TO Buy a Drink-The Apparently
Respectable OPerstor-ApPIicant for a
Two Cent LOan-Unusual Experience of
q Gentleman-Result

Respectable Operator-ApPIicant for a
Two Cent LOan-Unususl Experience of
Q Gentleman-ResuIts.
The number of mendicants on the streets of
New York this summer Is remarkable As a
rule they are Of - vile an appearance as to
excite aversion rather than pity Some Of
them may be deserving of charity, but how
are such cases TO be distinguished. The very
poorest, dirtiest, raggeieSt of them are rum
soaked, and frequently plead without conceal
ment for money TO buy a drink with That
is the frank dodge, and is wholly played out
Those who Use it are lacking in invention. and
the same may be said of ninety nine i'll every
hundred beGgarS When one appears with an
original tale there Is every reason for sl!s-
pcctlng that he or she is a swindcr One of
these sort came To my notice recently He
was neatly dressed, we'll washed, and in every
way apparently respectable He was too
proud 10 solicit aims, hut this WAS the way he
operated. Having selected his place. Fifth
avenue was his favorite field, he placed crust
of bread upon the curb as if he was making
provision for the birds, and then withdrew.
When group of Ladies appeared he began to
walk deJectedly in front of them until his eye
caught the crust, whereupon he rushed for
ward, seized it and began to eat it with avid
ity. The ladies, Of course, were much moved,
and stopped 10 question him. When thus &c
coSted he took of his hat in the politest fash
ion, anG spoke in the most cultivated language
The invarIable result was liberal donation
from the puTH~s of his victims. He lived very
well on the fruits of his business until some
body who saw him operate twice unkindly
brought him before "A court He was locked
up. and, believe, is still on the island
Another, though not 81 original swindler,
was a well-dreSsed woman, who was in the
habit of of accosting ladies in shopping re
sorts. She had come over from Brooklyn 10
make some purchases, but had encountered a
pickpocket 1t was very mortifying, but she
had only five cents left, and would the lady
kindly loan her two cents that she might cross
to Brooklyn on the ferryi Two cents was
her limit, and she usually got it No one
knows how much she got in this wav, but as
she was persistent in working the scheme she
eventually found her way to the island also
EXPERIENCE OF A FRIEND.
In marked contrast to these cases was the
experience of a friend of mine, who told it as
follows: at was about midnight, in Union
square, that was accosted by a gentleman.
! speak adviSeily, for his manner and ap-
pearance were in every way respectable. He
and friend had come over from England a
short time before, expecting to meet some
body at the dock from whom they had prom
ise of employment. One was an assistant
TO surgeons and the other a decorator of pot
terry. Their men had failed to meet them and
they had not succeeded in finding employ
ment. Meantime they had spent all their
money, pawned every article of clothing ex-
cept what they wore, and were now penni-
less. They wanted to secure a nights lodg-
ing and breakfast This Is an old story, but
| was nevertheless interested. thought
there might he some charitable institution i'll
the city where such cases were cared for, and
asked a passing policeman about
it H, no. he answered, gruffly; let 'em
90 20 a station house and sleep on a board
They positively refused TO go TO a station,
however, and finally told them that if they
couldn't find any help elsewhere that perhaps
| might aid them | would return in an
hour. | then went on, thinking that this
would lie fair test Of their genuineness.
AT the end Of an bour l came back and
sure enough they were waiting for me. l
the case to the clerk of the Morton
house, and he told me that up 70 10 O'Clock at
night deserving people might get lodging at
the Christian Association building. 1t was
now after l, and finally gave the men 81
and directed them 70 Bowery hotel and
asked them to call on ME in the morning.
They accepted the favor gratefully, and
to my surprise, appeared at my
office in the morning To make the story
short gave them another dollar and such
advice as could as to the best way 70 pro-
cure work This was two months ago, and
never expected to see them again
had often wondered what had become of
them. Last week one walked into the office,
well dressed spd evidently prosperous. He
put a s. bill on my desk, and insisted that
should take it The pottery worker had
secured work in New Jersey somewhere, and
the surgeons assistant was at work in the
College of Physicians and Surgeons, and both
were doing well. You may imagine that
felt very happy to think that l had not
turned them OFF when they applied to me. -
Uncle Bills New York Letter.