St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-05-10
In THE CITY'S MIDST.
A Charity Expert on How to Get
On in the World.


makers trade, the printers trade and
many other trades and occupations are
known to the world, but that there is
charity trade is not so well known, and
to make that factmore thoroughly known
and understood is the object of this
article. A certain man, whose name
for various reasons is withheld, who re-
Gently resided in South Minneapolis, is
a skilled workman at his trade, which
is that peculiar one known as charity
expert. He halls from Tennessee,
where he owns $500 worth of property
Jacksonville, ILL.,, and from the swamps
of ArkanSaS-in fact, it would be hard
to name place that he hadn't hailed
from at one time or another in his
checkered career. He has a wife and
three children, two boys and a girl.
When he wants to play his charity
game he pretends to desert his wife, as
he did the first time he came to Mime
apoliS. Then his wife and children are
thrown upon the town which he leaves
for support. By and by the town gets
tired of supporting them, and the wife
says if she could only get enough
the husband all would be well with them.
the town give them transportation
money, and thus the experts are again
reunited in the bonds of matrimonial
bliss. He is Grand Army man, and
works that racket for all it is worth.
He first came here from Jacksonville,
ILL.,, through the aid of the Grand Army
boys. After staying here while he got
pass from the city poor department,
to Louisville, KY, where his family
was. Minneapolis thought she had
got rid of him, but alas! it was
not so. Soon all the family were
ell route for Minneapolis. They arrived
here at the depot Just as winter was
about to set in. The father had the
key to the Friendly Inn, and thought
that he and the family could lodge
there, but to his discontinue, he found,
upon arrival, that the Friendly
Inn had disappeared. So the family
were obliged to stay i'll the depot
all night. Their apparently sad case
got noiSed abroad, and charity began
to pour in. They stayed here all
last winter, and now the charity
expert has deserted them again,
leaving dear Mrs. and her
children to the tender mercies of the
time that he has deserted CO his wife.
She is fat, jolly woman, and her chill
dren are in good condition. A gentle
man who was anxious to find out her
circumstances called on her one day
last winter. Said he to her: "How do
you like Minneapolis" ''Oh, | think
it is a real nice place." she replied
The people are so kind" She was
frying something when the gentleman
called, ana as she travelled about the
room, from time to time turning over
the cakes upon the stove, she sang ira
la-la, tra-la-la to the music of the kissing
tiap-jacks, giving all the symptoms of
very cOntented frame of mind. The
visitor intimated to another person the
next day after the call that he felt like
writing an article entitled THE Annals
of a Happy Family but prudence got
the better of his feelings, for he never
wrote it. The family are travelling
mendicants. They never pay a debt
and make no pretense of paying rent.
Last winter they resided in four differ
ent parts of Minneapolis. The husband
has always prospective job in view, on
the strength of which he borrows money
which he never repays. He is strong
Methodist and has the amen" accent
down to perfection. On the strength of
this he gets great deal of help from
his Methodist brethren. He has the APP
pearance of an honest, Woodworking
but unfortunate man. He is generous
to fault with his MOUTH to any one
from whom he thinks he may get some
money. He is teaching his oldest son
the trade, and it is only a question of
short time when the son will emerge
from his apprenticeship, full-hedged
charity expert. The wife and children
are now playing the distress dodge for
all it is worth. Soon they will try the
transportation trick. May Lucifer grant
them success in all their undertakings.