Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-01-26
CHARITY CLEARING HOUSES.
HOW CHARITABLE NEW YORK DETECTS
IMPOsTERs
The Means Taken to Check the Rerpe-
tration of Frauds in this Direc-
tion-Masonic Relief.

Deen changed Out llIlle IN ltS details Dy the
flight of years. The sole difference be-
tween the charity of those days and that
of to-day is that she has more suffering to
do and quite as much kindness to exer-
else. If all men were sober, honest and
industrious, there would be fewer burdens
piled upon her heavily-laden shoulders,
fewer piteous tales poured into her sympa-
thetic ear and none of the mendicancy
that impudently faunts It's ostentatious
misery in the public face. Mankind, how
ever, contains a dishonest and lazy ele-
ment. whose trickery plays upon and out
RACES the charitable disposition TO the
great prejudice of the honestly unfortu-
nate. The evil has, indeed, reached such
a point that the giving of aims has be-
come sharp contest Of wits, i'll which the
beggar seeks to devise new schemes for
fleeing his patron, who is forced to sur
round himself with a veritable wall of
precautionary measures to save himself
from imposition. These reasons have so
urged upon charity the duty of adding,
to her old-time virtues of suffering and
kindness, another which better fits her for
work in these modern days-self-protec-
tion-that through her representatives in
New York city, she has established a
charity clearing house."
The official title of this concern is "The
Charity Organization Society of the City
of New York, and it claims to be IA clear
ing-house for charity" though its functions
partake quite as much of the nature of
those attached to mercantile agencies. Its
objects are the establishment of center of
ntercommunication and the exchanging of
information among the various churches
and charitable agencies of the city, foster
ing harmonious cooperation and checking
the overlapping of relief; the thorough
and free investigation of the cases of all
applicants for relief referred to them, and
the sending Of confdeHtial reports con-
cerning such person to all persons legiti-
mately interested in the result Of the in
vestigation; the obtaining of relief from
charitable sources for deserving cases. the
procuring Of work for poor persons; the
detection and prosecution of lmpostors, and
the advocacy of sanitary reforms and other
agencies for the Improvement Of the con-
dition of the poor. 1t is entirely non
sectarian, forming a medium for systematic
charity for Protestant, Catholic or Hebrew,
society or individual. 1t is supported en-
tirely by voluntary contributions, and
since its establishment seven years ago has
grown into one of the most powerful and
+, mplete agencies for the repression of
pauperism and the dispensing of true
charity to be found in the country.
One of the most interesting branches of
the work of this society is that relating to
the exposure and suppression of frauds.
The society employs special officer to do
the necessary detective work. He investi-
gates all cases assigned to him by it, warns
the offender on the first offense and arrests
him on the second. In this way many
professional beggars have been driven
from the streets, and their signs, "Help the
Blind" ~ was blown up by blasting ac
cident and lost my sight," 'Please help
me-" and many other of that nature, adorn
the trophy collection of the Central Office
in University Place.
The exposure and suppression of dis
honest and mischievous enterprises, pre-
tending to be for charitable purposes,
which spring up in generous community
like this as do weeds in a richly fertilized
garden, has been a prominent feature of
the society's work.
1t is we'll known that rich men are over
whelmed by a steady stream of begging
letters" Many of the wealthy citizens of
New York have therefore become mem
bers of this society for their own protec-
ton. All begging letters received by
them are forwarded to it. The result is
collection of such letters that would de-
light the soul OF a student of epistolary
literature. Many of them are directed to
such well-known names as Vanderbilt,
Goelet, Lorillard, Gerry, Webb, Dodge,
Dillon, Astor and others. They draw pa
thetic pictures Of woe, suffering, misfor-
tune and distress. None ask for work, but
all ask Tor money.
. New Workers are frequently commented
upon as cold, grasping and ungenerous,
: but it is safe to say that no more liberal
community exists on the American eanti-
nent. The roster of benevolent societies
here is so long as to cause surprise tot 4the
reader, and they are especial objects for
the rapacity of such birds of prey as attend
a cosmopolitan population and practi-
eally unchecked stream of immigration.
adoption of systematic measures for self
protection.
Accordingly, in 1884, the Grand Lodge
of Masons of New York organized Board
of Relief. Of which William Delamater,
ESQ, of the Police Department, is Secre-
tary, ,antended to promptly relieve cases of
actual distress among Masons, without sup
porting pensioners, and to be sort of de-
tective agency to ferret out and punish
''beats.n Applications were constantly
made to the various lodges and prominent
Masons, and the pressure was greatly aug
mented bv the tremendous influx of for
eigners. The lodges were expending large
sums of money in charity, while the num-
Der of applications was increasing. The
Board, when organized, was composed of
delegates from the contributing lodges, and
supported by the voluntary contributions
of about oue-third of the city lodges, at the
rate of twenty-five cents year for each
member. It soon discovered that the
primitive method of dispensing charity
then in vogue was unequal TO the task of
exposing the numerous beats that
swarmed around the fountain of Masonic
charity, and it began to organize a system
for its charitable work. The result has
been that the Seretary's big record book
strikes terror to the heart of the profess
sional Masonic "beats,n and the meeting
room of the Board displays several trophies
in the shape of hats whose owners have
precipitately departed when the Secretary
took down his book and began to turn over
its pages. In that book are recorded the
names, descriptions, stories told by each,
and the full report of the investigation
made by the Board, and it has several
times been usedas evidence in Court, doing
much to rid the city of large and trouble,
some tramp element. When the Board
was first organized the percentage of I'M
posters to applications were enormous.
The statistics of the first years work
showed that fully so per cent. of the ap-
plications were fraudulent The percent
age has now been reduced to 80 by careful
investigation and vigorous prosecution of
imposters.
Not long ago an applicant for assistance
came before the Board with most pitiful
story of misfortune and distress, which
Fas at first believed, but carefully investi-
,ated. 1t was ascertained that the appli
ont had become member of several
IJ.as ,,,,1o,. liGaranf nance had heeO