The Sunday herald and weekly national intelligencer., 1890-04-13
BEGGING IMPOSTORS.
SOME OF THE swINDLEs PERPE-
TRATED ON CHARITABLE PEOPLE.
A Decrepit Old Beggar With Heart Trouble
who Lived in Handsome House-A
Woman Who Works the Insanity Dodge
to Bleed the Kind-Hearted.

to Bleed the Kind-Hearted.
''Of all the frauds,n remarked lady, "to be
met with among professional beggars, think
can tell you of the two most ingenious ones who
practice their arts upon the soft-hearted people
Of Washington. The first is woman who looks
hundred years old. Her face and chin are
one mass of wrinkles, her back is bent nearly
double, and she walks with cane. She in
variably carries basket of small mats, which
she states were given her by members of
Epiphany Church to dispose of in order that
she may support herself and a little grandson.
When she enters your house she is at once at
tackled by heart trouble, and sinks down upon
a chair or sofa hardly able to breathe. You
can't help pitying her, and she pours out an
oft-told tale Of better days before the war, q
ruined home, ETC., ETC., ending with supplica-
tion for aims, which is generally effective.
When first saw this woman of course was
deeply moved by her seeming pitiable condi
ton, and on several occasions gave her money.
She spoke to me of her small grandson, and
begged me to get him appointed as page in
the House or Senate. l have an influential
friend who has had several boys appointed to
these offices, and to him went at once stating
that wanted a position as page for the small
boy. He promised to do all in his power. The
old woman soon called again-her visits were
growing in frequency, for she received some
thing every time she came. 1 Informed her
that very likely within few days her grandson
would receive his appointment to the desired
place, and requested her to give me her address,
that l might send her word when the good
news was confirmed. To my surprise, she
seemed rather reluctant to give it to me, and
finally asked if l intended calling myself say
ing that where she lived was no place for lady
like me to come to. After talking in this strain
for some few minutes, and being assured that
would send a servant, she was apparently re-
lieved, and gave me the address of a house in q
nice neighborhood near Capitol Hill. The
people, she said, who lived there would know
where to find her. Then she had slight attack
of heart failure for my benefit which produced
coin and she took her departure. Her rather
| embarrassed answers to my questions concern
| ing her residence aroused my suspicious, and l
| concluded to find out for myself something
about her So setting forth [ applied to the
| house of which she had spoken. 1t was very
neat looking from the exterior, and / thought
| no doubt the people living there knew of this
| old woman and had, perhaps, often helped her
| l mounted the steps and rang the door bell. A
| girl of sixteen or less, who had been practicing
upon a piano, answered my ring. l told her
| that came In regard to the old beggar, giving
her name, and also that had vey likely secured
| the position for her grandson.
ooh you want to see my grandmother she
| sad smiling at me. Come right in. She lives
| here
81 was extremely astonished to hear this and
even more when a high, thin voice, whose ac-
| cents were familiar called out in an angry tone
| girl into the hall, and saw the old fraud stand
| ing by the foot Of the staircase her eyes fairly
| starting from their sockets with rage. And,
| would you believe it, that old wretch then tried
| tn lya a hafnr
| Yes, she did, and kept it up until 1 informed her
| that there existed hardly doubt but what my
friend would be able to get the place for the boy
| at the Capitol. Then she admitted who she was
| and tried to excuse her lying, but / was too in
dignant to hear any apologies, and stallled out
| of the house.
"This fraud must make from $40 to $15 day,
as she goes around to a great many people
| know, all of whom have regularly given her
small sums of money.
''The other fraud L speak of is one of the most
ingenious pieces of humbuggery perpetrated in
| this city. This is well-dressed woman of mid
! die age, who floats about from house to house
giving people the impression that she is slightly
| demented. Her plan of action is to enter
| house, send for the mistress, and inform her she
| is invested with several sacred charges for
whom she is in great need of money This one
must go South for his weak lungs that one needs
special and expensive treatment, and would the
lady be so kind as to lend her $400-it is invari-
| ably $400 she desires-with which to discharge
|
| into spiritualistic channels, and she tells YOU
| that the spirits of Napoleon and George Wash
| ington are always in attendance upon her.
| Then, having convinced one of her mental weak
| ness they generally, not wishing to lend her
| $780, give her fifty cents or dollar on account
| She is originally from New York, and must have
reaped harvest in this city, for know of many
| ladies who have pitied her and given her money
| from time to time. But she is a genuine fraud
| l know, for l recently heard of her actions in
| New York, (which city she was forced to leave"
One of the newest features in begging is a
| great financial success. A nicely dressed man
of neat appearance, having the manners of
| commercial man, will, after seeming embarrass-
ment and hesitancy, approach a substantial
| looking citizen and tell him story that is eX-
I tremely plausible. He represents himself as
! travelling salesman for some large wholesale
| house in Chicago, New York, or other large
! cities, and exhibits business cards to substan-
| tiate his statement. He then tells his hearer
| he has just started out on the road, and is, of
course, green in the business. His trunks have
| been delayed in some city and he has no bag
| gage with him to enable him to stop at hotel.
| He usually has friend who resides in Balti-
| more, and can he borrow just the fare to that
| city, which he will return when he reaches
| there ? He offers small diamond scarf-pin
as security, or even his watch which is of gold,
| but generally knows by the exterior of the one
| he has accosted that he will not accept it, He
| often gets what he asks, and no doubt derives
very comfortable income from his neat swim
| die.