The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1891-10-10
PROFESSIONAL BeeeARs.
Over $4,000 Of Them in New York,
Most Of Whom Beg from Choice.

York and $4,000 OF them beg from
choice rather than necessity. Once 1
man loses all self-respect and pride
and he has little enough Of then
left, once he is forced to ask fol
aims, he finds it so much less exer
ton to beg than to work, he soor
becomes a professional mendicant
The professional beggars of New
York are stars in their line, and are
SPLENDID judges of human nature
who can tell when they meet q
worthy object of charity. The less
deserving the applicant for aims
the more pitiful his story and the
more persistently is it told.
A large majority of the profes.
sional beggars are men, and many
of them are strong and healthy
young fellows we'll able to work
This class are beggars or robbers
as opportunity offers.
The professional beggar must be
a man of some ability and he re.
quires years of study and practice
to make the application profitable.
He must be a man of some original
ity, tor the American people prefer
variety even in the tales of woe told
by the street beggars. The men who
achieve success in the business are
proud of their profession and rather
enjoy being caught now and then.
No part Of the city is free from
the frauds, who are collecting the
living they claim the world owes
them. They visit every block and
probably every house from the Bat
terry to the Harlem river. During
the day they work among the fash
ionable residences up town and the
wholesale districts down town. In
the evening they swarm along Up
per Broadway, mingling with the
throng of weA-dressed theater goers
and promenaders. 1t is there they
reap their richest harvest from the
out of town people who are seeing
the sights and have usually seen
enough of them at that hour to feel
as though they would be glad to
relieve all the poverty and suffering
in the world.
Between 6 and II o'clock in the
evening it is impossible to walk
half block anywhere on Broadway
between Union Square and Thirty
third street, without being stopped
by pitiful appeal for aims. The
less deserving the applicant the
more pitiful the appeal.
An old but still q favorite trick
with the professional beggars is to
bind up an arm or leg and pretend
to be crippled. Some of them are
extremely clever in making up and
a careful examination would be
necessary to detect the deception.
At the lower eEd of Madison
Square a few evenings ago l en-
countered professional who was
evidently an old timer. He was
40 years old and giant in stature
There was a six weeks growth of
beard on his face, his hair was long
and matted and his dress was in
keeping with his whole abject pow
erty. His left hand and fore arm
were wrapped in an immense band
age and carried in sling. 'Please
sir, my arm was crushed in a rail-
road accident and | have not been
able to work for two months. My
wife and five little ones are starving.
Yes, sir, actually starving, and they
will bless you in their prayers if
you will give them a penny to buy
them bread"
This was his appeal and it yielded
a dime, for which he was profusely
thankful.
The next evening l met the same
man, four blocks higher up Broad
way. While he was repeating the
l noticed that it was his
right hand and arm he carried in a
sling this time, while the left one
was sound and we'll.
"Giving your other arm a rest
this EVENING" | asked.
"Yes, it gets tired carrying it in
a sling all night"
He had replied without thinking
of the admission he was making,
but in moment he realized the
blunder he had made and tried to
explain the situation by saying that
he had been knocked down by
heavy truck that day and had
broken his right arm. The next
day l was passing through Madison
Square and discovered my friend Of
the injured arms sitting on a bench
smoking a pipe and evidently feel.
ing very much pleased with himself
and all the world.
"How are the injured arms?' ]
asked. The sings and bandages
had disappeared. The old man was
not on duty.
"Are your wife and children starv-
ing yet?'
HOh, it's you, is it? What do you
want to go gettin on to a man like
that for? l amt done you no harm.
/ IN tryin' to earn an honest living"
l promised not to expose him to