Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1893-08-17


army of beggars, tramps and pick
pockets, who, with extraordinary pro-
| fits in perspective, fOcked to London
from every part of the country to
swell the regular contingent of the pau
pers and ight-fngered gentry, and they
were increased by an unprecedented
reinforcement from abroad. Every one
Of them, says the London correspond
ent of the New York Sun, calculated
upon reaping a rich harvest and taking
advantage of the countless crowds that
filed the streets of the metropolis by
day and night, either by defrauding
them or appealing to their compass
Sions.
In the ordinary way the common
beggar can be divided into four classes
I-cripples and invalids, those who sham
any particular form of disease or in
trinity, those who invent and whine
out a pitiful tale of imaginary misfor-
tunes, and finally those whc are genu-
me and unprofessional paupers. Need
less to add that the latter category
lis much in the minority, and forms
a hardly appreciate quantity in the
number. The apparent cripples or in
firm are naturally the most numerous,
as they are the clients of all the
charitably inclined persons who pass
them on their way, and, be it said to
the credit of humanity, benevo1ence is
neither rare nor stinted. Careful in
vestigation and inquiries have brought
to light the fact that very few cases
are genuine Take, for instance, the
blind beggarS wandering about the
thoroughfares with dog or boy
guide-hardly one of them is not an
impOster. It is easy enough, with a
little practice, to acquire the art Of
showing only the white of the eye,
and a clever touching up Of the lids
imparts to them an in1amed and eX-
coriated aspect. Such a degree of per-
lection is attained in these sham oph-
thalmiaS that they deceive the charit-
able and sympathetic paSSerS-by, and
even doctors have been koWn 10 re-
Iuire special examination to detect
the fraud.
In almost every town or locality
there are well authenticated stories
current about the Would-be blind beg
CARS that have liked upon one particu-
lar spot for their operations. A tourist,
passing through provincial town,
saw one of these stationed Oh the stairs
leading to the station, and, struck by
st ,1ething in the mans appearance,
Ca .ialIy remarked to his companion
that he I'D not entirety believe in the
total blindness OF the beggar. The
latter, obliyious Of his part, in a lit
OF rage allowed the hidden pupils to
regain their normal place, and, lifting
his stick, rose and pursued the traveller
with threats and invectives. After
some months the same tourist found
the same impOStOr in another town;
t had apparently deemed it more
prudent to change the theater Of his
exploits and even his modus operandi,
for he was gathered UP in a small 60
cart drawn by d youth in tatters, who
hnplored aims for his crippled and
blind father The police were COM
municated with, the false beggar was
arrested, and, as is the Case in nine
cases out of ten, when his disguise was
and a burglar, who had already been
several times under penal sentences.
The sham beggars are not infrequently
betrayed by their pals and accom-
plices; in the case Of women they
turn informers usually out of jealousy;
in the case of men they are goaded
into treachery when they suspect that
the receipts are not impartially divl0-
ed.
The sham cripples have a harder
apprenticeship than their colleagues
in blindness, for they must literally
to1 ture their bodies and their limbs
before they achieve the satisfactory
semblance of distortion that will coax
pennies from the crowd. AS a rule
those who resort to these measures
are the most stupid and unimaginative
Of the brotherhood; those who would
nave more than sufficient brains to
earn a decent livelihood, and whose
nculrable laziness alone prevents them
from working, have recourse to men
| sG cious and romantic biographies.
Everywhere the professional beggars
seem to have undisturbed possession OF
certain localities, where they carry on
their trade unmolested by the others;
no one attempts to interfere with their
oeat; strict code regulates these ar
arrangements, and if they work in part
nership they are fairly honest in the
| ettlement of accounts. They have
common resorts where they congre-
gate when the day is done. Men Of
every nationality frequent these
haunts, and perhaps the most interest
ing of them, the most popular rendeZ-
| vous, is not in London, but in Paris.
! The place is presided over by wo-
man, Nine. Gay, and is called after
her. The building contains a small,
comfortable, and even elegant parlOr,
| in which the committee of the syndi-
cate of beggars meets, resembling the
Ole where Nine. PfersOn entertained
the king of the Cour des Miracles.
The members come at midnight, and
are served with excellent wine, having
nothing in common with the villainous
compound quaffed by the beggars Of
| both sexes in the adjoining apart
ments. The walls are hung with pic
lures representing different scenes in
the lives Of the medicants, their alter
cations, conflicts and struggles with
| the police, and Nine. Gay has a long
record of "reminiscences to unfold She
tells you proudly that the names of
NJ w oil n1ly,.at tod In,,