The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1893-02-19
A BEGGARS' MUSEUM.
A Curious Institution in London Filled
With Interesting Relics.

Answers.
In a dingy street short distance from
Charing Cross is one of the curiosties of
London, beggars' museum, which receives
its name from the fact that 1t contains a
miscellaneous collection of articles taken
from the various grinders" (beggars) in
Testing the metropolis who fall into the
hands of the Mendicity Society's officers.
Wooden legs. erutches, splints, swords,
books, pictures, drawings, medals, begging
letters, naval and military uniforms are to
be seen here.
H"You would hardly believe it," remarked
the officer who accompanied the writer,
but / have taken four crutches from one
man. | found him in Brixton limplDg
along following an elderly lady.
~ saw her hand him Cd, whereupOn he
concealed the cruteh behind some bushes
in the garden of an unoccupied house aud
q months hard labor, but within week of
his discharge he was at il again.
This time / spotted him in the borough.
He was standing at a corner quietly con-
templating which street he should work.
After / had been watching him few mo-
gether to use the crutch he had under his
arm. He got another month.
"Ihose three pictures in the corner leach
depicting house on fire and man in his
shirt sleeves resculng the inmates) all be-
lopyed to one man. He was no more in
house than you have been. We have no
sooner deprived him of one picture than he
obtains another, and they cost him some
thing like 80 shilllngs to get painted.
There is rather curious history at
tached to those spIints. They belonged to
a man who worked what is known as the
crushed hand lay and for years he went
about with his hand tightly bandaged in
those spllnts.
Later on this man, having come into some
money through the death of relative in
America, went to Guys Hospital, complain
Ing that he could not bend his fingers. and
while there confessed that his hand was
never injured.
II heard afterward that, owing to the
hand having been so many years bound up
in stiff and cramped position, the doctors
despaired of being able to effect cure.
Those medals and classes belonged at
one time to an old Chelsea pen soner, whose
son, after his death, was in the habit Of
lending them to grinders, charging them
so much per day.
81 have found short account OF the
battle of Inkerman on one man that wore
them, and he confessed that he was learning
it by heart, in order that if he should be
questioned he could give an accurate ac-
count of the names of the regiments en-
gagged on that occasion.
+. 'tThat bullet was carried by man who
would 90 into public houses and tell a most
dramatic story of how he received it in
Egypt, and how, after he had been in six
hospitals, it was finally taken out of bis leg.
He was what was called borough soldier
and the only enemies he had ever fought
were the police"
The writer's attention was next called to
a number of pieces Of tin. cardboard and
wood, having on them "blind," confirmed
cripple" deaf and dumb"
II remember a curious instance happen
Ing to those two pieces you have in your
hand.
1.-TWO grinders had quarrel as they
were walking along. the confirmed cripple
alleging that the man wearing the deaf and
dumb ticket had no right to work his
street. The row got 10 blows, which re-
suited in their sprawlng in the road.
80 soon as they caught sight OF me they
scrambled up and. picking up their pieces
of tin, made off. few streets off | saw
them again and found that in their hurry to
escape they had changed the tins, the con-
firmed cripple was wearing the deaf and
dumb ticket, while the deaf and dumb
man, who was walking as well as you and
/. was exhibiting the confirmed cripple
ticket"