The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1894-03-27
sgooAas m NEW YoRk.

Thsh Groupings BY Sationalities and
Modes Of working" a. Their Gran.
The comrndeahip ~ beggars, 10 which
ell writers GA the subject 81 the neither side
Of life in the big metropolis Of New York
delight 10 refer, does not manifest itself
at courts or police stations. for no individ.
ual arrested FOR mcndicnucy in New York
Tor very long time has described him
self ~ a bepQar when arraiRned or arrest
eel. There are about 800 professional
boggars In New York. Begging az a fine
art or fixed science is not un American in
ettution. Americans do not make good
begRars, II such an expression may be used
10 describe ability Ia nlmsgetting.
Begging * "a foreign industry, tempora-
rily transported, % far as this city a. con
oerned. There is one peculiar thing about
IL which does not iind It's way usually into
the columns Of newspapers. The profes
sional beggafs Of New York belong In
groups divided by questions Of nationali
". There Il the Italian group, the Span
ish group, the Danish group, tho French
group, the Russian group, the Polish group,
the Scottish group, the Swedish group,
the Greek group, and so on. Each Of these
groups has certain place Of rendezvous,
and the way they operate Is about ns fol
=
United States on visit and the newspa-
pers chronicle his movements, IL Is not
long before he Is beset by Italian mendi-
cants who clkim 20 be temporarily EN-
barrassed and 10 have heard from abroad
OF his liberality and benevolence. A French
tourist has the same experience from his
compatriots, and so It Is all through the
list
The professional beggsrs are close read
ers Of obituary notices, and when man
II prominence ia the foreign colony dies
his family Is pcstcred with opportunities
by bcggars from that country. Not very
long ago we'll known New York mer
chant died. aud his obituary notice con.
tanned the information that he had been
born Ia a certain town of Holland. As
soon as the Dutch group Of beggars got
bold Of this fact they overran the members
Of his family with claims for charity and
assistance. All professional beggars in New
York read the published newspaper ac.
counts Of accidents Of au unusual charac.
ter, and when some member OF a family
has met his death in peculiar manner
they profess TO members OF the family 20
have suffered from similar afiiiction and
hope TO stimulate their generosity.
These mendicants go about their work
VI hlAAieAfNNAliik - hAtAlhAiNAtl1s VIC BIbuI
does not interfere with another Facts
learned by one member Of a group are at
the earliest opportunity communicated to
the others, and thus, almost automatical
ly, these beggars descend from all parts
OF the city on a common object Of attack.
They evade the provisions Of the law re
garding mendicancy by prosecuting their
demands within doors and not on the
directs They are careful about this for
the distinction which many persons would
not observe Is "A vital one ia law.
The great majority Of New York profes-
sional beggars are Incorporate, and the
larger amount of what muy be described
as their earnings is expended in drink.
This fact does not comport very well with
their own known system and precision in
securing victims for attack but it can be
easily explained when it is stated that the
best organized group Of foreign born men
dicants come from countries where drink
ing is general. but intoxcation is rare
New York Sun.