Blackfoot news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1891-1902, 1894-06-02
TRICKS OF THE TRADE.
THE MANIFOLD WAYS OF THE
GENUS TRAMP.
The cleverest Ail-Around vagabond Is
the street Beggar-schemes OF the
Women for Extracting Niekles and
Dimes-Chlld Beggars.

the cleverest all-around vagabond in
the world, He knows more about
human nature than any other tramp
OF my acquaintance, and can read its
weak points with surprising case.
! used to know New York tramp OF
tins kind who begged almost entirely
OF women as they walked along the
streets, and he claimed that he could
tell, the minute he had seen their
eyes. whether il would pay TO "tackle
'em," says Century writer. How
he did this do not pretend to know.
and he could not tell himself, but u
was true that he never judged wo-
man wrongly. Fifth avenue was his
beat and he knew fully fifty women
in that district who were sure TO
give him something.
His man tricks. il | can call them
such. were those Of the voice rather
than of the hand. He knew when TO
whine and when to "talk straight.
and best OF all he knew when TO
make people laugh. This Is the
highest accomplishment OF the street
beggar. for when person will laugh
with him he is pretty sure 10 get
something; and If he can pick out a
certain number of clients as he
calls them, who will laugh with him
every week the year round, his liv-
ing is assured. This is the business
OF the clever street beggar; he must
scrape acquaintance with enough
people in his chosen district TO sup
port him. II matters not 10 him
whether he eXcites their pity or
mirth, so long as he gets their
nickels and dunes. | used to know
woman beggar OF this sort whose
main trick. or capital, as she called
it, was extreme faith in the chiyalry
OF men. She would actually hang on
/ TO a man and tragically exclaim;
How dare you cast me on Don't
you know that am Noman2 Have
you no mother or sisterso Would
you treat them as you are treating
me2n
Some men are so squeamishly and
neryously chivalrous that they will
be taken in by such q bcggar any
time Women very often make the
keenest street beggarA They are
more original in posing and dressing.
and il with their other talents thcy
can also use their voices clcyerly.
they do very we'll Speaking Oi pos
ing reminds me OF woman who Is
usually to DO found near the Alham-
bra music hall in London Sho
dresses very quietly and neatly and
her entire manner Is that OF lady
believe that she really was ono in
her day, but liquor has made her a
match-vender; and her clever pose
and dress are so attractive that poo
pie give her three times the value Of
the matches she gives them.
The room bcggar Is the brainy
man OF the city tramps. and the
other beggars know II, and look up
to him, with the exception or tho
clever street beggar, who considers
himself his equal, and think real
II is.
No tramp for instance. Is so clever
at the begging letter "racket." and
this means good deal, To be able
to write letter To perfect stranger
and make money out % II requires a
skilled hand and man educated Ia
many lines The public has become
somewhat used TO this trick, mnd
will not be deceived every time only
men Of fairly original turn Of mind
can do much with IL. II Is this
originality that is the main talent of
the room beggar He concocts sto-
ries which would do credit TO q 1T.
erary man, and sometimes makes
nearly as much money as the daring
thief
Women are also found in this
class, and do very we'll at times In
the city Of Berlin. Germany, there
lived ,lady" Of this sort. She had
two homes. One was a cellar in u
poor quarter Of the town, and the
other was rather aristocratic etage
in the West End. Shc sent letters
to wel-tO.dO people OF all sorts. in
which she claimed TO be cine hoch-
wohlgeborcne dame" in distress.
She invited likely philanthropists to
visit her in her cellar in order that
they might see how unfortunate her
pOSlblOH really was. EeOple went,
and were shocked. and. as result.
| she had her apartment In the West
End. For about ten months this
woman and her two daughters lived
in real luxury, and one Of the young
ladies' was to marry in high so
ciety" about the time that tho ruse
was made public.
One trick is to send around pretty
little girls and boys to do the beg
cling A child will succeed at house
begging when an able bodied man or
woman viii fail utterly, and tho
same Is true Of a very old man-tho
more Of centenarian he looks the
better. But better th IN any OF these
tricks is what they call the 'faintin
gag" myself had the benefit OF u
scheme Of this sort out in Indianap-
oils some years ago. and know that
it works we'll got into the town
one night. and was at loss to know
what TO do, until / accidentally met
an old hobo who was trying to make