The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-01-13

A
Upon receiving the letter Mr.. Hewitt put
the widow Connolly on his list of calling
places and that afternoon drove to Eliot
place. He found that Eliot place. is only
about two blocks long and that the highest
number is 81.
every day. said the Poormaster, 81 have
to investigate similar cases.
The people that beg from door to door
and on the street corners are generally
swindlers, and not deserving of charity. In
the majority of cases they do not live Ill Jer-
sey City, but come here from other cities to
make a living at begging. 1t is all right to
feed a man or a woman at the door IT they
appear hungry, and will eat the food in your
sight, but it is wrong to give money or cold
victuals to beggars.
Il will give YOU an instance of the evil of
this:-Some days ago an Alderman reported
to me the case of a small boy about eight or
nine years old who had come into his store
begging. The little fellow told a pitiful tale
about his mother and father being dead, and
said he was stopping with a woman who sent
him out begging. He gave the Alderman
his name and said he lived in Steuben
street. L investigated and found that he
had moved from there. l traced him up
and found out that he was living with an
aunt on Henderson near Morgan streets. L
went there and found that a whole family,
including the aunt's husband, were living
upon what that little tot got by begging. As
I was talking to her L caught sight of him
across the street. | ran down the stairs and
walked towards him. He saw me coming
and ran up the street, we had a
foot race. and / finally caught him at Grove
street. | put him in the station house, and
kept him there till morning, then sent him to
Snake Hill. found out that | had sent his
grandmother there only last Tuesday.
There is an example of the evil of giving
to beggars. Ii it were not for that boys
success in begging, his uncle, a strong man,
would have been compelled to seek work. in
stead of living on the bounty of kind-hearted
storekeepers and housewives.
BEGGARs AT HURCH DOORS.
81 have received q number of complaints
in the past few weeks of beggars who stand
at the doors of the churches on Sunday
mornings seeking aims. Last Sunday l de-
termined to look this matter up. With this
intention | went down to st. Peters Church
at ten o'clock. as the people were going into
church. l found that the reports were true,
for there in front of the church entrance
were grouped three cripples and two blind
men all begging, and all receiving from the
kind hearted devotees | found out that
theybelonged in New York, and that they
were in the habit of coming over here every
Sunday. | got the police to drive them
down below Washington street, but they
were back again hen the people were com
ing out of church. Other churches, have
sent me complaints similar to st. Peters.
'eThe other day two beggars were arrested
on Palisade avenue and one on Summit ave
nue.. They all three hailed from West Ho-
boken. These cases go to show that the
beggars that infest our streets are not de
serving and are in most cases not citizens of
Jersey City.
eff people would only stop giving to beg
CARS we wouldn't have any. Now, the point
| am getting at is hat it is not necessary for
any one to beg; the city and private chart
ties are ~abundantly able to take care of all
the city's poor. It is only those who know
they are not deserving and consequently are
afraid to call on me for aid that resort to
begging"