The evening times., 1896-07-23
GIVE FREELY TO THE BLIND.
Sightless BeggarS Reap a
Harvest in This City.
THE TRICKS OF THE TRADE
These Wandering Mendicants Study
the Methods Surest to Bring Them
Nickeis and Dimes-Many Flocked
Here During the Christian Eli
deavor Convention.

Blind beggars are everywhere; at least
1t seems SO. Along the principal thorough
fares OF this city they are to be found at
every other corner, or il by chance there
is Bone ON the corner he will be found So
Letting alnis from door ID door along the
block. a~
In their ranks are all kinds and Con-
ditions of men white and black, tall and
short, young and old, but always sightless.
Just us children all over the world, hav-
ing NO possible means OF communication,
play the same games in the same seasons,
or us the birds, who begin their niigrations,
at the same time, SO this species OF hobo,
for some ineSpllcable reason, always ap-
pear in a city together.
From all directions they come, not singly,
but in focks- This has been the invariable
rule In Washington. The city passed
through such an experience last winter
when crowd OF blind beggars made their
headquarters i'll the cheap lodging houses on
First street, near. the Avenue, and from
there sailed forth to do the town. AT
first they were tolerated, but gradually
they became such nuisances that they
were ordered 10 leave the city. The last
"
Andrew KirkIey by name, almost muir
dered u 10y whom he had induced to accom-
pany him from Baltimore tolead hinIaround.
+ This mau is known all over the country,
for his peregrnations have extended from
California to Maine. Every cent he could
wheede out OF the charitably inclined he
spent for drink, and many belated wan
derer on the Avenue has beheld the pitt
|
verge of deiirium tremcus, staggering up
the street.
ORDERED FROM THE CITY.
While in this condition he is perfect
fiend. He would beat and abuse the poor
lad, who, scarcely more than a child, had
been induced by golden promises TO leave
his parents and follow tliis brute. The
police sent the boy back home and served
notice on his master to leave Washington.
| He did SO, aud as if by magic the rest Of
| the bhnd men also disappeared from the
streets. Where they went or why is
| problem still unanswered, but the Wash.
ington police know that they left and that
| sufficed.
| The crowd which is now here was evil
IDENTIFY attracted by the Christian Endeav-
| or convention. Some of them, too, are
stopping here on their way North, for it is
well authenticated fact that the tranps
of this country spend their summers in the
North aud their winters in the South.
| Having no business interests to look after
| and no extensive belongings to cucumber
them, they find travelling much more con-
venient than a continued residence in one
| place So they are always to be found in
zP vhs.ra 1itvttNl
| is pleasautest, unless attracted somewhere
else by the promise of extraordinary re-
turns. as was the case in Washington dur
ing the convention.
This class OF begging must be particu-
| larly remunerative. for none of these people
are ever seen at the places where free
meals or lodgings are dispensed. On the
| contrary, they can afford to live in very
| comfortable manner, paying their own
expenses, and some of them are even
enabled TO carry their families about the
country with them. There are several
| of these latter among those in Washington
| at present. One supports wife and three
| children from the contributions Of passers-
by he may be seen any day on one of the
corners of the principal streets, playing a
mouth-organ and accompanying himself on
the banjo, while with his feet he plays
set of extempOrized chimes.
MUSIC BRINGS him MONEY.
The individual bells of these chimes once
did service as call bells, but the man has
gauged the pitches very accurately and
they chord perfectly with the rest of the
music. Immediately a new air is pub
lished it is memorized by the manipulation
| Of chi md iS shr ND
business move, for the crowd which he
invariably has around him is always will
ing 10 pay literally to hear new music,
whereas the strains of Home, Sweet
Home" and "old Kentucky Home," which
constitute the repertoire OF most street
musicians, pail on them.
The history of this particular unfortu-
nate is out of the common. Unlike most
| OF his class, he is we'll educated and INTEL
| ligent. In Chicago, where he was born,
he was bookkeeper until excessive study
under poor light occasioned the loss OF
his sight Then he tried all the differ
ent means known to the blind of earning
| livelihood.
| Once when out of work he thought OF
| his present plan. 1t worked like cha rm.
He was able to support his family even
better than in the days of his sight. He
has been in every city of any size in the
| United States, and has even gone a short
distance into Canada. A few weeks ago
| he was in Baltimore, and when the people
here begin to be little less liberal with
their contributions he will leave Washing
(, ton.
| Anoth er blind man who supports
family, has chosen Seventh street as his
stamping grounds. He is sailor, born in
North Germany, and lost his sight through
| smallpox. Every morning at 8 o'clock he
is led by his daughter to the corner which
he has chosen for the day. He has with
him Small cushion, upon which he
kneels, and extending his hat awaits the
nickels and dimes, which the passing shop
pers are sure to drop in.
KNOWN BY THEIR WALK.
Sometimes he has small organ, but he
has found that his attitude of supplica-
ton works best. 1t appeals more power
fully TO the sympathies of the women, for
the greater part of his gains Come from
members of the gentler sex.
Blind men generally have a pet theory
that they can discern very much about a
person by his walk. They say that they
can tell not only whether passerby will
give or not, but they can also make a
fairly good guess at the amount. One Of
them, in setting forth his theory, said:
"watch now. and see If what say is not
ADJUSTMENTS.