The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-07-04
THE PANHANDLER.
what He Is, whence He Comes, and
What He Does.

WhAt he Docs
From the New York Evening Post.
The panhandler is an expert tramp.
This does not mean that he is a higher or
der of tramp than the one who sneaks
into back yards to beg IL he is caught, to
steal II no one is about, for both the
"Weary Willy and the police regard the
panhandler as the lowest Of the low. A
policeman who arrested a tramp for
thrashing a panhandler just off the Bow
cry one day let his prisoner go when IL
was explained that the victim was "only
a panhandler." The two agreed that beat
ing such a creature was no offense.
Most people are familiar with the pam
handler, for they probably contribute to
his support. He is an expert beggar,
psychologist in his way and a thorough
going, practical misanthrope. His faith is
IN the silly weaknesses of his fellow-men,
and the proof of his art science (and OF
human weakness), Is in the success Of his
practices. A panhandler can make from
s. to $40 a day or a night, according to his
preference for sleep They can seldom be
charged with vagrancy, when arrested,
for instance, because they have so much
money on their persons. Fifteen dollars Is
not an uncommon sum to find on one OF
them In a station-house search. but some
of that may not have been earned. Like
the ordinary tramp they are larceny OPP
portunists, stealing when the chance Of
fers, begging for livelihood and for the
chance.
Unfortunately the story about an assoc
citation OF hanhandlers is only a newspaper
myth, otherwise a fake" II would be a
picturesque society, II II existed. but the
old belief in the organization is based sole
ly on the way these fellows work In groups
and by districts. That Is a practice as
old as beggary, and the advertiser who
uses the bill-boards knows all about the
psychology of II. The traveller IN Italy
can recall how the beggars there, the mas
ters OF their trade, sit not apart, but In
long lines The advertiser puts two or
three, sometimes a dozen. Identical an
nouncements In a row on the fence or
along the country roadway and he does Il
20 make by repetition the impression he
aims at The peddlers in Park Row do
the same thing. All these people believe
that the human mind Is affected only by
many Impressions, 80 the last peddler gets
the accumulated result OF the cries OF all
the others; the customer realizing by the
time he has reached the end OF the row
that he wants to buy or give.
Panhahdlers, for the same reason. travel
IN threes, tours and fives. One begs and
gets nothing, the second begs and pro-
duces hesitation. The third receives
dime or a quarter. Another motive for
reward OF discovering soft mark" or,
as they say. briefly, "a mark" When
one panhandler Is successful az the first
overture he pockets his coin and gives the
tip 20 his pals, who trail the game" for
a block or two and then touch the mark"
again. II he is sull good" the third
goes up against him. and 70 on until the
game II up" when they bounce IT,"
The "sOftest marks" are up town in the
avenues Madison avenue, for some rea-
son. being the richest lane" IN town. But
the B0wcry "ain't 80 bad" There are
sailors and soldiers and farmers 20 work"
there al night especially late. when Mad,-
son avenue Is asleep. But on industrious
panhandler plies his trade all over town,
taking care only 20 keep out OF the dix
trlct pre-cmpted by some other group.
The afternoon - spent on the avenues
or az the ferries. or " there Is not much
doing "at a sand" they get on a ferry
boat or an elevated train. Cards are
dropped into the laps OF passengers asking
help for the Kind OF hclpfulnc8s the pan.
handler has affected and after che dlsirl-
button they are collected one by ono.
Whether the passenger gives up or not
the bcggar says loud enough for the
other passengers TO hear. Thank SO. SIR"
Thank yc, na'am." on the elevated
trains man can get on az one statlon.
work the train" leave Il and take an-
other repeating this system til he reaches
the end OF the road, II 10 very profitable,
and the guards FOR some reason seldom
interfere; they pretend not 10 see what IA
going on, FOR it u against the ru cs. and
they would be locked" n they we're
cauFht ncglecung their duty
Their methods ~ making up" are vari.
Gus. but not az an Ingenious. Bandago.
sores produced by acids. goggles and
weary, rad expression OF countcnancs are
usually enough for New York, which a. a