The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-05-07
TRIED TO WORK CITY OFFICERS
A Young Beggar, with "a Plausible
story, Had Little Luck.

A young man with many aliases has been
trying to work a number of prominent men
with a 'hard-luck'' story for about two
weeks. His manner wins confidence and
his story generally eXcites sympathy. For
the last two days he has been operating
in the City Hall. Wednesday afternoon he
called on Myron d. King Mayor Taggarts
secretary Yesterday he called on Con-
troller Johnson, and later visited the
Board Of Health, where he related his tale
of woe to William c. Ripley He went
into the city clerks office and asked for
City Clerk Stuckmeyer, but failed to find
him. When he called on Mr.. King he said
that his name was William r. King. To
Mr. Johnson he said his name was William
r. johnson. He told Mr.. Ripley that his
name was Royal S. Ripley 1t is supposed
that he intended to introduce himself to the
city clerk as Sebrlght Stuckmeyer or some
other alliterative name. The young fellow
has a peculiar personality and newspaper
men found that he told about the same
story in each office, although with a few
variations. The description given by each
man tallies so closely that there is no
question that the same fellow called at the
different offices. He is rather slender of
medium height, dark hair and eyes, with
a two days growth of hair on his upper
lip and chin that show he would have
black mustache and beard. He wears a
black, stiff hat, tan shoes with square toes
81 brown box coat, a freshly Numbered
standing collar and large blue tie of the
puff variety. The most distinguishing
trait is the habit he has of exposing his up
per teeth as he talks revealing the fact
that two teeth on the right and one on the
left side have gold filings.
, His story in brief is that he Is type
setter that he came here expecting to
get work on the Journal; that there was no
place for him in the Journal Office and that
he then tried to get work at various other
printing houses, among them Carbon & Hoi-
lenbeck, w. b. Burford and others. After
he had been here a few days he ran out of
money had no place to stay and spent a
night in the station house. This he told
Mr.. Johnson, was an experiment he did not
care 10 repeat, as the officers were "alI a
heartless lott and compelled him to sleep
on the floor in a room that oVerrun
with vermin. Matters became so bad with
him that he applied to President Prescott,
| of the Typographical Union. There he
| said, he was treated with cold politeness, ="
| Mr. Prescott informing him that the union
had all it could do 10 take care OF its local
! members, many of whom had lost work on
! account of the typesetting machines.
While not asking Mr.. Johnson for money
! in n direct way he tried to work the sympa-
! thy racket, complaining that he had found
| it necessary to sell his ten-dollar grip at
! a ruinous price. He was working for a vol
| untary contribution.
While not pretending to be related to Mr..
Johnson he seemed To think because their
names were the same he would receive con-
| sideration on that account.
II looked in the city directory to see If
could ind any one Of my name L found