The Portland daily press., 1898-02-16
NEW YORK BEGGARs.
Tricks of the Trade by Which Large In.
comes Are Gathered.
(From the New York Sun. }

Court officer GrOSj5an and hayes or
the Jefferson Market police court are de-
tailed TO arrest professional beggars. In
the year during which they have been as
signed to this work and which ended on
Wednesday last. they have arrested 400
beggars, panhandlers, and impostors
"Too ready an ear is bent to their ap
peals,' said Grosjean. Take, for in
stance, the case of Daniel Shea, who Is
known as the king Of beggars. He was
arrested by me last Wednesday and sent
to the workhouse by Magistrate Flammer.
He is said to own tenement house and
to have a r-sized bank account. Owing
to theEdifficulty of catching shim in the
act of .soliciting aims he has been dubbed
the king. That man has been profess
ional beggar for the last 80 years, and has
been arrested only four times. He served
in the late war, and has been beggar
ever since
''It must be paying business. John
Morris new hand at it, for he is onlyss24
years old. has his left leg missing below
the knee. He solicits alms-on Sixth ave-
nus, between Fourteenth and Sixteenth
streets. When I arrested him he offered
to give me $40 down if would let him
off, and to pay me So day for the privil-
eye of begging on Sixth avenue. He told
me that he averaged $40 day. Not
bad business.
ga man named Osgood is one of the
cleyerest of them all He works all the
swell hotels On Broadway and Fifth ave
nue. and tells the guests tale of woe
about having just lost his wife, and,
won the kind gentleman just give me
dollar OF two to bury her?' have known
him to make SIS in one night working
that game. He is said to own comfort
able little homsin New Jersey. The last
time arrested him he had just asked
man for So, and when accused him of it
he said:
for So; askedshim for-.two .doughnuts.'
'Then there is an italian, swho works
Fifth and Sixth avenues on crutches.
The last time arrested him he had $114
inshis pockets and q bank book showing
that he had 81, 900 deposited to his credit
in one of the city banks. He is said to
own double-decked tenement-house on
Baxter street, while he lives very COM
fortably with his family near by.
Another man, arrested innumerable
times, is John Douain, who carries three
signs under his coat With the sign,
Please help the blind, he will stand for
an hour or two on corner. When he
tires of that he-su bstitutes the sign, Am
deaf and dumb and enters stores, swhere
he gesticUlates in an appealing manner so
cleYerly that he meets with great success.
At night, when the deception cannot be
go we'll noted, he doubles his hand up I'M
der his sleeve and, twisting his leg as
though crippled, hobbies along Broadway
hearing the sign, Please help poor
IL a ale a traG
IA very good trick to win sympathy is
imported from Paris. Obtaining some
sandwiches, the beggar walks along until
he sees an ash barrel into " hich he throws
them, When he sees some one coming he
fishes them out, and the passers-by, nine
is one of the best lodges to work upon
the sympathies of the charitable. Oh,
tell you it is very lucrative business;
hut it is robbing the deserving ones.
People have no idea what large sum is
given out daily to the undeserving in this
manner.
Addison G. jerome, special agent Of
the Charity organization society,", also
fold of some interesting cases brought to
his notice. There is one man, he says
with a false leg, which he discards in the
dav time and begs on Sixth avenue. At
NIGHT putting on his leg, he wears a
dress suit and attends the theatre, sitting
always in an orchestra seat. He has been
seen at Delmonioo's. Another beggar
lives on the east side and has whole
floor nicely furnished. His family were
IGNORANT of the fact that he was beggar
Until he WAS arrested. He is now serving
his third term on the island. There is
woman who works very successful trick.
she goes from door to door asking the
servants to contribute money to enable
her to insert an advertisement in the
newspapers as q cook. She was arrested
an Thirty fourth street and Madison ave-
nne after having stopped in all the houses
in Madison avenue between there and
twenty third street. When Matthew Boil
and. who is lame and fakes blindness by
wearing blue glasses. was arrested, IS. 60,
a cold watch and chain and a valuable
Ioeket were found upon him. He worked
the stores along Sixth avenue.
Professional begging, Mr.. Jerome says,
ia decreasing yearly, possibly owing to
the police surveillance, or the decrease
nav, NAV be owing to the increased number of
licensed e or legitimate beggars, against
.gbon it hard to obtain evidence of beg
Sino. They are the ones who sell pencils,
srind organs and play the flddla-