The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-09-16
MANY BEGGARS ARE ABOUT.
SPECIAL SQUAD or POLICE DE-
TAILED TO ATTEND TO THEN.
On. Thou sand Arrested In the Hotel District
Alone In the Last Two Months-some Of
Them Desperate Feiiow,-Tricks by which
Tb,, Extract Money From the Charitable.

The, Extract Money From the Charitable.
According TO the police reports. the streets Of
reU York are swarming with beggars Just now.
chic, Of Police Devery has received 40 many
complaints from citizens who have been an
roved by mendlcants that he has established
new beggar squad. consisting OF forty
.oycemen In plainclothes, who are under orders
,n.trol the leading thoroughfares for the pur-
$50 ~ a~rresting persons caught soliciting aims
rom pedestrians. During the past two months
,no beggars have been placed under arrest in
tbe hotel district alone and 100 Of these have
baon sentenccd 20 imprisonment on Black wells
I,lapd Notwithstanding this fact. tho num-
her Of beggars Is rapidly increasing.
"A rule, New York has been bothered very
ptue by becgars during the summer months.
,,r the reason that the majority Of the beggar
army went to the country districts at the open
I,y Of the spring season In former years. re-
naming away until cold weather set in. This
year. however. II seemed as II all the beegars
IN tho United states focked 10 New York to
,ppnd tho summer On upper Broadway,
Tfth avenue, Thirty-fourth street, Twenty
third street and Fourteenth street the beggars
,ssrsd a rich harvest until Chief Devery's
bs,,ar squad appeared. Then the beggars
mad, Forty-secoud street their stamping
0rOLNd. UNnA INV hllt1 F'Ah w llaNt 'hllu a
new field In the streets bordering Central Park.
They are not the ordinary sort that New
Work has been accustomed TO, the lame and the
hppa. but big. burly fellows who succeed in
,,tt.ng money by threatening pedestrians with
hodly harm. In many cases they have as
,auted men and women who have refused to
rive them money Fearing that the beggar
army will BE- still larger with the opening Of tho
theatrical season, the Chief Of Police has made
,,rangamcuts 20 increase the beGgar squad 10
No men. II necessary These men will be on
dutv nlsht aud day. Twelve Of them will be sent
10 do duty on Park row. where they will spread
net, for professional panhandlers. Others
will hs sent along the Bowerv for "whiskey
mans" as the police call them. Some will be
detailed on Fulton street. Brooklyn. in the
vicinity Of the big dry goods stores to arrest
the beggars who stop women.
II the bcggar nuisance continues TO In
grease. We won't have enough prison accom-
uodations for all the beggars who may be
arrested this winter said a polio- Official.
In the TeudcrloIn precinct alono we are now
taking In from i've TO fifteen beggars every
night. They are found along FIFTH avenue
and on Broadway between Twenty-third street
and Forty-second street Many Of the beg
grs have learned to pick out a beggar squad
man on sight and consequently 1t has become
necessary to change the policemen around
from one part Of the city TO another. so the
bcggars wont know them. The beggars call
these policemen pan COPS meaning police
men who are detailed to arrest panhandlers.
Many Of them have learned 70 know the pan
cops and manage to keep out OF their way.
/ Consequently it has been found necessary to
transfer the policemen doing bcggard duty to-day
4 from ana mart Df no pt ~ To anOthpr
The worst beggars with whom We have TO
deal with are the fellows who have seen better
days They as a rule are men who have been
educated in colleges. Drink has made them
leave nome and families and lose their for
tunes. They drift into the Bowery from all
parts Of the country and when their funds ara
gone they start on a paHhandllng career. ask
ing money from anybody and everybody. All
they want IS sufficient 10 keep up a supply Of
whiskcy and get z nights lodging. Although
most 81 these fellows have been brought up
well. after they oucc start out on a begging
career they become aggressive. They are the
person and cling TO their victim until he hands
over coin 10 avoid trouble. They first ap-
proach a person in a polite manner and when
woe they grab the person and plead dcsper-
ately FOR aid Most men and women become
f%rsTA beIs /. and SSa s sdIoT up '6 6ea.i com 9D 6s5, who
begs IN IL" city parks. He Is a desperate char
sc,er wtsn he stepIs a man he holds him
Then h, l. standing on his good les. The per-
son h. holds Is afraid TO push him away, fear
ing that ne might fan The only thing 70 do
5 anothSr besg9r who has been at work in
feet heh. He is ugly looking, His, method
"a and satcR hold q 'BBtotRh iaPpp,cil!s Of the coat,
He N n declares In dramatic tones that he is
,,bisrT na-son air Almost T%R't t6 DAN IL Il a T Tbcn M II he soS srts
gnigkel h" demands a dime, or II he gets a dime
he demands a quarter, He always insists on |
getting more money than he receives at the
Another desperate beggar Is the old woman
who was recently chased from Grand street
'Arry. She asked In whispers for money and
leaned close to the persons she appealed To,
IL soy DART give me something, she would
s w'mo y' apno nITSr 10 nave Sy tblas ' Serr TacK gave n2 TI
quickly and, walked on, Those who stopped
70 cll her down generally received a tongue
Then she quickly turned 10 another woman
end the second woman appealed TO generally |
banded over coin rather than undergo a ours
Along lud handed a coin to the begGar. heliev-
ins she was handing over q cent, While the
HH sS va noiding ,llho coin IN the rain q
a tvo-and.a-half dollar gold piece. instead Of
Era"Taii TO SSiate, You e m tRnt' IKE b 5eia ! reepfnIisedd
VA a uerson who gave money 10 the poor
sAl Took II back would never have a DAYS |
TX. The schoolteacher walked away and
ga nor 80 the gold piece. for she feared the
tAGgar would curse her.
Most NJ the downtown hecgars congregate
u no liquor saloons IN the vicinity Of Chatham
tllare. There they drink bah whiskey and
swan s'or.ns. Some Of the stories they tell
ae funny. heard one ~ Thorn relating a
fn'N " how he Lat fooled n man AT the Bridge |
tlralno lle had been IN the habit ~ beg
tiS rom his man every night and one night |
NE MAJ, who was a merchant living In Brook
"a ,'Hun"l To give advice 10 the heggnr. |
I'VE a'Aet The hogga~ why he did not get n Job
1T - 20 work. The begrar said he would
ne ''uli get tho lob. The merchant told
en- az, could find employment distributing
.ALl'tls or atvcrtl-lng circulars. The hcg-
"a. remarked that he never thought OF that,
pt "nH.i try II next day.
IN iha following dav. about the time the
VI mani with q pile Of circulars which be had
,.Sel from 4 dry goods counter uptown. He
.'"" I" - dietrihuta tho circulars just ~
~ me- liant anDc1rei. An, said the mer-
,.4l', | am glal TO SEQ that You are indus
ttpl' N"-o Is my address. Come Ia nv
. S,t,r ''-lnnr-pY and III give you "A new suit
kgl'H@' tn" h"ygar went 10 the merchants
n"I' q = received a new suit and an over
,g' IN" merchant then handed s20 10 him
ia WISHED him good luck, The beggar had
u. am ~ handhills with him az the time.
IN SAL t" hal earned ~ cents distributing
KS AID thanked the merchant for starting
vn m "a new career. He came back To New
,-s 'lr"v awlv the handbills. pawned the
KY SN' an oycrcoat and had a HIGH old time
uLh.Is win hi Nld croDieS. That fellow '