The sun., 1902-12-21
ABEGGARS' SCHOOL, THEY SAY.
NEW ORLEANS POLTCE SIRE
THAT ONE EXISTS.
nendicsnts Who Have In, AIDED the South
Believed TO he GrsttIates-Three
Caught With Artificial Sores and Lots
Of Money Their Ileadauartcrs sought.

NEW ORLEANS, Dee. 20. The police OF
New Orleans have believed for several
months that school for beggars resembling
the famous Cour des Miracles of old Paris
was being conducted in or near this city,
and that hoboes and vagabonds, were there
taught the art Of begging rso disfigured
temporarily as TO arouse the pity of the
charitable. Now confirmation Of this sus-
picion has been secured.
New Orleans has always had a large
army Of street beggars, blind. lame or de-
formed. Its large Latin and Catholic
population has contributed literally to
those who appealed to charity in the street
and this has encoura gcd logging.
Some Of the beggars were known TO be
well-do-do. Occasionally, beggar scandal
has come to light.
Thus. a blind beggar with dog and a
hand-organ, who had for twenty years
practiscd his profession, was one day ar
rested for cruelty to his children Then
he was found to he the owner of SO eyeral
pieces OF real estate He had found begging
40 profitable that he had decided not to
abandon the business even when 1t was
no longer necessary.
Another instance was that of n blind
icSio ockkdI WHO HNeN IN JtHeIsOu IHrl~H,
just above New Orleans who came to the
city every day to ply his trade, and picked
up enough there TO get goriously drunk
on his return home al night
There was an ordinance against beggars
but il was never enforced. Recently there
has been a great increase in the number of
beggars, not only in New Orleans, but also
throughout southern Louisiana. There
seemed To be an invasion of crippes. hunch-
backs, the lame, halt and blind. This
aroused the suspicion of the police.
The new comers We're Of the sturdy variety
insistent upon charity The old profess
sionals simply stood on the corners, gener-
ally In front Of the Catholic churches, and
held out their hands. or a tin cup in which
they jingled money, as suggestion TO
the passerby To contribute. The new
comers pursued the Italian beggars, tactics,
and demanded charity in so determined
and aggressive manner as to scare women
and children. They also made a practice
Of exhibiting repulsive sores
The complaints about their methods
became so frequent that few days ago
Chief of Police Journee ordered his officers
to enforce the law against yagabonds
This action drove many Of them into the
country.
The neighboring parishes have been
overrun with itinerant beggars, and the
facts connected with arrests. leave little
doubt that systematic fraud has been
practised by the vagabonds. The indica-
fons are that some system of guild exists
among the beggars, and that a school Of
instruction In the begging business is in
operation here or near here.
The best evidence is that furnished by
Sheriff Movers, Of Plaquemines parish
A number Of professional beggars have
recently appeared at Pointe la Hache.
the parish seat of justice, and piled their
trade there most successfully.
Sheriff Mevers, who had read about the
alleged beggars, college in New Orleans,
became suspicious and last week began
locking up the vagabonds. Among those
whom he caught here were three men
~ho seemed to be working together.
They were Dalmatians. Two Of them
pretended 10 be brothers, Matthew and
Mile Deagicrich, the former having the
aGaa Of Modrich, the latter that Of Steiner
aud stephen Vulniosich, alias Wucosich.
All three men were suffering from severe
wounds which they said rendered il impos-
sible for them 10 work, and compelled
them to appeal to the charitable for a.
,istance. Modrich the first 10 be arrested.
said that he had lately injured his hand
while in a quarry, SO that it was impossible
'or him to do any kind of work.
The wounded hand was covered with ban
dages which, when they were removed for
he benefit Of the charitable who showed an
inclination 20 assist him, disclosed an ugly
ore. PIacar,is in English, French and
Italian explained that h. had been IN the
hospital with this wound for more than a
month, and had only Just been discharged.
He had an old father and mother and sew
eral younger brothers depen dent on him
Tor support. Aside from the wound Mod
rich was strong and healthy.
The day after the arrest of Modrich the
two other men appeared in Ponte la Hache
and we're at once arrested by Sheriff Movers.
He was surprised To find that both Of them
we're suffering in identicaly the same way
as Modrich. This was evidently an over
sighl Of. the men or Of the beggars'
college.
Both men were suffering from wounded
oands. The sores were den'icaly the
sams, and were similarly bandaged.
The hands were partly white, al though
from loss OF blood, but when the Sheriff
made a more careful examination he found
that this was due to the fac, that the ban
dage had been purposely wrapped 80
lightly around the wrist as to prevent the
,irculation Of the blood The bloodless
aand with its wound presented sight "a
appeal to the pity and sympathy Of all
tender-hearted people.
Convinced that the wounds were self.
inflicted Sheriff Mevers made n thorough