The sun., 1902-02-08
TALES OF CRIPPLED BEGGARS.
QUOTATIONS or MRS. MISKULIN
ABOUT HER BOARDERS.
sne SAYS Modric. VINO Accuses Her OF
Keeping sses Belonging to Him. Cut
Three Fingers Or In Her House
,ices of Panhandiers 10 Win sympathy.

Tn,se ringers OF In Her House
,.,o.s nj Panhandiers 10 Win sympathy.
N,,rhbors of Lucia Miskulin. the Aus
,rian woman who was arrested In hopoken
an Thursday on charge OF grand larceny
confirmed yesterday the remarkable story
she told in the Recorders court TO the
eject that the professional beggars whom
he boards deliberately manned them
selves for the purpose OF arousing sym
na,by. An investigation OF the womans
storv Yesterday revealed that for six years
NO two upper floors Of the frame building
:, goa Adams street. which she conducts
TANGENT boarding house, has been
,ha Gathering place OF a gang OF profess
,IoneI begears. In ALL there are about
,s,,r,ao, men. over whom the Miskulin
Imam has exercised a sort of authority.
,rLa Nisxulin woman declares that every
i,i,,rv that the men have is self-infiicted.
I.sanblvman John j. Fallon of Hoboken,
,s counsel for the woman In the action
against her for larceny, says that he has
pe,sonaly Investigated the matter and has
found evidence that some OF the woman's
boarders have chopped their fingers OF i'll
her house with cleaver.
No one knows where the Miskuln woman
came from. but six years ago she rented
the two upper floors Of the building, In the
heart of the Italian quarter OF Hoboken.
II Was noticed in the neighborhood that
almost every man who lived in her house
vas crippled Some of the men would
disappear for weeks at time, but would
always bob up again sooner or later Soon
II began to be rumored that the men were
professional beggars and this suspicion
was confirmed when one of the cripples.
whc drunk, told all about himself and
his a,sociates. He said that they begged
in Brooklyn, New York, Philadelphia and
other cities, sometimes going West, but
always returning to the Hoboken house.
Anon the men the Miskulin woman
was known as Queen She in not a bad
looking woman. For years she has taken
the cents, nickels and dimes of the beggars
and exchanged them for bills. They have
given her share OF their money for her
service The story Of her house and the
character of the boarders came out when
one Of the beggars. Mato Modric, COM
planned 10 the police that he had entrusted
ss95. the result of five weeks OF begging,
20 her and that she had refused to give
/, back TO him when he demanded 1t.
Modric was compelled TO show in court
that three of his fingers on the left hand
we're gone The woman then solemnly
swore hat the man deliberately had chopped
those fingers off in her house in order to
have sonnet hing to show that he was un-
fortunate and worthy OF assistance. Modric,
al the command of the woman's lawyer,
was compelled TO show his right arm in
court, although he didn't want to, and an
ugly looking scar was found on IL. IL was
the result Of burn that Mrs. Miskulin
declared that Modrc inflicted in her house
with a red-hot iron.
but that Is nothing she said, through
an interpreter; they all do that. Those
men (pointing to two who came TO court
with Modric 10 testify that he gave the
money to the woman) are the same way.
The two men mentioned had fingers missing
and scars on their arms and legs. Mrs.
Miskulin swore that these men, too, in
fiicted their injuries in her house: The
woman is now locked up, and 80 Is Modrlc.
The two men who were in court as Wit
nesses were allowed to go.
Assemblyman Fallon had long talk
with Mrs. Miskulin yesterday, and the
woman rcaffirmed her statements Of the
day before. She seemed surprised that
any one should doubt the truth OF what she
said. Here is her story as she told 1t to
Mr. Fallon through an interpreter:
these men are HI Olu DekBhlHs
they make a good deal of money because
they make great sacrifices. They chop on
a finger now and then, because II ls worth
money TO them. A beggar with all ms
fingers IL no good Last month man
chopped on another one OF his fingers ia
my house. beca Use the fact that one finger
and thumb were gone wasn't enough. As
for burning themselves, they all do that.
They lust take a red hot iron and run IL
up tho arm OF across the leg, and It leaves
a bad scar II hurts them, but they don't
mind that In few days II j. all healed,
and then they have got something worth
ha ing No man ever put his own eye out
in my house. but two men who board with
me have but one eye each, aud they tell me
they took them out themselves know
u Is nothing for them 10 lame themselves
l have seen them do II by cutting at some
muscle under the knee When they have
fixed themselves up like this they 60 on
on long trips and come back with great
deal uf money I know one man who was
gone four months and came back with
~ 60, and on. Of the men made over 500
IN five we.ks
sIhrrp are some who come 90 Join these
iAsn Nho have not the courage 10 take a
hng"f "a right away and are afraid of the
PAIN VI buruings They b~nd their fingers
over and tie them keeping them tied fof
week. until che fingers So nrmly n1sd.
ih"u hey take The cord N and The nnEeT
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