The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-06-03
MANY lMPOSTERS
Relief Committees Have to Keep
Sharp Lookout.
Efforts Frequently Made to Prey
on the Charitable.

The men and women engaged in the
relief work at the Auditorium. the SAL
walton army hall. the churches and
locgo rooms have learned something of
how 1.-THE other half" lives during To-
peka's present calamity Many women
who have known only luxury all their
lives are now working ia scenes Of the
most disgusting squalor. coming in con-
tact with the. most wretched and de-
PRAYED class of people. 4 had no idea"
a well known club woman said today,
chat such people lived in Topeka. L
thought such misery and such depravity
were confined to the great cities. OF
course i knew there were poor people
here but had no idea it was possible
for such ignorance and vice TO exist in
a town of this size" of course these are
only a small proportion Of the whole.
Some of the people who have been
brought to the different relief stations
since the rescue work began had lived
ia North Topeka all their lives and had
never crossed to this side of the river
until they were brought over to escape
death by drowning. Several women
over 20 years old said they had never
been in South Topeka before and this
is also true of many of the older chill
dren.
Beggars. grafters and imposters IA
miliar FOR. years to the people who have
been actively engaged in charity work
IN Topeka are turning up at the Audi
forum applying for aid. In some cases
they are recognized before assistance is
given them but frequently they are fed
and given clothing before the commit
tees learn their true character. Many of
them feign sickness and one woman
pretended that she was about to be con-
fined and asked for money TO get medi-
zine and to take her 10 the homes ct
friends She was taken to the emer-
gency hospital on the third floor. much
against her WILL where an examination
proved that she was an impOster. An
other woman, in order to get special IA
v0rs from the committees, said that she
was subject to fits and to prove her
statement feigned an attack of her pre-
tended malddy. A member of the food
committee recognized her as an old hand
at the business who had often imposed
her in past times.
White women with colored children
and CDlOred women with white children
have applied for aid One woman.
white, suffering with a terrible cancer
on her face, had three eOlored children.
They were given a room by themselves
on the second floor OF the Auditorium.
In striking contrast to the graftcrs and
imposters is the attitude of many of the
refugees who are no sooner brought to
places of safety than they apply for
work In relieving and resCuing others.
Three cOlored women from North To-
peka, Lucy RadfOrd Annie WinbOurn
and Matilda Philips, have been cooking
at the Auditorium since Sunday They
cook all the meat and vegetables. Mrs.
S. "a. Beecher. who lived at Curtis and
Quincy streets. is in charge of the water
supply. All the water is boiled and
cooled with ice corps of colored men
was engaged in cleaning the floor Of
the Auditorium To-Day. Part of them
were refugees. Several women who have
lost everything In the flood are sewing
and mendine at the Auditorium.
The people are we'll fed Bread and
butter. coffee with milk boiled beef and
ham, potatoes, rice, beans and sand
witches are served for dinner. The chill
dren are fed three times. the older peO-
pie twice "A day. The sick are not for
gotten and many delicacies are sent in
for them. This morning some one sent
box of big fragrant pansies for the
emergency hospital at the Auditorium.
Magazines picture books and toys have
been sent for the children A young So
ciety girl bought cookies for every child
In the Auditorium Monday
A member Of the board of health who
visited the Salvation Army hall at 312
Kansas avenue yesterday pronounced
the sanitary conditions there the best
of any place in town where refugees are
being cared for. Two hundred slept
there last night and 500 We're fed all day
yesterday. The 200 who breakfasted
there this morning had boiled eggs tur-
key hash, baked beans fried potatoes
coffee and bread and butter. The help
al the Salvation Army is hired except
for the five or six members of the or
ganizatOn who work night and day for
the relief of the sufferers Miss Helen
Moon was sent by the relief committee
to distribute clothing at this place and
she has been there alone since Sunday
but has been able to press some of the
refugees into service in her assistance.
But in the work of cooking dish-wash-
ing and cleaning the building Captain
and Mrs. la Plount and their little band
have no help except what they hire.
The floors are scrubbed twice a day and
swept at least once in two hours and
carbOlic acid scattered everywhere. The
windows are kept wide omen and alto
gether the place is much cleaner and
the air much more breathable than
would be expected under the conditions
existing
Down at Father Henry's church the
relief works. well systemized and the
best order prevails. The children are
all IN school today and most of the
men have been put to work. The wo-
men are engaged in keeping the build
ing clean. caring for the little children,
mending and sewing.
New clubs of women are constantly
being formed TO sew for the flood vic
Tins. The Grace cathedral women have
made $50 garments in the past two