The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1903-10-21
BEGGARS WORTH $4,000.
THE FRUITS OF NEARLY FORTY YEARS
OF SHREwD ALMS.GETTING.
"BIinkie" and "Dear Friends" Known 10
Have Become Wealthy at Pro-
fessiOnaI Begging.


fessiOnaI Begging.
"Blinkle" and "Dear Friends, two
of the wealthiest and most troublesome
professional beggars in the country,
were arrested by John Z. Godfrey and
Thomas f. Hayes of the charity or
ganization society Yesterday, says the
New York World. 1t is known that
the two men are worth at least So0,Oo0
the fruits of nearly forty years OF
shrewd aims getting.
Dear Friends" who is Sc years old,
and whose right name is William
Vaughn, has more than $4,000 in
Brooklyn banks and in real estate, and
"Blinkie," who is about the same age
as Vaughn, is known to be at least as
wealthy.
"Blinkie" has been beggar in Wall
street apd the financial district for
twenty years. Ten years ago he col
lected large sums of money going about
among the wealthy men telling sad
story about the loss of his eye and
asking for money to get an IartifcIal
one.
He is clever letter writer, and OBJ
tanned many greenbacks and checks by
writing to we'll known men in the big
buildings down town, telling them
that he had formerly been the engi-
neer or janitor of the building and had
lost his eye in his position.
After he obtainedthe eye he made a
practice of going into offices with
tremulous voice, as if weak with hun
ger, taking the glass eye from its sock
ct and Offering to pawn it for % cents
''for morsel of food. "
In the office of the charity organiza-
tion society there is a stock of docu-
mentg relating to 'Binkie' from which
a calling list of the wealthest and most
aristocratic people of New York might
be made. There are letters written by
'Blinkie" for assistance and inquiries
sent by the recipients of the letters to
various charitable institutions asking
for infor nation.
An official of the charity organiza-
tion society said that "Rlinkie' s"
knowledge of the wealthy people OF
the city was astonishing. He knows
all about their families, their church
relations, tLeir clubs, their country
homes, their close friends, and makes
good use of all this information.
,"Blinkie" during recent years has
extended his operations over wider
area and has not tried ID use the same
benefactor more frequently than once
10 two years. For year or more he
has had three partners, known as sly
Tim" who has one arm, THE Dog
Faced Man" aud an old time beggar
known as "EX-COp' ant "EX-Mail
Carrier"
The four have been dividing their
earnings during the last year, and it
was through a quarrel and dissolution
of partnership that "Blinkie' was ar
rested.
Dear Friends was arrested on a
Houston street ferryboat and made a
scene IN the Essex Market poIIce CourG
when Magistrate Barlow gave him a
six months sentence. Vaughn is a
powerful built man, and when picked
up was hobbling around on crutches
and wearing heavy green goggles.
Hung about his neck was huge
placard in d glass franz, worn and
weather beaten. He has carried this
same frame, hung on leather straps,
for nearly forty years, and 1T has
brought him Il fortune. Inscribed in
English and German in this legend:
''Dear Friends, Ladies and Gentle
men--I have been a cripple for mauY
weary years unable TO perform manual
labor therefore make this appeal
for your patronage"
To the lower edge of the frame is at
tached an old sardine box, which has
held thousands of dollars in coin.
When Vaughn was taken into court
he hobbled along on crutches and
sham ned blindness, but when he heard
the six months sentence pronounced
he flung his crutches to one side,
threw off his goggles and stormed We
hemently.