Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1903-09-05
DIRECTORY OF BEGGARS
Unique Volume Being Published
by New York Charity Society.
LIST OF ooUNTRY's MENDIoANTs.
The Most Dangerous and Trouble
some Glass of Migrants Are De-
cIared to BE the "Yegg Men," Who
Are Tramp Safe BIOvers-StranGe
Specimens of Humanity.

Are Tramp Safe BIOWers-Strange
Specimens of Humanity.
A complete guide to the professional
beggars of America, with photographs,
Bertillon measurements and tattoo
marks, about to be issued by the Unit
ed Charities of New York is the latest
step taken by that organization in the
determined fight it is waging against
professional begging throughout the
United States, says the New York
World.
This booklet, which will be sent to all
the charity organizations Of America,
as well as TO police stations and to in
dividuals of wealth and known chart
table inclinations throughout the coun-
try, has been prepared by James Forbes,
special mendicancy agent of the Chart
ty Organization society. 1t covers the
records of fraudulent beggars as COM
pletely as ex-Inspector Byrnes book on
criminals did the careers of notable
crooks.
Mr. Forbes has been studying the
problem of Kidding New York of street
beggars for over two years, and the
booklet about to be issued is the result
of his labOrs.
In it professional beggars are elassi-
fled according to their deformities.
There is a special classification for
those with the right leg amputated, an
other for those who have lost arms, as
we'll as a general list of all impOstors
known to the Charities organization.
Besides the real name of the beggar,
what is known in the under world as
his "monneker name" or alias, is given,
with his height, the color OF his eyes,
hair and fun description of the tattoo
marks, by which the great majority
of them are easily identified. The pro-
fesSional beggar, according to Mr..
Forbes, is nearly always a criminal.
He is usually of the variety known
as "Yegg man" or tramp safe blower,
the name having originated at the time
of the arrest of John w. Yegg, the first
travelling safe blower known to the po-
lice. The ''Yegg man." when on the road
or in the Jungle" as he contemptuous-
ly terms the country west of Manhat-
tan. is usually n safe blower. He comes
TO New York to spend his plumber, or
if it is spent and he still does not wish
to resume an active criminal career,
he stays in the city and begs.
ITO the average 'Yegg man." said
Mr.. Forbes, 1.-The safe in n country bank
is easy. When 'Yegg men want to rob
bank they usually send one of their
number into the town on a begging
expedition tn size up the bank. At
night they travel into town on a hand
car and while two of their number
stand outside with six shooters to settle
possible interruption they putty the
cracks of the safe, pour in nitroglycer-
in. which they carry in rubber bottles,
and touch it off. They then board the
hand car with their booty, and before
the bank wakes up to the robbery
they are well away"
In Mr.. Forbes book, the "Yegg men"
are considered in two schools, the Jana
tomical school, which includes those
who assume to have some physical in
jury and usually wear splints, band
ages or goggles, and the pathological
school," or those who feign more sub
tie infirmity, usually the paralytfc
hand.
The "Yegg men" stand by one anoth-
er and will imperil their own lives to
aid a comrade to escape. Mr.. Forbes
says they are far more loyal than other
classes of criminals. And they WELD
strong financial and political influence.
Frequently a ''Yegg man. convicted of
vagrancy and sent to prison for long
term is released on habeas corpus by
the aid of influential politicians in spite
of all the Charity Organization society
can do.
This influence comes from the fact
that many "Yegg men" and the women
with whom they associate belong to in
fiuential families and the additional
fact that they frequently have large
sums of money, the fruits of big rob-
berries.
Earl Williams" for example, whose
correct name is Earl Webster Kempton,
is an influential ''Yegs man." He has
relatives living in Schenectady and AL
bany who WELD great deal of infu-
ence. Spanish Mamie" a handsome
woman, is also a power among them.
Lowell Eddie is recognized as an or
ganizer in the craft and takes charge
of most of the big cases when their ac-
completes are in trouble. His right
name is Edward Conner, and his home
is, or was, in Lowell, Mass.
Most of the crimes committed by the
"Yegg men" are in the middle west,
where distances are greater between
towns. Many of them are employed
particularly in doing what they call
"sticker" jobs, which consist in rob-
bling small post offices of stamps. Ev-
cry place outside of New York city
they call "the jungle" and New York
is their headquarters. They have eighty
lodging houses there occupied exclu-
sively by "Yeggs" and their compan-
ions and parasites"
In the long list of 1.50O ''Yeggs"
whose pedigrees are given in Mr..
Forbes book are very many who are
tattooed. Mr.. Forbes says that this
appears to be fad with them. Not
withstanding that it serves as an iden-