The Savannah morning news., 1903-02-15
TO RUN OUT BEGGARS
POLICE CHIEF HAS RECEIVED
MANY COMPLAINTS.
WOMEN WERE FRIGHTENED
WITH APPEALS FROM NEGRO
WITH SHRIVELED HANDS.

Urged on by Husky Father, He An
nOyed Pedestrians-Midget Hands
Growing From Shoulders Made
His Presence Revolving - When
Superintendent of Police Learned
of What Was Going on He Had
Objectionable Persons Ordered on
the Notwithstanding of Paupers
Here From Macon to Be stopped.
Armless, and with shriveled little
hands growing from his shoulders, a
negro boy, who, judging from his size,
is no more than II years of age, has
for several days frightened, and nause-
ated, pedestrians on Bull street and in
the shopping district, by making his
deformity known and asking aims.
In these begging expeditions, always
on when the streets contained the
greatest number of people. the boy
has been accompanied by his father,
an exceptionally large and husky in
dividual, who urged him on when he
grew tired of asking pedestrians for
money. To the majority of those who
were approached the man was not in
evidence, and few knew that he watch
ed the boy and kept account Of the
money that he took in.
To Clear the Streets.
When the annoyance was reported to
the superintendent of police yesterday
morning he Immediately issued orders
to the uniformed men in the business
district to locate the boy and his faith
er and order them off the street. The
fact that women were being annoyed
by the sight, and the persistent appeals
of the deformed boy, urged on by his
healthy father, caused the police to
make the order effective at once. The
officers We're instructed to place both
the boy and father under arrest If they
were found begging.
There are real mendicants, too, who
will be arrested if they show up on
the streets tomorrow. They are two
crippled white men, who claim to be
begging in the shopping district for
several days. These mendicants made
it plain to the police that they did not
have money enough to get out of. the
city, and, inasmuch as their presence
on the streets was not as revolving as
the deformed negro boy, they were
given until night to accumulate a suf-
ficient sum to get out of Savannah.
The police have instructions to place
them both in custody as Migrants, if
they are found on the streets this
week.
To Stop Paupers Coming Here.
Another step, a preventive one, has
been taken to stop begging on the
streets, and the chief of police hopes
to stop the influx of mendicants, or at
least to reduce the number to a mi
nority. Police Surgeon Osborne, In his
capacity of medical examiner of the
poor, has discovered that Macon has
a habit of shipping mendicants to Sa-
vannah. Not few of these people who
are entirely dependent upon char
liable public for support, arrive here
in i'll health, and make application for
admission into the hospitals. OF course
unless they are residents of this coun-
ty they cannot be accepted as charges
of the city.
After making a thorough investiga-
ton the police surgeon reported the
matter to the superintendent of police,
and yesterday morning both officers
entered formal complaint with Mayor
Myers. When the Mayor learned of
the game that Macon is alleged to be
playing on Savannah he addressed a
communication to President Egan of
the Central Railway. In his letter the
Mayor stated that the city would not
care for paupers brought here from
other places, and that the railroads
that bring them into the city must
look out for them. President Egan
ordered an investigation of the COM
plant and stated that the rules gov
erning this matter are stringent.