Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-05-23
ABUSES GOTHAM|TES
Russell Sage's Benevolences
Object Of Mirth.
ASTOUNDED A NEWSBOY
how sCHEMERS FLEECE RICH
VICTIMS FOR WRITE-UPs.
Appeal to the Vanity Of the Socially
Ambitious for Publicity-The
Inquiring Dodge.

Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.
NEW YORK, May 20. 1904.
There is a renewal of financial confidence
over here based upon two extraordinary
Incidents both Of which occurred upon the
same day.
One morning last week tall, aged, an
gular man was about to enter the main
entrance Of an Office building In lower
Broadway, when a perfectly-groomed man
of forty or so politely blocked his way,
lifted hts hat, and said In plausible, we'll
rounded tone:
"Mr Sage. you are, of course, unac-
| quainted with me, and equally, Of course,
| have no right to ask a favor of you Never
theless, 1 shall state my case, II you Will
hear me, and throw myself upon your gen
| crosby. In changing my clothing this
morning I neglected to transfer my money
to the apparel which I am now wearing
I have an imperative appointment at the
Waldorf in half an hour If were to go
to my office now to get money, 1t would be
impossible for me to reach the hotel in
time to keep the appointment The favor
I have to ask of you Is this: Will you be
good enough to let me have a nickel for
L fare uptown upon my simple promise to
return the nickel by tomorrow morning at
the outsider
why certainly, my dear man." replied
Mr.. Russell Sage, and he straightway pro-
duced a nickel and handed 1t to the high
ly-groomed man. without even asking for
the htter's sleeve links as security.
The mere fact that the highly-g roOmed
man-who Is well-known broker-had
made his haf-dime touch on a wager did
not in the least affect the significance of
the affair. Mr.. Sage did not know that it
was bet. He simply assisted stranger
to the extent of five cents
The story of the incident was all over
n nf1Q a or yxff In hole
and countenances that had been gloomy
and morose but short time before be-
came illumined with new hope. The
financial papers that afternoon announced
with great solemnity that they had the
very best of reasons for stating that so
acute critic and student Of the financial
situation as Mr.. Russell Sage regarded con-
ditions as being in every way bright.
At o'clock that same afternoon Mr. Rus
sell Sage emerged from the Office building
In lower Broadway and bore down upon
the one-armed newsboy from whom he
mas been purchasing the Evening Post for
several years. always having the required
three coppers ready to give the boy in
exchange for the paper
On this afternoon. however after Mr..
sage had taken the paper he assumed a
Denagn expression as he slipped q fve-cent
piece into the one-armed lads outstretched
hand.
Keep the change. my boy" benevolent
~ remarked Mr.. Sage, passing on
The one-armed newsboy's face assumea
sudden chalkiness as he leaned heavily
against one Of the pillars Of the Office
b buiiding for support The janitor of the
near, noticed the pallor of the bows face
and rushed over to him.
Hey, wots on youse, ChickT solicitous-
ly inquired the janitor
DE Of tight-wad staked me t. five drinks
rr pape, gasped the one-armed news
boy. tottering. and almost falling.
Janitors being natural disseminators Of
news this startling incident, too, soon
reached the Offices of the financial Jour
nails, then getting out their last editions,
and all OF them slapped in postscripts TO
the effect that they had additional reason
Mr. Russell Sage regarded the situation as
more encouraging than it had been for a
long time.
1t has since been ascertained, however,
that he had again become a great-great-
great-grandfather, and that he was simply
celebrating.
Canvassing Schemes.
The head of noted private detective
agency was talking to the writer recently
about certain phases Of the notorious
who's who?" canvassing business which
Is now being inquired into by the police au-
thorities of many cities throughout the
United States.
There is a comparatively new species of
who are not being reckoned with as vet
with quite as much vigor as they are going
to be little later on when the nature of
their operations is more generally under
stood among people of wealth. These
strong-arm operators are not pikers 1t
should be understood from the outset and
only go after the large money They don't
see ANYTHING less than a fifty, and they
are perfectly well aware Of the fact that
1t Is just as easy to trim an easy mark for
5000 as 1T for $50 when the victims vanity
is the nub of the transaction.
For example. three Of these high-grade
manipulators- were getting things into easy
motion for the $500 bundles down at Palm
Beach, Fla, last winter when their scheme
was punctured by local newspaper cor
respondent down there who exposed the
dodge SO that the three cheerful operators
had to run for 1t just at the time they
were planting step-ladders to reach up at
ter the plums.
THE scheme was the Who's whof dodge.
with some kind Of a bogus press club at
tachment. You see. there are lot Of OBJ
scure people of wealth running around the
United States looking for amusement-peo-
pie who are not the real thing, socially,
but who have laundering that keeps them
awake nights to be considered the real
thing. They are willing to make any sort
OF reasonable or even unreasonable dona-
ton toward effecting this purpose These
are the people who are easy picking for
the Who's who? operators.
One OF the latter swoops upon the OBJ
scure individual of wealth like to see his
face and family tree and so on printed in
a sure-enough, honest-injun, vellum- bound
book, along with the names and cuts and
family trees of the folks of the United
States who are, for dead certain thing
Of the elite? Well, it's about forty to one
that the obscure man of wealth thus ap-
preached would just love that Same thing
How much? Only 800 Just write your
name here on these dotted lines, and for
ward your check to -Ra-Ump-Ta-
Ra being the cheerful worker holding down
the New York end and who makes a cut
with the boys who do the actual canvass
ing; and there you are.
Many Rich Victims
you wouldn't imag CINE that many would
bite on a thing like that, Ell? Well, if you
knew, as ! know, how many millions-and
when say millions that's what 1 mean
have been picked up by the swooth Who's
WhoY grafters at that kind of game dur
ing the past five years, you's gain queer
impression as to how easy 1t is to play
upon the vanity of neutrality-suspicious. Amer
leans of obscurity and wealth. Some of
the Who's Who? books have been in
course of preparation for ten years, and
they're still in press
And there are more variations Of the
strong arm dodge which has for its profit
fbO init of h,,,,,o y;,,l