Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-05-04
DEAD BEATS GALORE
Professional Beggars as Dis
honest as Thieves.
STEAL BY DECEPTION
THIS SEASON HARVEST TIME FOR
MEMBERS OF CRAFT.
Major Sylvester's B1uecoats on Alert
for offenders-Panhandle
in Police Court.

AVA OASnoCIS-1d AudQQlGIS
in Police Court.
The police of this city have to deal with
many kinds of professional beggars and
generous variety of dead beats, who come
here from all parts of the country, and
some even from abroad As Lieut. of Police
John G. Daley aptly remarked: There are
professional beggars. just as there are pro-
1essional thieves" And 1t might be added
that the former are almost as dishonest as
the crooks. One class steals by deception,
the other by cunning and daring
This season of the year. with Con-
gress in session and the city filled
with strangers. is the harvest time
for beggars. and were 1t not for the
vigilance Of Major Sylvester's bluecoats
Washington would be fairly overrun with
them. Under these conditions a beggar to
be successful at his calling here must be
almost as shrewd as a sneak thief Scarce
iy day passes that one or more pan
handlers or sidewalk grafters are not ar
raigned In the Police Court under the va
grancy law and given terms in the chain
gang at the workhouse These fellows
cart IN and out of the throngs on Pennsyi-
vania avenue or some other crowded
thoroughfare and tackle the marks or
suckers as the givers are variously
termed. While taking up the collection
| the sidewalk grafters have learned by sad
experience to keep their weather eye peeled
Tor the policemen on the beat. Occasionally
they tackle a good-natured looking. '-plain-
clothes man" from headquarters by mis-
take and are promptly collared and handed
over to the nearest uniformed policeman.
The Capitol, with Congress in session.
was long a favorite place for 'panhandlerS"
of great and small degree until Capt. Ne
grew, chief of the Capitol police appointed
detectives to ferret them out and instructed
his uniformed men to be vigilant in dealing
with the obnoxious class. There Is one
fellow on record who secured loans" from
senators and representatives from ten diff
ferent states by representing to each that
he was a constituent in distress. This pan
handler had undoubtedly travelled much.
for he gave each of his victims the names
of politicians and others in his district and
talked Familiarity about localities and events
therein. 1t Is said this CRATER came to
Washington with carefully prepared list
of congressman, and when he finished the
list he departed from this city with a we'll
filed purse. His favorite story was that
he was stranded here and wanted funds to
carry him back home.
Pauper Element of Europe.
During recant years much of the pauper
element of Europe has been dumped on our
shores. Many of this class are what So
biologists and criminologists term heredi-
tary or born beggars; that is, their parents,
grandparents and perhaps great-grani-
parents had lived by aims asking, and the
current of beggary had been sent coursing
through their beings as hereditary conSump-
ton or Ieprosy is handed down from genera
| ton to generation. There are some of these
| foreign heredtaries in Washington, and the
police sometimes called upon to deal
with them.
| A case in Illustration was pointed out.
near the corner of 18th street and Pennsyl-
vania avenue recently by old policeman.
A human figure, apparently an aged and
decrepit woman, with a faded shawl drawn
tightly about her head, crouched low over
discordant organette and ground out slow
and doleful music. 1t was night time, AMI
her form and face were but dimly visible
| in the Pickering shadows of the electric
| lights. On top of the wheezy music box
| was battered tin cup, into which charf-
| table passersby dropped pennies OF money
| of greater denomination. The woman had
taken station against tree-boX in front or
| saloon.
ITO look at that woman as she crouches
there" said the veteran policeman lone
would think she was old and infirm, bat she
| is an unmitigated fake. She is neither aged,
| nfirm nor poor, but strapping young
| Italian woman. Just watch her and follow
| her home"
| Being told by the policeman to move
| on" the woman arose slowly and, with
| labored movement, gathered up her or
gazette and stool. AS she passed into the
! full light of an arc lamp good view was
/ obtained of the make-believe old invalid.
| She was broad, muscular Italian female,
about thirty or thirty-two years of age,
with a round, rudy face. At first she
/ walked slowly and with bowed shoulders,
| but when Pennsylvania avenue was crossed
at 18th street, and there was not such a
| glare of light, she Strengthened UP and
| scudded along like ship under full sail.
| She entered a house on ID street, and 1t
was learned that her husband owns several
| street pianos, which he rents to his coun-
| trymen, and that he has an income from
| several sources. His wifes fayorite stand
nld yxynp in
| front of saloons where she receives much
| money from. tipsy patrons who are mel.
| lowed and sympathetic by reason of their
| liberal libationS.
| Touched a Congressman.
| Former Representative Moses of Georgia
was approached as he was passing along
| Washington's Bowery by most disrepu-
table looking panhandler the other day.
Mister, please give me few cents to
| get something to eat said the fellow.
| Are you really hungry, or do you want
| the money to get drink asked the Geor-
CLAN.
handler. Deed do not want the money
| for booze.
Here you are, them said the former
| congressman, handing the beggar bright
| fifty-cent silver piece.
| when asked why he encouraged such fell
| lows Mr. Moses replied that several years
| ago, while on hunting trip In the noun
| tafnS far from human naDltatlOnS, ne nau
| become desperately hungry for the first
| time in his life, and he took a VOW then
| that never would he refuse to give assist
ance to any person who appealed to him
when he was suffering the pangs of hum
| ger.
| A delegation of "one-legs, or lame tour
| lists" as panhandlers minus one of their
1 lower limbs are called. reached this city
several days ago. They are usually card
| workers" That is, they carry with them
printed cards describing how they lost
! their legs. Printed in big type on the
cards is the line: GIVE what you please"
These are handed to persons on the street,
| or as they go from door to door they are
| handed in to the mistress or master of the
/ house. Since the war with Spain impos-
| tors of this stripe claim that they lost
| their limbs In the Cuban or Philippine cam
paign This class of frauds can be easily
| detected as all former soldiers should be
| provided with discharge papers showing
| their character and service.
The "Blister Workers"
4 The ssblister workers" are another set Of