Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1904-01-29

| ITduQuient way.
> One of the Rock Island ministers
who has a study that j. available tells
some interesting stories about the
beggars of different kinds he meets in
his everyday life.
Il remember one fellow" the minis
ter said. VINO amused me greatly. He
was Il big. fine-louking. well-dreSsed
dignified man. He came to church
Sunday morning and sat in n front
seat and appeared greatly interested.
After the service he congratulated me
on my sermon. said il was the best he
| had ever heard and he had enioVed
everYt hing that had taken place. He
came again at night and was quite as
generous i'm his praise and made an
engagement 10 call upon me the next
day. ! wondered who the distinguished
man could be and what he could want
and the next day at an appointed houI
he came to my house. After Il good
deal of fiattery and a rather pleasant
conversation he announced that he
was selling Il patent rubber bathtHb
| and wanted me To buy one 50 that he
could have my Endorsement.
The smooth swindler is the one who
goes after the preacher the hardest.
| He has Il new investment company,
| town lots to sell or some ether get
| rich-quick scheme. He * Il good talk
| or and makes Il nice appearance and
always comes recommended by broth
err somebody who belongs to the same
denomination in some other city. He
wants the minister to invest only "a
| small amount. but wants his indorse-
ment. He Will. if refused. endeavCr to
secure list of the church members
and d. IL last resort will offer the min
| lister few shares Of stock or Il COM
mission if he will allow his name TO be
used. If the minister consents the
me mberS of the congregation are
sometimes the sufferers.
Some of these swindler> and beg
garS are clever. They will 90 to the
| trouble of learning the names of many
of the ministers of the same denomin-
alton in ether cities and quote them.
They can give their religion in the
wink of an eye They most always be-
long belong to the same church "a the
minister upon whom they call or
else their parents belong and they at
tended the Sunday school when they
were younger.
There j, enc class" said the minis
ter who has met them all: who Is
hard up and wants few dollars in or
der to get back To his home or friends.
He generally wants enough for his
supper and the fare TO Chicago. do
not know why they always select
Chicago. but I suppose because the
fare 10 that city j. the sum which
make, Il nice. easy touch. This fell
low i generally just out of the hos
pitaI or else he Wa> robbed on the
train.
He will tell about his OWN pastor
and how his father il an officer in the
church and that the money will he re-
turned a. soon as he finds his friends:
just Il loan for Il few days.
Il always in such cases offer to tel
egraph 10 their pastor or relatives and
and ask if | shall make the loan and
agree to do it if the answer il favor
able. If the man * dishonest he Will
say such action i a reflection upon his
honesty and will leave without fur
Their ceremony.
There i still another appeal which
X made and sometimes it il effective.
The man will come to the preacher
and make an apparently open confeN-
sion which is probably untrue. He will
say that he has just finished serving Il
term in the penitentiary: that during
his life life of Servitude he resolved
never to steal again and to come cut
i'm the world and start in the right
path. He will. tell how he has strug-
nlcd for several days. mas been unable
to find work and now II on the last
ragged edge. still desiring to he hon
est. He will appeal to the minister
in the name of all that i good to
give him enough money to tide him
over the temptations and save nm
from again sinking back into the life
of thief. to which position he Will be
forced unless aided at once.
This i strong appeal and when
made by smooth fellow who knows
how to talk and play on ones sym
pathy it often works.
when a preacher gives money To
any of the professional >windlers and
afterwards finds he has been fooled he
feels provoked and Disguised. But
there is a different feeling when he
meets one class of beggars. the man
" ho' has been something in the world
and has lost everything" that man
ought 10 have. Human wrecks who
have sunk to the very lowest depths
and often who have seen good days.
Such meetings are sad. one can not
| help but pity such beggars. | remem-
J Der one who came to my office. lie
was an exceedingly brilliant fellow.
He could read the Greek testament
"A, readily "a | can read English. he
knew ali about modern and ancient
history. all about the sciences ana
could talk about literature. He must
/ have been a wonderful man mentally
! at one time. but he had gone down
| the ladder to a point where ne was
past redemption. He Was IN rag.
and was reeking with liquor ana had
simply thrown his life away. lie haa
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