The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1905-06-07
BEGGARS' OUTFITTER.
Creates Ailments to Order and Man
ufactures CrippIes.

In a small but neat and comfortable
red brick house at Hackney lives an
elderly, careworn man who is known
to his nelghbors by the mysterious title
of "the beggars' tailor" The "beggars'
outfitter' would be more appropriate
sobrlquet, for the elderly mans trade
has nothing to do with the making of
clothes. He equips and fits out profess
slonal mendlcants for the practice of
their trade.
"a mendicant who has not mastered
the tricks of the trade" began the
beggars' tailor "has no more chance
of making money than has a pugilst
who has not learned to box. lie must
get an outfit. For woman small
child Is the most essential detail. But
six beggar women out of eight have no
children of their own OF the right age.
/ supply them.
'But that's only small part Of my
business. I'll guarantee to make the
healthlest looking man in England re-
semble an anaemic cripple in ten min
utes. Only man who can work that
transformation has right to call him
self beggars' tailor
'"The public likes horrors. DO you see
thoseY The beggars' tailor took from
his breast pocket large pill box and
removed the lid. Inside were about
score of waters of different sizes, shiny
with some adhesive on one side, and
red, protuberant and nasty looking on
the other.
"Those," he continued, "are beggars'
sores. 1t doesn't sound nice, but you
don't want niceness in this business
My clients purchase them from me,
stick them in the exact spot on their
necks or faces and find them good
investment. When the wafer Is stuck
on, the skin around II must be careful
ly treated with red and white colorlng
matter.
Sturdy beggars up from the country
always pose on the verge of starvation
If II weren't for me their fat faces
would belle them. But, as every stage
dresser knows, few art tificial lines
and judiclous use of shadows will
make a face like Falstaff's emaciated
and lean. Beggars seldom wash, and
that's lucky for themselves Otherwise
they'd be put to fresh expense every
day.
"Are there other tricks of the trade?
l should think so. If you ever see
one legged beggar wearing long coat,
ten to one he's crock With little
practice II sound llmbed man can bend
up his leg till it's almost parallel with
his thigh bone. He comes to me for
an artificial leg which he fixes to his
kneecap. The long coat enables him
to carry off the fraud. A medal on his
chest, a whine about Tel-elKebir or
Colenso, and the tricks done. For
money making no pose can beat the
soldier broke in our wars
Half the blind and one legged beg
gars can see as well as you or |. can
fit a blind man with everything from
dog and eye shade to Braille book in
raised up characters. Dogs, of course,
cost money, as they have to be special
ly trained. AS rule, the swindling
blind man hasn't got dog. It's not
necessary and great expense, where
as a real blind man, if he hasn't got
child, must have one
MANY sham cripples and blind
men are eX-criminals. A man who's
been Tagged and done a long term Of
penal and doesn't like it fights shy of
tinn cnpnn1 pri p,rt ha
says he can't get work as long as he's
on ticket. AS rule, he makes very
successful beggar, for nothing sharp
ems mans wits like jail."-London
Letter in Los Angeles Times