Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1906-07-05
A CLAN Of PAUP[RS
Des Moines Has Third Largest
Pa,,per and Criminal Family
in America
HAS OVER 100 MEMBERS
>s OVER 1870 MEMBERS
Tho Gibson Family Has Police Rec
ord That is Believed to Guido That
of Any Other Family in America,
With But Two Exceptions - They
Arc Enemies of Work.

Arc Enemies of Work.
| Special to Times Republican.
Des Moines, July 5.-Des Moines has
the Sd largest pauper- criminal family
in America and probably the world.
The Jukes of Cincinnati, and the Ish-
meals are the two largest pauper and
criminal families. The Gibson family
of Des Moines is the third largest
family of the kind. Not an adult MEM
bea' of the Gibson family in Des
I Moines, but has a police record, having
every one of them been in the city or
county Jail or penitentiary, most of
them in the penitentiary. Isaac Glib
| son came to Des Moines in the early
days from the feudalist district of
| Tennessee and he was feudalfst of
F, the worst kinu. He stopped in Des
Moines in the early days and there is
no record that he ever did anything but
| sponge off the community. He had
about nine sons and of these four or
five came to Des Moines with him,
and some daughters. 1t seems the
children of his sons were mostly girls
and this fact has made it very hard
to trace the family as the girls have
married and are living under various
| names, there being number of the de-
scendants by the name of Shepherd
and ,Ellwood. The luke family in
mt.
Gibson family at last accounts num-
bered about $50 according to the best
estimate and 123 by actual count. 1t
is known that there are more than the
l2S, but just how many is not known.
Every one of the Gibson girls has mar
ried man who has followed in the
footsteps of the Gibson characteris-
tics SO far as known with but one ex-
ception. That one exception is a coal
teamster who has kept steadily at
work earning an honest living so far
as known. The rest of the family have
lived off the community and the coun-
ty for the past fifty years For a
great many years they lived off the
county without the least trouble They
were given aid because they said they
were poor and the method in those
days was to tax. the pauper's word for
IT. They live off the county now to
some extent because the county author
tiles do not conduct society depart
ment to the office of the overseer of
the poor and has no method of keeping
track of the inter-marriages of the
Gibson tribe under different names
But whenever the county authorities
recognize one OF the Gibson descend
ants they are prompt to refuse aid.
The original and ancestral members of
the family now never go to the over
seer of the poor's office. They send
someone else and manage to get
great deal Of aid to which they are
not entitled.
In the Gibson family Of Des Moines
this state is confronted with one of the
problems that demand legislation.
Authorities are not slow to recognize
that there should be some method of
preventing the increase of this class
of paupers. These Gibsons remain for
the most part in Des Moines. One of
the sons of Isaac Gibson travels about
the country like a gypsy I'm covered
wagon with train of dogs and horses
following him picking up precarious
living. This family strikes Des
Moines about once in every two or
three years. The rest of them have all
remained in Des Moines They marry
here and raise families which also
marry here and the remarkable man
ner in which the girls always marry
criminal or pauper men is astonishing.
This perpetuates the pauper streak in
~, 70 no
ton now is how great will this Glib
son family be in few years. Having
increased in forty years from a family
of man and wife and four Or five
children to a tribe numbering 100 per-
sons, what will it amount to in forty
more years il each one of the present
families are as prolific as the parent
family, and the records all tend to-
show that the later families are even
tending to Guido the parent stock.
The Gibsons were never known to
hold steady jobs. The men sleep in the
day time and roam around at night.
The women spend their days in beg
cling and for the most part seem to be
the main support Of the shiftless men.
Yet the women take to it naturally.
They will not remain in their kitchens.
The instinct is strong to go onto the
street and beg. Whenever the authors
ties make an investigation of Gibson
descendant to ascertain whether or not
the request for county aid comes from
one who is worthy, the fact is discov-
cred that said Gibson descendant is
just on the verge Of going to work.
He has been sick but has a promise of
Job and is expecting to go to work
in day or two and if given aid to tide
him over for the two or three days till
he is to get the job. everything will be
all right. This same story has been
repeated so many times that the au-
thorities are aware of the facts when
ever it is Gibson that is telling 1T
to them There are worthy persons
who get sick and are forced for time
to get county aid for. two or three days
till they can go to work. But when
ever such claims of Gibson are in
vestigated it is discovered that the
credulity Of the authorities is being
imposed upon.
In city of 10000 people such as Des
Moines is now, including all the sub
urbs. the Gibson family has not d great
deal of difficulty It seems in picking UP
living by begging. They send their
an. INT he rag5eoea sections