The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1906-08-23
6EGGARS VISITING CARDS.
How They Are Obtained and Used
Profits of Mendfcancy.


Profits of Mendicancy.
The modern beggar places a great
deal of faith in the visiting card trick.
To bring this trick to a successful issue
the beggar must be q man of respect
able appearance and some address, for
1t is essential that he should gain ac-
cess to your drawing room.
He may come in the disguise of q
politician TO solicit your vote for the
next parliamentary or municipal cleo
ton or of a phlianthropist to interest
you in some charity; or he may come
as needy suppliant with a plausible
story for which he gains your ear by
mentioning the name of your friend,
Mr. NJ, whose acquaintance with
you he has by some means ascertained.
If he is fortunate enough to be admit
ted to the drawing room he asks, be-
fore going. If you will oblige him with
a glass Of water. Should you leave
him for a moment to comply with his
request he takes the opportunity TO
pocket any visiting cards he may see
lying about.
Presently one of the cards comes
back to you. 1t is presented by another
caller, says Macmillan's Magazine, and
on the back you read, Bearer is a
thoroughly deserving man. He is on
his way to (some distant town. to OBJ
tain work. / have given him 10 shil-
lings. Can you help?" On receiving
such a message you probably add your
donation and you are surprised when
next you meet your friend to learn that
he knows nothing whatever of your
caller.
Some of the other stolen cards will
be similarly presented to other friends
of the people whose names they bear.
Thus the wears card will be presented
to one Of his church wardens, and so
on.
Visiting cards are recognized arti-
Gle of commerce in some of the common
lodging houses frequented by the beg
ging fraternity, where they are sold
at prices ranging up to shillings, ac-
cording to the supposed value Of the
card as a bait. Stamped letter paper Is
sometimes obtained in the same way !;
IL comes in very handy for writing
false testimonials.
Begging pays sufficiently well to de
ter a good many people from Joining
the ranks of honest industry. 1t is a
calling in which some men remain for
Nae whole of their lives and In which
hey even bring up their children. A
good begging letter may be worth as
much as f10. There is one practitioner
of the art who has a banking account
and another who is an owner of house
property. On the other hand, many
begging letters emanate from common
lodging houses, which presumably are
not the abodes of the afiiuent. And
there is well-known gang which has
its headquarters in the workhouse,
sending out patches Of letters addressed
from various shops IN the neighbor-
hood. When good luck rewards their
efforts they take their discharge from
the workhouse and live in luxurious
ease for a while, returning when the
money is spent.
About 3 shilllngs day is estimated
by the experts of the Mendicity society
to be the average earnings Of an or
binary successful street beggar in Lon
don: the figure is arrived at by observ-
ing the amount OF money found on beg
CARS who have been arrested. Last
year there was 9,019 convictions for
begging in the London police courts
alone, and of course those who are ar
rested are but comparatively small
proportion of the beggars In the streets.
1t is estimated that in the London po-
lice area the enormous sum Of f3l2,0OC
goes into the pockets Of street beggars
every year.