Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1907-10-02
Russian Tramp King Carries
Out Function Like Chicago
Hobo Banquet.
JUBILEE HELD INACEMETERY
Sumptuous Repast Laid on Grave
stones-Plenty to Dring But No
Drunkenness Among Guests.

to American tramps and beggars,
writes q st. Petersburg correspondent
OF the New York Press. No doubt the
gayety and magnificence of DR.. Reit-
mans spread TO hoboeS were much dis |
torted when the story reached the ears |
impression, and especially on Ivan |
Stepanof, the king of Russian beg |
CARS Ivan the other day celebrated |
the thirty-fifth anniversary of his rule |
This king of the underworld was |
most anxious to celebrate the event i'll |
an up to date manner, and so the mo- |
ment he heard OF the Chicago feast he |
decided that he would follow suit and |
give a gorgeous banquet.
Those familiar with Russia and
Russian life know that one of the fea
lures of the land is the army of beg
CARS. There is no charity organiZa
ton society to bother and the police
are friendly-so friendly. in fact, that
there is a probability that the bcggars
either pay a goodly percentage or buy
outright from the police their numer
Ivan Stepanoff is n man Of siXty-a
tall, we'll built man with white hair
and beard, having more the appear
ance of well to do artisan or minor
official than a beggar. Yet he has
piled his trade" for good thirty-five
years and always at the same stand,
the largest and most fashionable Gem
off Of tnI in
suburb of Kolomna. Here he is one
of the most noted figures, dressed in
picturesque rags. He has Il soft voice.
an engaging manner, and with visitors
and sightscers as we'll as mourners he
is success in soliciting aims for HIM
self, his poor wife and starving"
children.
AS a matter of fact, which the po-
lice, but not the public, is aware of, his
wife wears valuable furs and dia-
monds; one of his daughters is mar
ried to a merchant who, with her, re-
ceived q large dot" and his two sons
are students at the Lycee and may
shortly gain well paid positions in the
official service.
The police, but not the public, also
know that the very handsome villa
Enclosed by large and well kept gar
den situated in the Kolomna suburb is
StepanOff's home and that he built it
himself. The MENACE is a luxurious
one, and the beggar has his servants
| and his trotters just as if he were a
| noble or a wealthy merchant
So much for the king of beggars
| For his anniversary he decided to fol-
low the idea of the Chicago banquet,
yet even on Il grander scale. He caused
, invitations to be sent broadcast to the
| beggars, tramps and miscellaneous no.
boes of st. Petersburg. The banquet
hall was the cemetery, the home of his
exploits
| Police Know of Wealth.
The police, strange to say, raised no
objections to the jubilee in the grave
yard. They allowed the caterers wag-
ons TO unload huge piles of eatables
and great baskets filed to the brim
with bottles of strong vodka. They
allowed the guests-the queerest as
semblage in the city-to gather to the
number of Il round thousand, and, fur
thermore, they raised no objections to
the graves and gravestones being used
as tables. On each graveStOne was
laid sumptuous repast, with its prop
or complement of liquid refreshment
A dozen or more of the strange guests
gathered round each grave, depending
on its size, and there feasted Ivan
himself presided at one of the central
graves, a great mausoleum. the fam.
lily vault of a prince. During the feast
he also visited and drank his toast al
others of the tombs
This strange scene continued from
noon throughout the evening until
came the time for the cemetery to be
closed for the night. There was no un
seemly noise. Each party of junketers
had its own merriment: but, although
the vodka was plentiful, there We're III
drunkards and no rowdics in the crowd
Ivan Stepanoff announced early il
the day with much eclat that in view Of
the festivities he would abstain from
importuning strangers for aims fol
that day, the first day in thirty-fvt
years in which he had not attended t.
| MS business.
Toward closing time Stepanoff mar
shaded his guests in small parties an,
conducted them to the gates. From
there they vanished to their holes.
1t is estimated that the celebration
cost the king OF beggars fully $500
But he is plying his trade more vigor
ously than ever and may soon max
up this.
Although this Is the first beggars' bar
quet in Russia, there are now likely t
be others. Chicago has evidently sowe
q seed which promises to be fruitful
Soiariums Now the Fad.
at is quite fad now" said an arch
tect to a correspondent of the Ne,
York Press, ''to build solariums to til
private houses, and they are very bear
tiful things, too-conservatories at til