The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1907-10-06
By ]. N. TILLARp.

subject of charity. he
keeps the cover neces-
sary to plan a successful robbery ana
secure the means OF subsistence while
his plans are being perfected. In order
to deceive the uninitiated. he artsti-
cally makes up false deformities or
carries with him al 'pathhnders,
stalls" or gay cats" real cripples
who have been systematically trained
to play upon the sympathies OF the
people he would deceive. In unnum-
bered ways he paves the way for
criminal operations.
After some years Of service as chier
of police IN Altoona. Pa. became the
employee, about eleven years ago. OF
a private detective agency. While 50
employed, my duties were largely the
Investigation of offences committed
against the property of coal and rail-
road comuanies In Pennsylvania and
Ohio. I found that most depredations
Of this sort had their inception and
fountain head IN the lodging houses
Of New York city. The acquaintance
rorrned on the lower East Side were
renewed around the tie pile hres IN tne
Pennsylvania mountains. The sans
beRrars who disported themselves
about Chatham Square, we're 10 De
found panhandling In the country
towns. .-,..
was initiated into the mysteries
OF 'eYegg'' makeup methocs. wnen
aaw q. roommate In Bowery loogihs
house remove from a normal hano
what appeared to be the stump Of an
amputated wrist. It was made OF
muslin and paper. and admiraeiy
served the purpose for which II was
intended, for several months later
saw the same gentleman industriously
displaying his handless arm, and sell
ing small cakes cut from bars or
cheap laundry soap for anywhere from
s cents to a quarter as the crippled
arm happened to move the sympathy
Of the guileIess purchaser. A day or
two after, 1 saw him seated on a tie
pile In friendly converse with a bunch
of "yeggs," one OF whom 1 knew to
be 9. ''peterman," or safeblower. AS
matter OF fact. these men were plan
ming the robbery OF a small bank In
a suburban town. They had rented
an old house hear the place, and fur
nished Il with a secondhand cook
stove. cooking utensils. dishes. and
hunks. and were hiding their time
when a large deposit for the payment
OF railroad employees should be made.
They were regarded by the people Of
the community as harmless
lot Of Migrants, and maintained
themselves. for several months by
selling soap. shoestrings. pencils, and
begging. pure and simple. They were
only partially successful In their at
tack upon the bank. but got safely
away the local authorities never hav-
ing suspected their character. Three
months later. two Of them were ar
rested for blowing a postOffce safe
in eastern Pennsylvania, and sentenced
to FIVE years in the penitertiary. Later
on, another of the gang got two years
for shooting the chief OF police In a
small town. while on a prowi Sob.
About all the safe blowing done
in country banks, postoffices. railroad
ticket offices, and coal company Offices,
is done by this class of begging burg
lars. Within the last month the Fed
eral authorities have secured the con-
viction of a precisely similar gang for
pOstOnice work In an adjoining county.
The only equipment these gentry carry,
aside from firearms. Is a cskc of soap,
a blow pipe, and a bottle OF nitro
Glycerine. or soup"
The 'pahhandling." OF begging burg
lar, is Just as frequent. Panhandlers''
travel in pairs-one 70 work" and The
other 10 pipe" Some time ago we
got two good specimens. One of them
equipped for his business by a blind
eye and a crippled hand, went from
door to door in a residence district,
offering shoe laces for sale, while his
PARTNER followed at some distance, on
the other side Of the street Reaching
"A aoor where there was no response
TO his ring. he went to the back door
and knocked. Getting no response
there. he correctly assumed that there
vaa no one at home. when ne pro-
ceeded to break In a window. TN
fortunately for him, a lady ucross the
street, out of his partners line of
Vision, saw him and called an officer,
who got him as he was coming out
with all the jewelry In the house In
his possession. In examining this man
for BertillOn description, We found
some ten scars made by buCkshot and
evidence that he had been shot
through the body with .44-caliber
revolver. His partner had HIS arm
covered with scars caused by the APP
rIcation of cantharides I've for pan
handling" purposes. He was Identified
by the Pinkertons and the Baltimore
and Cincinnati police departments as
a notorious "Yegg" ana bans burglar.
One Of the best opponents of the
"throw-out" or fake cripple inposture
that I ever met with was an old fellow
with an alleged paralytic leg. He had
"panhandled'' this State for years.
walking with a cane and crutch, and
the way he dragged his right leg. was
moss cainful TO see. personally gath
cred him in one day. and had the po-
lice surgeon look him over. The doc
tor turned the current from a small
battery on the bad leg and told him TO
get up and walk He still persisted
that his afflietior was genuine, when
told him thai he would probably be
committed for six months, anS locked
him up TO think Il over. He presently
told turnkey that he felt very much
better. and thought that another appIi-
cation or the battery would fix him all
right The turnkey applied the bat
terry when he walked of. leaving his
crutehes, which / sent to New York.
~ subsequently wrote from Chicago
Shdt we nae affected a wonderful cure
but he feared relapse. as he felt the
VI COuDle coming hack. The old man
n