New-York tribune., 1909-12-26
STRANGE YULETASX
ON BEGGARS' TRAIL.
T1centy Detectires Srcept the
Streets Clear of Mendicants.

As strange a task as ever the Christi
n1astime set for twenty men Of peace and
good viii was that OF twenty Headquarters
detectives last week They set Ott %
sweep the streets clear OF Christmas beg
gars- And, moreover. they were working
with the National Association for the Pre-
vention OF Msndieancy and Charitable I'm
posture.
After all, In spite OF the thankless work
and doubly thankless name. the job mad
the right Christmas spirit in II II only one
took the point or view of the body referred
TO James Forbes. the associations secre-
tary, director and handspring. Is sure OF
that. He explained IL yesterday. and add
ed something about the remarkable fellows
WIN whom his detectives had to deal
professional begging IN the city
doubles as the Christmas season comes
on" be said Yearly all the money given
70 bsggars Is wasted outright. and the rest
Is sadly misapplied. Practically all Of II,
too. comes from the people who can least
afford 10 spare what they give. SO this
dirty work IS the kindest thing we can do
az this time. n Is only a small part Of
what We try 20 do; for our association is
for the prevention Of meudicancy. not Tor
It's mere suppression.
whom our men took from an elevated train.
We hear OF him all over the country as
one OF the few negro beggars who have
the persistence and the courage 10 succeed
at the business. He vas working able
bodied or. IN English, lying about his
hard luck. and getting money out OF kind
hearted folk By the sheer force Os has per-
sonaltty. He Won't get any more dimes
for a while and that Is "A real service 70
the city.
People do not stop aud think what
flightfUl experience IL 10 To- bez for mOnsy.
The oldest and most brazen ol the bsggars
can't face a man confidently unless they
are well bTaced up with drink and half
OF what they get in night goes 70 buy
more whiskey 20 keep up their courage,
To man who is simply hard UP. who
has never begged before. two or three re-
fusals are enough 20 break him down com
pletely The poor devils who sleep out in
the parks are not 10 be confused with the
besgars. They linger on as 5es, they can.
making the rounds OF the missions and ths
bread line sleep three times a month In
the naunlciral lodging houses. beg some
times when they are desperate IN a mum
bling, tmpotent fashion. get into the hos
pitfalls and are pushed out again. and then
many Ot them-dis.
Nothing like that FOR your professional.
He Is hard up sometimes; most OF what
he makes goes for drink or craps or stuss.
but he usually gets along well enough if
he Is town bessar, 20 look down on the
'hoeOes' who come In from the road ami
u he Is A wandering tramp he always can
despise the town bum
In one nights work we rounded up
nine professionals In The shopping and
theatre district We found that we had
the pictures OF most OF them. six we're
discharged in the night court. One went
back % Philadelphia. where he came from.
He was showing 8 frightful deformity of
ms arm IN front Of & church.
Perhaps the most pititul OF an the class
e. OF Christmas bessars are the black
hoods old women vino drag OUT their lives
alone on The verge Of starvation. Many os
them are broken down servants. gone 10
seed through drink for the most part. who
draw small pensions from old employers.
There are houses which are run especially
for these woUsH, where they get sleeping
space for 20 cents a night The women
who run these places urge them % go out
and beg az Christmas time. strike the
kind people they say. The good Lord Him
self begged hts bread. And. OF course. the
managers Of ne houses and the neighbortng
saloons set al the proceeds OF their beg
ging.
The simplest and nlost effective method
OF the msndicants is working the skirt.'
The man picks cut for a marx a suscept-
ible looking man who has woman with
him. preferably az theatre time or church
time The beggaF viii stick % him. follow
ing him often for a block through the
crowded sidewalk, and h- almost aIWavs
gets his UP n is an embarrassing sftua-
ton for al three
The easiest and quickest way 20 get
money. however is for a man simply 10 sir
by the sidewalk and hold out his hat 70 The
passersby. The harder he works the more
he earns. MANY OF these men are masters
OF pantoulinle. They make that forward
thrust OF the hat as hauutlngly pathetic as
the most ghastly injuries that the cruder
begsaTs expose. Their method Is especially
strong with girls from the shops and stores.
who are tmpuisive and kind. and know too
well what poverty means.
But after al. the arrest OF these profess
sionals Is not the only aim of our associa-
ton. only a means. We mean % prevent
mendicancy. Commissioner Baker has re-
stored the detail OF twenty detsctives which
Commissioners Bingham did away With. and
with their ala We expect 10 keep the pro-
fessionai beggars we'll in hand in the fur
me-