The Pioche record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1908-1925, 1910-01-01
CIVIC SOCIETY TO
STOP BEGGING
National Organization Begins a
War on IInpostoFs.
To Be WAGED IN ALL BIG CITIES

| Cnteny preventive hather nan re-
| pressive-How Unfortunates Will Be
Helped-Odd Stunts Of Some Cele-
brated Beggars.
| A comprehensive effort to deal on a
national scale with the problem of
mendicancy in all the large cities of
the United States and 10 time, If pos
sible, to stamp out the professional
| phases of it, as represented in the pro-
fessional impostor and charity fraud"
Is the work that has lately been launch
ed by newly formed organization.
having its headquarters at New York
city with James Forbes as it's director
and secretary.
The society is practically an out
growth Of Mr.. Forbes own work In
the mendicancy bureau Of the New
York Charity Organization society.
which was aimed at the same problem,
but not upon so ambitious scale.
The society, which is called the Ma
tional Association For the Prevention
Of Mendicancy and Charitable Impos-
ture. will cooperate with police de
partments, charitable organizations and
individuals In every one of the large
cities of the United States 1t pos
sesses 800 photographs of the most no.
torious professional mendicants in the
United States. showing them plying
their trade" and also 5000 records OF
the history and the practices of mendi-
cants, rogues, frauds and knaves OF
every description. These will be used
as bureau Of information to enable
police departments and charity organ
izations to deal intelligently with any
mendicants and rogues who may be
found imposing upon citizens
Unfortunates to Be Helped.
The chief work Of the society, how
ever. will be directed to the social
police" work OF assisting unfortunates
and detectives who have been forced
either by physical or mental incapaci-
| ty or real need to beg in the streets
The method to be used, II is announc
ed. is to find work or permanent aid in
| some form for the crippled and dis
abled.
Decoyed boys found begging for
parents. For the most part, it is an
nounced. the work with the mendi-
cants will be preventive rather than
repressive, and it is hoped by COM
bined method of warning, advice and
assistance to discourage many of those
I just entering the field and help them
to earn an honest living.
One of the first efforts Of the society
will be to clear the streets of every
large city of the United States of the
professional beggar. Work to this end
has already been started in New York
and In the last few weeks Mr.. Forbes
and A. P. Curtis. special officer of the
society. have been rounding up pro-
fessional beggars in the Sixth avenue
shopping district, where they had be
gun to concentrate from all parts OF
the United States to reap the harvest
of the Christmas season. Some of the
most notorious beggars and impostors
in the United States were rounded vi
as result Of this search.
Celebrated lmpostors.
Among these celebrities we're the no
torious "Shivers," an old man whose
specially is to lie on the ground and
give horribly realistic stimulation Of
an epileptic 1T; Charles Berkowitz Of
Philadelphia. one of the unscrupuloul
blind beggars of the country, who II
two days work had obtained $54.41 b,
the time be was arrested; Nina Saliva
tore, an old Italian "black hood"
/ whose speciality is simply to look
starving and hideous; Leon Lemaire
the French ''crust thrower," who's,
special device is to throw a piece O
bread In the gutter when he sees ,
charitably looking woman approach
ing and then to pounce upon 1t ant
begin to gnaw it ravenously; old mai
Dublin. the Hopper" Broken Backet
Smiddy," whose appeal to sympathy 1
4 dislocated hip; Shenandoah Slim,
who was working deaf and dum1
racket, and several others.
In all there were about sixty-fiv,
professionals who had been in tn
trade for years and earned comfort
able competence at It. Some Of thes
were sent to the workhouse; few O
them were shipped out Of New York
all of them have been cleared out o
the shopping district. SO that .womel
will be practically free from imposi
ton and fraud during their Christina
! shnnning