The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1911-01-23

Telling a strange story of being
forced TO support himself and his
mother by begging in the streets and
cruelty beaten IL he returus home
without sufficient money TO appease
his parent. Il small. tattered Lad OF
thirteen years has presented a knott3
problem to the oIiciaIs of the Asso-
ciated Charities and contributed his
iota of proof to the assertion thar
truth is stranger than fiction.
The case is the first of the kind in
the history of the Associated Chart
ties and the officers of the organiza-
ton are In a quandary. 1t Is probable
that the matter will be called to the
attention of the proper authorities anu
thorough investigation OF the case
made, The Associated Charities Off
Gals admit that they are at their wits
end az TO how 10 deal with the case,
having done everything in their power
and exhausted their ingenuity In de-
Vising ways and means to prevent the
lad from making daily pilgrimages
through the streets of Richmond. ac-
costing pedestrians and begging Tor
aims.
Scores of persons have notified the
officials of the Associated Charities
by telephone that small lad, ragged,
thinly clad and apparently in dire
need of food IL wandering the streets
stopping strangers and asking for
money. Each OF these informants has
been told the story of the child and
advised not TO give him more money
but the boy continues begging
The first time the boy told DIR.
James Buchanan. in charge of the
Associated CHARITIES home at -Four
teenth and Franklin streets. the story
of being beaten by his mother IL he
did not bring money home at night.
DIR. Buchanan visited the boys home
and interviewed the mother. She de-
MED the tale told by the lad and said
she would try to stop him from beg
ging. That was months ago and al
though DR.. Buchanan has made sev-
eral visits to the home since then
and requested the mother to pneXens
The boy soliciting money, the lad still
goes about the streets. For this
reason 1t is believed there is truth in
the assertions made by the boy. Fur
! Their, the boy and mother have no
visible means of support.
The father and husband died about
four years ago. shortly before the
birth of twins. The support of the
family then fell upnn~a daughter wae
is now twenty-three years old. She
obtained work in a shoe factory at IS
keeping the wolf from the door. But
the daughter grew i'll. funds gave out
and the mother found herself and
children without food. 1t was then
that she appealed to the Associated
Charities. She was gwen rood, fuel
/ and clothing and from time to time
since then, the charities have con-
tributed to her and her children's sup
port. paying rent and on another or-
- he - a..
removal of the family to a new home
in the West End.
In March last. officials OF the chart
ties discovered that the son was beg
ging. The boy has been begging al
most continuously since then. Durins
one week the charities received an
average of four complaints day con-
corning the juvenile beggar.
On one occasion he was found wan
dering the streets in Fulton, Ieadink
a lad Of four or five years by the hand.
The elder boy stopped strangers and
asked fer money. saying that he and
his younger companion were brothers
and without a home or relatives. They
were carried to the Associated Chart
ties where IL was learned that the
smaller boy was the son of an italian
barber. Both of the lads were carried
home,
merchant was walking In Foushee be-
tween Broad and Grace streets AZ
night when he, heard a., childish wall
| from a door. Approaching the door
way he found sman lad shivering In
the cold.
what's the matssr?" asked the
merchant.
II lost my quarter and IL go home
my mother win beat me-" sobbed the
lad. The merchant supplied the
necessary quarter and departed.
The following night he was passing
through the same street and discov-
cred the little beggar again the door
way The hoy told the same story
and the merchant said.
why, you told me that last night"
With frightened exclamation tbs
boy darted past the man and run
ming through an alley disappeared.