Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1914-09-15
MELANCHOLY DAYS
ARECOME, SADDEST
FOR CITY BEGGARS
Hard Times for Mendicant
Army, Due to the Police.
Jimmy Conners in Correc-
ton, Stats Despondent,
"Shoestring Mary" Gone.

House OF CorrectlOn'
even Jimmy Connors, who was the life
n n saloon near Eighth and Callowhill
s,reets. is in the House of Correction,
and what grieves James most is that
be cannot get out, although he hired two
,ovvers to accomplish the object.
James got out of the Correction"
,,lce. lust for brief breathing spells,
,,hiIe his attorneys argued writs in the
courts. but each time James was re-
turned He Is mourned by his valet and
his COMPANIONS. Yes-James, the beggar,
has a valet.
tn some manner Connors lost both his
arms II happened when he was a child
and he does not know exactly how the
accident occurred, but 1t was a lucky
accident. he thinks, for since then James
has not worked He had valet and the
funds to keep more or less in state Of
Drunkenness
Connors Is only one of nearly 300 beg
pars VINO in the last few months have
been driven from the streets or sent to
the House of Correction. He 1t was who
onenlv boasted that he never had been
locked up for more than an hour or so.
He always had an attorney whom he
maid to keep him out of Jail. The attor-
nathetic picture of Connors' afhiction,
60 pathetic indeed that Connors himself
believed him when he was arraigned in
court, but Connors afterward boasted to
William Won Bcvern an agent for the
philadelphia Society for Organizing Char
tiles that he would not change positions
with a man who was whole.
WHERE CoNNORs RULED HIS KIND.
Near Eighth and Callowhill streets is
n barroom It Is dirty and dingy. but 1t
harbors the men who never work. Here
they assemble to drink "scats," a five
cent whisky. when times are bad; to
drink better grade of whisky when
fortune is more kind Times are now
bad-never were worse.
II Is here that James Connors met his
cronies. 1t was here he carried the tin
box which hung about his neck during
working" hours into which money flowed
from charitaby inclined persons. James
would empty the box on the bar and he
and his companions would drink until
long after daybreak. They would not stop
until the money from kind hearts had
gone in n debauCh.
Then James would mark an unsteady
course toward his room on Callowhill
street, accompanied by his man. The
man would undress Connors and see him
safely in bed. If Connors happened to
be in that frame of mind that he did not
remember or care how much money he
had, the man would return to the saloon
If Connors was peevish and could re-
member to a nickel how much he had in
the box fastened about his neck, the man
would not return. He would dance at
tendance upon James, and James was no
easy master.
Jacob Schmidt is known to the police as
Stats" He expressed his opinion OF
organized charity. its agents and the po-
lice today.
JIMNtY'S FRIEND STATS"
Stats is personal friend. even when
he is sober, of Jimmy Connors. When he
is drunk he Is even more than friend OF
Connors.
You can say what you please but cops
amt no good, society agents are worse
and Philly is going to the dogs" is quot
Ing "Slats' in an expurgated manner.
Stats EaZed mounrfully into the
empty whisky glass before him He then
looked hopefully toward his interviewer,
and at nod from the man he was con-
verslng with Stats" raped the glass on
the bar to De rctilled. He frightened per-
ceptby after two or three drinks and in
an optimistic mood prophesied that
1Hhmy would soon be out of the Cor |
rectlon' and the police would soon forget
labor
INQUIsITIVE PITTSBURGHER.
few weeks ago the Society for Or
sanizlng Charities received telephone
message from a young man. lie said
mat he would like to make a call at the |
society's rooms if he was sure that he
would not be arrested. lie was guaran- |
teed immunity II he visited the rooms A |
DAY later a welI-dressed young man en- |
tered the Office and introduced himself |
he gave a fictitious name at first and !
later said that he was known as Myers |
ana was from Pittsburgh. lie lost a foot |
and hand through falling from a freight |
car.
ne was perturbed by the crusade made
ssaihst oeEsars lie wanted 10 know Just |
what the object of the crusade was and /
~" lonS u would last. At first he was |
- - 'TH"h Tor a besgar, but ne did not |
"e'P Won beyern in ignorance long.
~ am from Pittsburgh. My people live
mere have been in Philadelphia for
Io,5. I"D months want To know just how
Ing ms ioolishness of the society and
~ ~ ponce l5 going To continue. | had
I,, teg'ea to make Philadelphia my home,
= taA n this thing keeps up.
'sllohed, Myers said that he never
,9.Neu' When a boy he had learned
a,,5 os'aphy, He could take dictation
ID - was fairly fast at shorthand Won
r,'I'n listened TO Myers and then Of
stop begging. 'S''''' u no "ou''
ttneH Myers said that he had a few
lS ,S llat would make steady employ
49, soWethlng OF a hardship He drank |
r,Hy ana 10 certain extent he used
s,,S. pHiHf' He did not want work: he
bis uesiled no police Interference with
oo,'I, te was informed that such assurance
Vnr Iol De given To him. Myers thanked
saII peYern for the Information. and
ba"i 'i lhat he would leave town. AS he
rs avoided arrest here, it is believed
mat he kept his word
Hhen The police began ~ arr.st tt,a
~ tusssars m the central part ~ ne ~.
sne opponents of work sbifted ttsjr
ana - ~ eAdeaYor 10 West Philadelphia
NED town, although they contIn-
pbil.SI., l'I uEe IN the Tendcrloln In West
tbat 80 pA!a they became so numerous
men, Te west Philadelphia Business
The ii,-sasues took up the matetr with
tbs Rlee Few arrests were made. bur
The IssarS' when seen by members OF
thev 49, We're warned TO leave, and
~. needed the warnings.
Sase or woman interested the
bsv5 sS Sc men. She is the woman who
a Tn" win q baby on her arm ana tor
CENT was a well-known figure I'M the
as "Sbo patt OF the city She is known .