The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1917-02-20
WHITE WOMAN AS A
PROFESSIONAL BEGGAR

ternOOn PONceman r.. n. cousins mad
in charge a white woman, small OF
stature and tolerably Old in looks,
apparently between 80 and to years
OF age, and somewhat deaf. The off,
Ger was there to "see her off, on the
down C. y. and l. train. The woman
took up a good deal OF the waiting
tine alternating between pretending
crying and talking, which tried the
patience Of Policeman Cousin who
knew the woman was an imposter and
that she was acting to gain the SYM
pathy of the people in the waiting
room.
Those who were not acquainted
with the woman may have thought
she had been undergoing imposition
at the hands Of the authorities here
from the way che talked But this.
same person had been warned .ast
year to leave Newberry Out in her
annual rounds, as for the last TWEEN.
ty or more years she made periodical
pilgrimages to this city Her physi-
ognomy was imprinted in the mental
kcdacs Of some of the ladies in this
city. One lady recognized her as she
begged for money to take her to her
people in Chester and told her that
vas her cry the year before. Her re-
ply was: You have a blamed good,
memory Another lady asked her if
she had never reached her place yet.
Every year she would work the town.
1t was always for money to take her
to ,Ches;er, and she would get mad
if refused. One year prominent
business nan OF Newberry was on 4
train in North Carolina. Out from
Charlotte wc1lan got Oh board. The
conductor came for her ticket She
had no ticket She worked her game
of pretending to cEy and men in the
coach seeing a woman in tears gave
her money to pay her fare. The New
bevry man told the conductor he had
seen that same woman in NeWberry.
! The conductor told him that that same
woman had property in Chester. The
men didn't know the tears were
crocodile. That was the person who
was carrying on in the union station
at Newberry Sunday afternoon. She
got in the coach with several beau
tiful young ladies who were on their
way from Newberry, but We don't
think they cared to sit very close to
her. The last words she uttered as
she passed from the steps of the
coach to enter for her seat were di-
rected 20 the policeman who had "es-
corted" her to the train, and this was
what she said: Take the $40 and
live on it," Ut seems to fall to the
lot of Policeman Cousins to escort
the ladies" to and from trains and
he gets the benefit Of their cute re-
marks.) She had just finished in the
waiting room blessing out the town
for the way in which she had been
treated on this present trip of her
itinerary. Some persons in the wait
ing room thought she was really cry
L :. She vas only wrining She was
not as good an actress as Mae Marsh
in "The Birth of a Nation Mae
can shed real tears in the picture.
This woman hasn't learned the art.
If she comes back to Newberry while.
Ed. Rodelsperger is chief she will
learn how to cry real hard and sure
enough.
What led up to all this was that
she had been arrested Sunday morn
ing after working" the town for seA
eral days. Concealed on her person
was a bag of money amounting to
s42.50, OF which the greater part was
in small change, SIS of it being in
bills, the balance in dimes, nickels
and pennies, s1.36 in pennies. It
looked like a Sunday school collec-
I ton. Also she was in possession Of a
Columbia bank book, showing $S90.61
to her credit. Think Of it. you sym
pathetic women who have from year to
year been contributing of your smati
, change to hep a poor old woman go
to her "peopie in Chester
She gave her name as Miss Bessie
Wilson Chief Rodelsperger made
two charges against her, first for Va
grancy, the second for obtaining
money unGer false pretenses. She
was placed under a $40 cash bond
and OF course forfeited her bond, the
! Cash being SIS on the first count ani
$225 on the second. She told the chief
she was done with Newberry; would
never come back any more. II she
keeps her word, and it is to be hop
ed she will, Chief ROdelsperger and.
his force will deserve everlasting
thanks for one of the best jobs they
have ever done. They deserve thank
now for what they have done.
!