The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1922-09-20
ANOTHER PEST.

Oil lin NSo~ q
leaving and are coming South for
the winter. The cause of the exodus
is police interference with their
business.
Only a few days ago The New
York Herald had the story OF n
of these beggars. During the day he
rolled a small toy wagon along Fifth
Avenue where he piled his trade as a
beegar. He had been doing this for
many years and everything went a.
long we'll until one day an automo-
bile driver was exceeding the speed
limit. The driver was arrested, and
it turned out that the high-powered
and expensive automobile belonged
TO the man who wheeled himself a.
long Fifth Avenue as a beggar and
the driver was in his employ. y
This discovery brought about an
investigation. 1t was finally brought
to light that the beggar and his fam
lily resided in mi of the exclusive
residential sections of the city. Their
apartments were luxuriously furnish
ed, and there were servants galore.
The beggar when he reached home
became a gentleman of fashion. He
dressed in the latest style in tailor
made clothes, and was unable to go
to the dinner-table except when
dressed in the style of dinner jacket
recommended by the editor of the
Spartanburg Journal.
Similar Investigations of other
beggars revealed the fact that in.
stead of being really beggars they
belonged to the opulent. 1t is said
now that they are coming South in
their 'fhigh-powered" cars and in
pullman cars to ply their trade here
until the police of New York forget
about them, and until the war on
beggars is over, when they will
quietly go back and commence over
again.
Some of these beggars on street
corners in New York City it is stat
ed take in as much as fifty dollars
per day. A day when only ten or
fifteen dollars is taken in is consid-
cred an average day, but nothing to
Drag about.
1t will not be many days we sup
pose before some of these beggars
will appear with their pencils and
other wares on the streets here. They
will tell the same old story about
Whiting to get back home to see a
dying mother. They will, if you will
allow them, exhibit the scars left by
wounds suffered in Savannah, Jack
sonville or some other point. The
city authorities will be moved by
their tales of woe and will allow
them to prey on the public when they
should be put on the rock pile. And
perhaps a farmer who has just sold
the one bale Of cotton which the
boil weevils left him will contribute
to buy dinner jackets and fine auto
mobiles for the beggar to ride in
when he gets back to- New York, or
maybe Atlanta.
All of which leads us to suggest
that there are charitable objects
here ct home, who, if they secured
what they really needed, could eas;-
ly dispose of all the charitable funds
about here. We seldom think of the
needy cases at home. The people
here who are really in need are too
proud to beg. They prefer to suffer
for the necessities of life and we
do not hunt them ur to offer to help
them. But our hearts and purses are
always open to a professional beggar
about whom we know nothing, and
who in nine cases out of ten can buy
us several times over. We contend
that nobody except a resident Of Abb
beville County, whose condition and
affairs can be Investigated, has a
right to beg here. Abbeville County
should provide for its W needy
either by charitable contributions
or by the building of suitable homes
for those who are dependent on the