New-York tribune., 1922-09-03
City's Beegggars
Fill Court i'm
Big Rollnd-Up
Some Clad in Rags Come
With Well Dressed Wives; {;
Negro Woman Held as
Robber of Blind Man
Prisoner Bites Detective
Magistrate Puzzled as TO
Finger-Printing Armless
Ones; 3 Get 6 Month

Some in rags and some in tags, but
almost all accompanied by wives in the
next thing to velvet gowns, the beggars
| of New York were rounded UP last
night by detectives of Chief Inspector
Lahey's squad. About 1880 the 6rst
contingent of prisoners began hobbling
into Night Court ON crutches, or tap
tapping their way in, guided only by
their canes. There was squeaking
of wheels and clatter of sticks on the
floor, and then they were all lined
up before Magistrate Hating.
There was negro woman there who
had been caught stealing pennies frem
a blind man who seemed to be doing
a better trade than she was, despite
the fact that both her legs were Grip
pied. There was man who thought
he ought to get off easy because he
only worked Saturday nights, though
he admitted that he made about $40
in a few hours when he did put on his
old clothes and start rolling his Leg
less body around on a skate. There
was another legiess man so ferocious
that one of the detectives woh arrested
him had TO have his hand cauterized
to prevent infection from bite.
Old Men and Boys There
There was a man seventy-four years
old, and there were boys in their TWEEN
ties. There was man who thought
couldn't help it if people would put
money in his hat without buying his
laces. There were two men who sup
ported a wife and three children apiece,
and had their better halves brought
into court to prove that they were
conscientious family men.
And there was a man who thought
enough harm had been done to the
trade by the story in Thursdays.
papers that one of the fraternity rolled
around in limousine behind chauf
feur when he got out of his begging
| clothes. He said his business had
fallen off from $40 day to $40 and
| did not see why under those circum-
! stances he should be hailed into court.
(; All these problems very evidently
! perplexed Magistrate Hating, but the
i final blow came when the problem of
| finger printing a couple Of the armless
kind came up. He conferred at length
with the Bertillion man and the nor
dered that their toes should be used
! for the purpose. The expert said the
marks might look funny at first, but
that if lot came in he could get ac-
customed to the idea.
Three Old Offenders
| Three of the prisoners turned out to
| be old offenders after the whole crew
had pleaded guilty. and these three got
the maximum penalty of six months,
They were Emil Murray, of 1S Thomp-
son Street; Leopold Ravera, of $50
Lenox Avenue, and Thomas Devlin, of
474 West Twenty-second Street. John
German, who gave no address, got
thirty days John Cullen, Of Brook
| field Mass, was sentenced to ten days,
while Mary Rose, of 1871 Atlantic Ave-
nue., Brooklyn, and Hal Miller, of 329
| West Thirty fifth Street, shared the
same sentence of five days in Jail just
as Mary Rose had insisted on sharing
! Miller's earnings. Standley Macher, of
l.1s Trinity Place, and Hy Stewart, of 215
| West f33d Street, had their sentences
! held up. Stewards delay was due to
| the ferocious way in which he is alleged
| to have treated his captors, while
| Macher's stay was due to the pleas of
| his well-dressed wife.
| Seven of the prisoners We're brought
! in by Detective Patton and Sny-
decker, while the other two were To-
Gated by Patrolman William MARI.