LUCKY BEGGARS!

Shannon News, 9 July 1929, Page 4

LUCKY BEGGARS!

Small Fortunes From the Credulous

That comfortable incomes equal to those earned by many a Civil Servant are still being reaped by profesional beggars in the metropolitan area was revealed by Captain D. C. Medley, M.V.0., the secretary of the London Mendicity Society, which has been investigating begging cases for 110 vears.

“We deal with three types of beggars,” said Captain Medley. “First, the type who deliberately ask for alms; these arc considerably on tlic decrease. Second, the camouflage beggar, who offers matches for sale, or plays an execrable musical instrument abominably ; these are at present not committing any offence against the law. Last, the professional begging-letter writer. £1 a Week For Nothing. “The camouflage beggars earn quite good money. They seldom part with any of their matches and look vert offended if they are taken at their face value. “I had a case recently of a well-edu-cated man, a fully-qualified veterinary surgeon, who was earning a regular income of from £3 to £1 a week without parting with a single box of matches. “In another case an alleged chairmender who paraded residential streets telling a 'heartrending talc of poverty and bad luck was making £5 a week while doing scarcely, any mending at all. , “The begging-letter writer continues to flourish. Some of these write most convincing -letters, and invariably exaggerate their liabilities while putting assets as nil. “I here' have a letter which has passed on to the society by the recipient. - It is 'from a woman who pleads starvation. on our part has -proved that her annual income is £420. She occupies a house the rental of which is only £2S. The real trouble in her case is that she is being pressed by the income tax authorities! Pitiful Letter-Writters. “Most of these people, of course, write from accommodation addresses. I recently investigated .a pitiful letter in which a woman wrote to say that her husband was dying of cancer, and that the.y were penniless. As a matter of fact the couple were living on the fat of the land in a comfortable house which was their own property, the .man was very much alive, 'and, like quite a number of the fraternity, enjoyed a four-figure income gained mostly from credulous people who were touched by his wife’s literary efforts. “Quite a number enclose with their letter a ‘notice to quit/ which can be bought for a few pence from any stationer’s.

/ “It is amazing the type of people upon whom the respectably / dressed woman who ‘has come to London to do some shopping and has had her purse stolen’ imposes for a temporary loan, Many- police constables . have been taken in by r this type of woman, and have parted with anything up to a pound:

“ When this society was first started there were 14,000 beggars in the metropolitan area alone, ahd in those day's London was a much smaller city than if is to-day. It is satisfactory, therefore, to know that during 1928 only 1,200 beggars were actually charged in court in the metropolitan area.' . “Every person who wishes to offei aiiy-thing for sale in the streets should be licensed to do so by r the police, who would not grant the license unless they were satisfied that the applicant was not to solicit alm-s.”