6 p.m. yesterday, mostly full 6 train heading up to GCT. A beggar enters the car between 28th and 33rd. “Excuse me…” the spiel begins in a vaguely Hispanic accent.

The man makes his way through the crowded car, carrying two full tabloid news pages laminated on cardboard. They’re the story of a man horrifically burned by acid.

He, in fact, is that man.

He’s got brown skin and his face looks like an avalanche in motion–forehead, cheeks and chin in a mad rush to tumble off the poor guy’s skull. A pair of eyeglasses desperately cling to what’s left of his nose. It may be the most disturbing sight you ever see on the subway.

And boy, did people reach for their wallets, shoveling not just a single bill but handfuls of them–a windfall unlike anything I’ve ever seen a subway beggar command before. This guy wasn’t collecting nickels and dimes.  

All the while, the poor fellow mumbled “God bless you,” riders passing along cash and struggling hard to avert their eyes.