THE COURIER
V
are serving time. Others have been in
dicted and are awaiting trial.
The number of arrivals at this port
for the months of July, August, Septem
ber and October has been a little more
than twice as great as in the same period
of last year. The proportion of diseased
and generally inadmissible persons re
mains the same. When it is considered
that the number of aliens classified as
Canadian immigrants solely for the pur
pose of concealing their Intention of en
tering the United States furnishes more
diseased and Inadmissible subjects than
all the American ports of entry com
bined, including Quebec, St. John and
Halifax, it will be seen what a task is
imposed upon the border officers. The
proportion of rejected cases is 1 per cent
declared immigrants landing here, to 65
per cent who come as Canadians and
afterward try to slip across the harbor.
Of course, by far the greater number
of those who landed at Quebec as Cana
dian settlers have taken up farms in
the Canadian Northwest and the New
Ontario district. Some of the best citi
zens this country can desire come over
early and settle in Canada, or go to
the North, West, or Southwest of the
United States to settle on farms. That
class is a gain to the whole continent.
The crowd that the immigration in
spectors have to watch, however, are
not of the same kind at all. Nine-tenths
or even ninety-nine hundredths of them
would not touch a plough or any other
instrument of Industry. They head for
the large cities, and the official figures
prove that of those who seek to obtain
certificates as residents of Canada 90
per cent are bound for Boston, Phila
delphia, New York, Baltimore and Chi
cago. The reason for their anxiety to enter
the United States was explained by one
of the immigration officials here a short
time ago, as a desire to reach a place
where a poorhouse system existed, which
would enable them to be cared for and
where the sick could obtain free attend
ance. While some of the Canadian
provinces have poorhouses, those insti
tutions are not by any means .so nu
merous as similar places are In the
United States. The conditions of admis
sion, too, are much more severe than
they appear to be on the American side.
For all those reasons, with many of the
diseased. Infirm and sometimes lazy or
insane, it is a case of the United States
or nothing as soon as they land on this
side of the Atlantic.
It has often been a source of wonder
to those who observed the course of im
migration to the United States through
Canadian channels where these persons
get the amounts of money which they
pay to professional smugglers, who fleece
them regularly. The only plausible ex
planation is that those who have had to
care for them on the other side are so
glad to get rid of them that they are
willing to pay large sums to be relieved
for good of the responsibility of looking
after them. With the system lately
adopted the United States can feel sure
that the meshes are being closed grad
ually over the tribe of professional
smugglers who work from Quebec and
Montreal, as well as those who have
their people cross at Brockville or Pres
cott and the St. Clair river at Detroit.
The methods adopted by these profes
sional Immigrant helpers are as varied
as their number was great up to a few
months ago. Now their number has
grown beautifully less, and only last
week one of them was brought to task.
Three strapping young men applied a
few weeks ago to the Inspectors at Mon
treal for admission to the United States.
They were Italians, and had landed here
a few days previously. Mr. Watchorn
decided, In accordance with the report
f Dr. Barclay, that they could not be
adm'tted, as they were suffering from a
contagious disease. They were such fine
looking specimens of humanity, however,
that he took an interest in their case.
Dr. Barclay said that, with a few weeks
care and hospital treatment, they would
recover, and there would be nothing to
prevent them from obtaining certificates
then. They had hardly left the office,
however, when they were approached
by one of their own countrymen, who
offered to send them across the Ameri
can border without any further formal
ity. They accepted his offer, whereupon
he taxed them $20.65 apiece for his trou
ble In getting them across. The extent
of his service consisted in purchasing a
ticket to Burlington, Vt,, and putting
them on the train a few miles outside
of Montreal. They were stopped at the
border and lodged for a week in the St.
Albans jail, while the order for their
deportation was coming on from Wash
ington. They told their story to the
agent at St. Albans, who communicated
It to the Montreal office. Their descrip
tion of the smuggler who had cheated
them out of their money fitted an old
acquaintance of the officers. Mr.
Watchorn applied to have the deporta
tion warrant suspended and brought the
young fellows back to Montreal. They
swore out a warrant against the young
Italian of that city, who had abandoned
them after having taken their money.
A detective was employed to search for
the offender, who is the son of a well
to do and respectable family In Rome.
The detective was about to nab his man,
when friends of the young man submit
ted proposals to return the money and
to sign an agreement for him to leave
this country and make no attempt to
come here or to the United States again.
Mr. Watchorn thought this was the eas
iest way of getting rid of his old op
ponent, and accepted the offer. But he
failed to carry out his agreement, and
was arrested on Saturday for securing
money on false pretenses.
Last spring a wagonful of Syrians were
taken from near Montreal and driven
seventy miles over rough roads, through
the night, to a point in the State of Ver
mont. The Inspectors here, and those
at the border got wind of the affair.
The case was investigated. It was found
that the immigrants were paying $S0
apiece for being smuggled in. The men
who were conducting the operation are
still in jail at St. Albans. The really
guilty parties, however, the originators
of the plan, were in Montreal. Mr.
Watchorn caused the return of some of
the Syrians who had been driven over.
Some of them would have passed the
examination in any case, and had simply
been frightened by the smuggling gang
at Montreal Into obtaining their services.
A prosecution was taken out. Several
of the smugglers were arrested. They
engaged the best legal talent in the city,
and, after a hard fight, got off on a
technicality. They have been less act
ive since, or they have covered their
tracks better.
A case took place a few weeks ago,
which caused much discussion In the
press of the United States. It was the
first suicide of an immigrant coming
In at the Canadian border. The story
of the poor young girl, who jumped to
her death from the window of the toilet
room in a car on which she was being
taken to New York to be deported, at
tracted a great deal of sympathy for
her and placed a great deal of unde
served odium on the officers who were
carrying out the law.
The girl was a Syrian. She landed
here some weeks ago, and after remain
ing in Canada a few days, she applied
to the office at Montreal for a certificate
to enter the United States. She was ex
amined, and found to be suffering from
an incurable disease that prevented her
admission to the United States. A man,
who gave his name as Joseph Abodeeley,
came to Montreal from Cedar Rapids,
Iowa, He had his citizen papers in due
form, showing that he was a trader at
that point. He went with the girl to the
examining room of the immigration of
fice. There he told u romantic and
touching story of his love for the girl.
He had loved her before leaving his
native land. He had never forgotten
her. He had worked hurd, and saved
much in order to be able one day to
bring her to this country and make her
his wife. Now circumstances allowed
him to marry, and the law stepped In
to try to prevent him from getting his
long desired wife. He implored the offi
cers to allow his beloved to go through
the lines, and he assured them that he
would marry her on their arrival at
Cedar Rapids.
The immigration inspector answered
simply: "You are an American citizen.
Take this woman to a church here and
marry her; then she becomes an Amer
ican citizen also, as your wife, and you
can take her along with you."
Abodeeley protested against being
forced to marry here. He had prepared
a wedding feast at Cedar Rapids, and
did not want to deprive his friends of
the pleasure of assisting at his wedding.
He was told that he might have a second
marriage at Cedar Rapids, but must go
through some ceremony In Canada be
fore the girl would be allowed to go
through.
Finally he announced that he would
. put the girl In a hospital at Montreal,
and would come back for her later. That
very night he sneaked her out of Mon
treal. A couple of days later they were
caught trying to make their way across
the rlvW at Detroit. Abodeeley was put
in jail and the girl sent back to Wind
sor. To Abodeeley was given another
opportunity there to marry the girl and
set matters right. He refused again.
For some reason or another the district
attorney at Detroit did not prosecute
the case, and Abodeeley got out. In
stead of returning to Windsor to reas
sure the girl, he went to Iowa. A war
rant was sent on to deport the girl. She
was taken on a train at Detroit, to go
to New York, where she would be placed
on a steamer for Europe. As the train
was speeding along, however, she threw
herself out of a window and was killed.
The Syrians, who are numerous In De
troit, passed votes censuring the immi
gration officers. Some of the papers
took the matter up and abused the offi
cers for separating the girl from her
faithful lover. A report was asked for
by the Washington authorities. It was
sent along by Commissioner Watchorn
from Montreal. In getting information
for this report the discovery was first
made by the authorities that the man
Abodeeley had not been prosecuted to
trial. A second arrest was ordered. It
was then found that the fond lover,
who was so anxious to get his sweet
heart into American territory, had mar
ried in Dubuque, Iowa, two weeks before
he came to Montreal to get the young
girl. He had received $190 In cash for
r
MAY WED MISS ROOSEVELT
MmIw '"mKWvm3
Although the recent reports of the engagement of Miss Alice Roosevelt
to Lieutenant J. Greenway were Immediately officially denied, it is being
whispered in Washington circles that the announcement was Inaccurate only
in that it was premature. The young rough rider, whose photograph is
published above, is known to be a great favorite with the president, while
friends of Miss Roosevelt declare that her regard for Lieutenant Green
way Is such that the announcement may be repeated at a future date with
out the resultant denial.
)
his work to get her over, but abandoned
her. He was rearrested, and Is now
awaiting trial at Detroit. It was also
discovered thut the girl had previously
been deported from New York, and had
been sent back again by the Beaver
Line Canadian route to the United
States.
Another attempt at suicide, which was
unsuccessful, took place a few days ago.
The would-be self-murderer Is a Rus
sian, who spent some years in England.
His record is not of the best, and he
suffers from disease. Being caught en
tering the States without the necessary
certificate, he was locked up. While
there he secured some sharp Instrument,
and with this he opened the veins of his
wrists and let the blood flow out. He
understood some English, and evidently
had some Idea of writing, for he traced
with his linger, in his own blood, on the
wall of the House of Detention, the
words," your Immigration laws!"
When found he was almost unconscious,
but he Is recovering, and will be de
ported In a short time.
Sometimes an immigrant gets caught
by trying to play the Good Samaritan,
Tnls was the experience of one Uanow
sky. He landed nt this port three weeks
ago, and passed the examination with
out difficulty. There was a woman who
had come over with him, however, who
was not so fortunate. She was suffering
from some disease which rendered her
Inadmissible, for the time being, at least.
Uanowsky was good natured, und he
determined to do whut he could for the
girl. He took her along with him, after
waiting a couple of days here. He
passed on to the state of Vermont. Some
time after his departure from Quebec,
however, and belore his arrlvul ut the
border, he had somebody forge on the
certificate which he carried for himself,
the words "and sister," thus making
the certificate good for two. The poor
fellow did not know, although probably
the forger did, that the official at the
border could tell by certain marks
whether the certificate had been tam
pered with. They were stopped at the
Vermont border, and both are now in
jail at St, Albans awaiting the action
of the Department of Justice at Ottawa.
Probably the worst case on record of
the way In which immigration agents
send undesirable and Inadmissible peo
ple to this continent to get rid of them
was brought to the attention of the
Canadian and American authorities a
few days ago. Conrad von Wallegbren
landed In Quebec recently from a Bea
ver Line boat. He was either directed
to, accompanied by or fell Into the hands
of some very skillful steerers. He passed
through Canada with little delay. The
first intimation the immigration Inspect
ors of the United States got of the
existence of Von Walleghren was when
authorities who care tor the poor of De
troit called upon the Immigration offi
cials to find out what was to be done
with an applicant for admission to the
workhouse. An Investigation was or
dered. It was found that Von Walle
ghren had come in by some underground
route. He had not legally crossed the
border. The man was sent back to
Montreal. Mr. Watchorn sent for the
Canadian immigration officer, James
Hoollhan, and when the patient was
shown to him he immediately consented
to deport the fellow. The man was a
hopeless Idiot, but he had moments when
he remembered some of the things which
had happened in his past life, and he
was able to tell the American and
Canadian immigration officials that he
had been confined for years In an insti
tution for Imbeciles in Belgium. He had
been let out a few weeks ago and shipped
from Liverpool to Quebec, and thence
taken on to Detroit. Mr. Hoollhan took
the man down to the Elder-Dempster
Company, and he was sent back on an
outgoing steamer.
Two men, who gave their names as
Hiam and Duber, are at present held
at the border In Watertown JalL They
are not known to have applied at any
of the examining offices along the bor
der, but their appearance leads the au
thorities to suppose that they are a
couple of men who were refused admis
sion some days ago at Montreal, and
who have tried various places since.
One plan which met with some success
for a little while was to dress up the im
migrant, after giving him a bath and a
shave. For the amount squeezed out
of the poor fellows who want to get
over, the smugglers were able to get
them well cleaned up, give them good
suits of clothes and pay their passage
to points well within the States, where
their presence would never be suspected.
Over a hundred were caught in different
portions of the States within the last
few months, and the work now being
done on the border Is bound to break up
within a short time the gang profiting
by the miseries and diseases of the poor
Immigrants.