Cincinnati daily press. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1860-1862, 1860-12-03
A German Girl Swindled by her elatives-
Ingratitude, DesertIOn and Death.

If there be one crime in the ordinary cat
alogue more deservedly detestable than an
other, it is ingratitude. He who having
received favors innumerable-whose pros
perity, probably, is the result of benefits
conferred with unsparing hand-can cast
aside his generous patron if overtaken by
adversely, deserves to be denominated in
famous
An instance of ingratitude recently oc-
CURED here, which, for heartlessness, has
seldom had its parallel any where. A Ger
man girl, named Mary Rosenberg, emigrated
to this country about two years ago, and
since her arrival has been staying with a
cousin, who lived in this city, and who, at
the time of her advent, was very poor. The
girl, who was an only child, had, before her
departure from her native land, become
possessed of sum equivalent to 81, 500, by
the death of her father which she converted
into American currency in New York, and
brought it with her.
AS it was well known to the young lady's
relative that she had come into possession of
her inheritance, she was received in the most
cordial manner, invited to remain with his
family, and promised her permanent home,
as his wife was lonely, and would gladly
avail herself of the company of relation
the only one she had in America. Of this
offer-not an unnatural one-Mary gladly
availed herself, feeling happy at the thought
of securing to herself the protection She
needed.
But Mary was young, and knew little of
| life, and did not observe that beneath the
garb of friendship, the migrate robbers cloak
was concealed. Having fully impressed her
with belief in his good intentions, he told
| her that she ought to invest her money in
| real estate, and fascinated her with golden
| dreams of wealth, to be realized from its
| rise in value, and proposed to act as her
| agent, and make purchases in parts of the
! town where the increase would certainly be
most rapid; at the same time assuring her
that he should beglad to confer an additional
| evidence of the sincerity of his friendship,
| by making no charge for his services.
Having chosen such property as he deemed
most suitable, he informed her-for he dis
| covered that she had implicit faith in his in
| tegTity-that by the laws of this country,
| she could not be naturalized until FIVE years
| resident and that until then, she could not
| hold real estate in her own name; but that
| he would purchase it as his own, and have
| the writings SO drawn that she should have
possession as soon as her probation expired
Mary, Ignorant of our laws and language
as well as of whom to take counsel, could
not, of course, be expected to know any
| thing of the truth or falsity of these repre-
sentations; nor did she care to inquire, a!
| she had no reason to doubt the assertions o
man who had shown not only the ordi
nary kindness of relative, but the solici
tude of parent. The property was pur
chased, but an absolute fee was invested il
the treacherous man, who was thus by hi!
own wrong, placed above poverty. The
girl, indulging her fancies with the delu.
sion that the property was her own, die
every thing in her power-even assuming
the duties Of menial-to recompense hel
supposed benefactor.
While Mary possessed the ability to work,
every thing passed onsmoothly; but few
months since her health began to decline
when she experienced, first, neglect, an(
then ill-treatment, until she had wasted away
so much that her recovery became impossi
BILE. Yet every demand for money to pur
chase that comfort which was denied he
was met with repulse, until, finally, having
exhausted every hope, and experienced al
ingratitude so deep and so chilling that i
even denied her the poor boon of dying il
peace, she determined if possible, to seel
out some public institution where charity
though altogether cold and formal-was still
dispensed to the sufferer. But her strengt
would not endure the fatigue, and she ap
piled at the door of one of her eountryme
for assistance which was rendered with tha
| liberality which is characteristic of the grea
majority of the Germans.
To him she related her story, and he, su!
pecting that every thing with reference
the property had not been conducted wit
honesty, promised, on the following day-fc
it was then dark-to have the matter inyei
tigated. But when the morning came
was too late. Mary, as soon as the excite
ment caused by the narration of the story
her wrongs had ceased, fell into stupor an
in few hours passed away. On the follow
ing day formal demand was made for funC
sufficient for decent interment but the
were refused, and her obsequies were pc
formed by strangers. A search in the r.
corders Office fully established the fact thi
treachery had been practiced; but as an il
vestigation would be of no avail, since, /
virtue of his relationship, the migrate cOusi
would be the heir to the property, no leg
proceedings were instituted.