, 1872-11-23
Letter From Mc, Fritz Anneke.
Agent Of the German
Society.
Additional Facts Concerning the
Treatment Of Emigrants Pass
ing Through Chicago.
How fsOur Policemen are Con-
stant1y by Their Side.''

highly interesting articles concerning immi-
grants and the many wrongs committed on them
were published. On Oct 81 the Eoes,ng Pos!
directly and unb1ushingly dared to contradict
your communications. That sheet dared to say
Tho spreading Of such stuff over the country is a
The paper that publishes it is guilty Of unfrionashir
to the community on whose support it depends, and
@ rspe1t ehst The M 5set
little existence outside reporters imagination
Immigrants arc received and taken care Of here as
Our policemen arc constantly BY their side; and any
attempt to impose upon, defraud, or abuse them Is
certan to meet with instant punishment In fact they
\ are safer here than in New York: lar ygn fave m
Commissioners to e1tort from ther no syste,n-
allc dens OF suffering into which to drag them BY
Now, Sir, Of the here cited assertions of the
Eueasng Post, every sentence ia q gross false
hood. The writer Of the article in question has
proven himself to be greatly ignorant, q know
nothing, or man who dares to strike truth
right in the face. This communication was
caused BY an occurrence which Witnessed on
last Sunday nlGht,-one Of those many shame
1ess. aouslngs OF immigrants which we're go
grapMcaly narrated in your issues Of Oct. 19
and 80, and which almost every day reoccur. I
shall describe it hereafter.
Having been Agent Of the German Society of.
Chicago, society established for the purpose;
OF aiding and protecting immigrants and the
frlencless three years since, and having devoted
all my time and all my energy to that task, I:
conslder myself to ho somewhat Of an authority
IN the matter Of immigration and of the way im--
migrants usually are treated. With tho.
experiences OF three years behind me, I only can.
state that your articles heretofore mentioned .
Us FAR as they gave picture Of the abuses COM.
mltted upon innmi grants md the non-inter-
ference ct our public officers, contained the.
the whole truth: Mr. George Schneider, Pres,
ldent OF the German. Society; Mr.. a.. Claus
senlus, at present Vi*ee President, and formerly
President Of the se.m6; oqr. C. Knobelsdorn, at
present one of the Directors, and formerly Pres.
ident Of our sosiety, aud i great many other.
gI gentlemen ei OF high standing in our community,
WILL tuuy approve my assertions. II your report
ers VII occasionally call at our Office, our official
books always will be open to them, and 3 great
many Interesting facts can be taken tharefrom,
Facts bE far more interesting than the every
days police report and similar common stuff.
ou5 worthy Mayor Mr.. Joseph Medill, when
calico upon some tuno ago by the advocates
OF our antiquated TEN perance and Sunday laws,
very composedly promo unced the great word, that
ne Eas bound to execute all laws and ordinances,
ana that ho conscientiouely would do so. Well,
slr, Af. Medill, upon the instigation of his tenn
work executing the laws which they like, to do
the best he can, ia order to suppress tho sale OF
all kinds OF beverages on Sunday. The police
3osce, instead Of attending to the protection OF
ne and property, are set to smelling after lager
beer, and other liquors, and indicting the sellers
and drinkers sthereof,-people who do notinterfero
with the rights Of others, and who donotLarm any
body, except, perhaps, occasionally themselves.
take the liberty Of calling the attention OF h1r.
Medill to the laws for the protection OF human
life and property, and ordinances concerning
the obstruction OF Sidewalks concerning swim
ding, gambling, concerning hacRmen, runners,
Immigrant houses, etc. al Of which every day are
trampled under foot hunored times.
The Eoendn3 Post, by asserting TINT "imni-
grantR are received and taken care of hero as
kindly and as honestly as in any city Of tile
Umon," and furthermore, that :; our policemen
are constantly by their ades, aud any attempt to
to meet with instnnt Puniabment the
Euenang Post, I say, by making these assor-
tions, commits an impatient falsohood. About
two years ego calico the attention Of our Po-
the business Of haekInen, runners, Immigrant
taverns, ETC., informed them of the numberless
violations Of those ordinances, and asked to
have them executed, and for that purpose and
have well-iustructed and German-spealing po-
Icemen stationed at every railroad depot, where
immigrants arrive My Hpetition," as the Po-
lice Commissioners pleased to style it, was
greclousy granted, and d resolution to that
effect VAS passed, but it was mover executed
Whether the fault was with the Commissioners
or with the Superintendent Of Police, do not
know; 7 only know this much. that since have
lived in the City Of Chicago, not one, but many,
screws have been loose in our Police Department.
Now, to the occurrence alluded to further
above :, On Sunday night last, shortly before II
O'clock stepped on the train of the Northwest |
ern Railroad, han prepared to start for Milwau-
kee. There were between fifty and sixty immi- |
grants On that tra IN, every one Of whom, BY an |
agent Of widely known omnibus firm, had been |
cheated out Of at east SO cents, some Of them OF
higher amount, they not being provided with |
United States ur1ency, and the agent graciously
80 cents, for 50 cents. This Kind Of cheating |
your readers are acquainted with, it having been
described in your articles above mentioned To |
repent it, in short the cheat is performed thus:
II an hour before it reaches Chicago, talks to
.he immigrants something about cheeks tickets, |
etc., which. they do not understand, and then |
simply demands 30 cents apiece. The immigrants,
aot compEehending, what the fellow says to
Them, md believing him to DO railroad officer,
without n11rmurlnG, pay what he demands, and
,eceive an omnibus ticket, which they very sell
ION, i ever, use. Those tickets usually arc taken
from the cheated immigrants, either by other
agents Of the omnibus company or by runners,
Who share the profits resulting therefrom with
the agents. Of all the immigrants met with |
IN the Sunday night train, none had used the
omnibus tickets imposed upon them. So far as
could, have taken down their names and
places Of destination.
At the same time and place; Witnessed an
other shameless imposition upon immigrants.
Quite q number Of thom, from 20 to 80, who IN
tended to leave for Milwaukee, were left behind
under the pretence that there was no room for
hem on the train. Some railroad official had
odd them 30, and had refused them access to
'he cars. had no opportunity to further inves-
'igate that matter, and find out the guilty Off
,ial; but I succeeded in saving those poor peo-
o1e from being driven out of the depot, which
;ome subordinate official undertook to do. in
rider to chase the immigrants into some tavern
ng to the false assertions Of tie Eue,.-
ng Post, ''constant1y arc by their
ide ?" Nowhere, = at least not where
heir place Of duty VAS. Very likely they were |
>eeping through the keyhole Of the front, or
eur, or side door Of some saloon, or smelling
fter beer or other liquors, in order to execute |
he laws in consonanco with Mayor Medill's |
lotions. t.!
By asserting Il that immigrants are safer here
han in New York for we have no comnjssion-