Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1882-12-05
DRIYEM FRoM EUROPE.
Why 70 Many Immigrants are
Coming to America.
MOnarohlOal Tyranny Described BY lie
Victims .Unlted States the Promised
apd---Iutervlews In Castle
Garden.

aoN4GWn
No American can have contemplate
ed with any feeling but that Of gratif-
cation the prodigious immigration
from Europe within the past ten years
AN army trampiDg westwafd-a
march tar greater than even the exodus
of the lsraelites from their bondage
under the PhAraohs Of Egypt. Castle
Garden in NewYork ALPHABETICALLY
q vast hotel provided for them at the
public expense mainly through the
efforts of the late Thurlow Weed
has been crowded with these self
exiled men and women, and thither
went a reporter for Truth. last week,
TO ascertain why some Of them had
crossed the ocean in winter. Nepo-
muk Kutschke, a German from B,r-
lin, said.
"Ach' herrjes (kind sir), l I'M in
need Of everything, but more SO Of my
wife and children"
$50 your wife and children are not
here?"
God, mol l hardly succeeded in
coming over myself, much less in
bringing them over with me. What
will become of them heaven only
knows. You see. good sir, Lam a gar
penter by trade, and for the past ff.
teen years l have been employed of
and on in a large workshop in the
Saumensch Case, Berlin. Until the
crosse krach, or bursting Of the fnan
cial bubble, two or three years after
the war, everything went well with US.
Since then, however, vel mean my
wife, three children and myself-have
lived literally from hand to mouth.
Prices have gone up, but wsges have
come down. The firm changed hands
and the new people treated the old
employees with eontumely and often
with absolute harshness. Twice [
was forced to throw up my place 10
consequence of the heavy fines i'm.
posed on me for slight infractions of
the rules; but go whittier / would |
could obtain no employment, the
boss furniture makers 10 Berlin
having a taoit arrangement among
themselves by which they refuse work
to any mar who has left his old stu
alton from pecuniary motives So l
was naturally forced TO drift back to
the old place or starve altogether
One OF my children, anyway, did die
of lack of good nourishment.
well, this continued until six
weeks ago, when it was reported to the
police that our workshop had become
a hotbed of socialism. Immediately q
house search was ordered by the Po
lice Project Maddi. A number Of
detectives broke into the shop one
Gay and turned it almost inside out
In the room in which | worked with
four other men, a copy Of the Zuricber
Social Democrat, arevOlutionary paper,
vas found. 1t Is true that one of us
had picked it up in the streets some
where to wrap his bread and cheese in,
but nevertheless, all FIVE of us were
marched off to the House Of Detention
as suspicious characters.
After two weeks imprisonment.
during which time the city had to
provide for my family, We were set at
liberty again, each being presented
with the sum Of fifty marks, and in.
formed that he must quit the country
within forty eight hours. The penalty
for not obeying this order would have
been a long term Of imprisonment in
the fortress dungeons Of Pestdam. |
gave my wife forty marks. took the
first train to Lubbock and worked my
way over to this country in the Ger
man sailing vessel Hermina. Aud
here LAM
Christopher Katkull, a native Of
Reval, Esthonia, Russia, was the next
immigrant addressed by Truths
reporter. He told in substance the
following story:
u was forced to quit Esthonia by
the tyranny and rapacity of Baron
struyansee, who owns a large tract of
country extending from Baltischport
almost to the very walls of Reval.
Baron Struyansee boasts that lie is
descended from the old Teutonische
SchWertritter, or Teutonic knights
who conquered the Baltic provinces
many years ago. He lives in a fine
castle three miles from Reyal, and
ills the rank Of Major General in
the Imperial army. Ten months ago
the Baron, in common With many
other aristocratic land owners Of
Esthonia, LiYOuia and COurland.
raised his rents. The crops had been
very poor a short time before, and
he condition Of the peasants we're not
very hourishing. An outbreak was
the result. The tenants refused
to be mnleted, aud when the
German Rarons thrsatensd then
with eviction, armed bands
marched through the country
during the night, setting fire TO their
oppressors' property and killing their
livestock. This kind Of thing lasted
three weeks or more the Russian au-
thoritieS doing little or nothing TO nut
a stop to it. This Is attributed to the
fact that if they did not exactly SYM
pathize with US, they hated the barons
bitterly for being German, and, as
they considered, intruders. Finally,
however, orders arrived from St.
Petersburg |. to Baron pngern- Stern.
berg, commandant Of the military
district Of ReYal, TO check the dis
turbances without delay. Sternberg
obeyed. and within three days the
~ringleaders in the troubles we're in
jail. | was with them. Not that | had
taken any actual part in the outbreak,
but that my fathers house was nearest
to struYensee's 0hateau, and Strnven
see, having heard me one day protest
rather theoretically against the raising
OF the rent, vas anxious TO revenge
himself on me.
We stayed in prison three months
and we're then brought before o mill
taIy commission, which. being COM
posed Of Russians, acquitted us all.
with n or two exceptions. But
hardly we're we free again than we
were re-arrested in civil proceedings,
brought by the landlords to recover
debts incurred by us as tenants.
Very few tenants are not ia arrears
10 their rent in the Baltic provinces,
you must know, and it always lies in
the landlords power TO imprison them