Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1886-06-18
WHO is HEP
Tho Remarkable Story Told BY an Honest
italian Farm Laborer.

IN. Y. ferald1
A swaTthy Italian, who said he was
about twentt-four years old, but whoss
life of hardship and privation had male
him look much older, went into the office
at Castle Garden Saturday morning and
asked to see the superintendent. To Cap
tain Heihzmar, Mr.. Jackson's assistant,
the visitor said
81 come here on a strange GRAND. I
want to know if you can help me to find
out who l am.n
Captain Heinzman saw that the man did
not look like "crank" or lunatic
What is your flame and where do you
come from?" the Captain very naturally
wanted to know.
sand now live in Elton, N. Y. came
here to find under what name 1 was reg
istered at Castle Garden about eighteen
years ago. 1 know that l was born in
Italy and was stolen from there when n
child, and l know that the name by which
am called is not my real name. want
to find whereI was taken from, and if any
of my family are still alive in Italy OF in
this country"
The captain talked with the man, who
seemed bright and intelligent, and learned
his story, which was told quietly aud as
though it was commonpl ace enough. But
it sounded like romance.
II and my brother were stolen from our
home in Italy when we were little boys, -
he began. 1--WE were sold to q padrone
and brought to this country. must have
been about six years old. / can remember
the ocean voyage and arrival in New
York. 1t was about eighteen years ago.
My brother and l were taken by the pa
drone with other boys to a den in the Ital-
ian quarter. l think it was in Rose street
somewhere. We were treated with tho
greatest cruelty. He taught us, with
many hoggings, to play a little on the
violin and to sing, and sent us into the
streets to bog. We had to stay out until
midnight, tramp the streets and sing and
play every day in all weather, and if we
didn't bring home money enough to please
the padrone he would beat us and send us
to sleep with nothing to eat. Nobody
knows the cruelty with which we were
treated. My brother and nearly died Of
fatigue and hunger and cold and the beat
ings which the padrone gave us. He was
devil-more like a beast than man.
Some of the boys died from his cruelty.
AFTER about two years of this life /
managed to make my escape. had to
leave my brother there. l begged and
tramped my way into the country. don't
know where I went, only that kept away
from the cities. i was afraid of being sold
into slavery again il I went into the
crowded streets. / remember that I had
lived in the country at home in Italy, and
loved the green fields and the blue sky. I
found work and kind people at different
places, but I did not dare to stay long in
one place; I was always afraid the pa
drone would find me.
u have been working as farm laborer
for several years at Elton, In this State,
and have saved enough to come back to
New York to search for my brother and TO
try and find out who and what am.
was too young to know even the padrore's
name, but have a clew to my own iden-
tity and his.
"Sincc | have been in New York have
met an Italian named d. Grasses, who saws
he thinks | am the son of Pasquale Ango-
rola Colvello, of the Pro vince Basilicatn,
Italy, whose two sons were stolen away at
about the time l and my brother were
brought to this country. Grasses lived in
that part of Italy at the time and remcm-
bered the circumstance. He snys the name
of the padrone was Rafaelo de Grozzia.
lie does not know what has become Of my
brother or the padrone.
~ would like you to have the records
searched to see if there is any report of the
arrival at Ca tile Garden of an Italian
named Rafaelo de Grozzia about eighteen
IL
children with him were given as Colvello
it is probable that they were those of nv
brother and myself. If ! could find that.
could satisfy myself as to my own iden-
tity, and perhaps find my brother and my
parents, if they are still living. But fear
the padrone would represent the children
as his own, and in that case / may never
learn my real name"
The officials will cause a search TO be
made among the records of arrivals of i'm :
migrants. 1t is quite possible that they
will be able to throw somc light on the
mystery.