, 1888-09-16
SCENES At CASTLE GARDEN.
A Few Bits of Information About Immi-
grants-Labeling Children.

A Few Bits of Information About Immi-
grants-Labeling Children.
On the morning of my visit the possible
makers of millions were not prepossessing
in personal appearance, but fine clothes
nave SO much to do with the making of
fine birds that there could be no limit to
what the imagination pictured for these
at present u~ndistinguished foreigners.
The English boats generally bring English
speaking people, and the day of their ar
rival the books are full of names such as
O'Hara, Donnelly and Duffy, and on other
days they contain h unp~ronounceable
ones of the natives of Poland, Hungary,
Italy and Germany. There are two mat
rons installed within a little Enclosure in
the center of the great rotunda. Their
duties, after their general supervision
over all the women, are first to care for
the children under II years of age who are
not under the protection of any one, and
second to detect if possible the women
who have been, or are likely to be, led
astray.
The chief matron, Mrs. Stucklein, has
held her position four years. She told me
that at first the tales she heard brought
her many a sleepless night and caused her
to shed many tears of sympathy and pity,
but the constant association with wretched
specimens of humanity and hearing the
daily and hourly r~ecitals of the women
and children, had accustomed her more or
less to her task.
THE children" she said, ARE often as
happy and contented as they can be.
They have generally been sent for to join
their friends here who are waiting for
their arrival. Sometimes they are obliged
to go from here to find their friends in
some distant state, and in that case their
tickets are procured for them, and l fill
out a label as to their names and destina-
ton. The label is tied to a buttonhole in
their dresses or coats, and in that way
they are handed first to one person and
then to another-the passenger agents
and conductors on the railways-until
they arrive at their destination. They get
on far better than those who have the re-
sponsibility of looking after themselves.
1t sometimes occurs that the children
have not a penny in their pocket when
they land. If possible we communicate
with their friends and obtain the price of
their railway fare in case they are going
out of New York. If they are TO take a
very long journey and have no money, we
generally give them fifty cents or 81 in
order that they may buy a cup of coffee or
tea or be prepared for an emergency, but
If they are not to travel very far we pro-
vide them only with food"
Two or three women were seated within
the in~closure, and .sGed the matron why
they were there.
"They are here because they are de-
tanned for some reason or other" she an
swered. THAT old lady is to join her
husband in a western city. When she
arrived here she expected to find a letter
from him with money for travelling ex-
penses. The letter had not arrived, and
so we have autographed to him. That
ticket pinned on her dress is an indication
that she is waiting for a telegram. That
little girl by the side of her is her grand
child, who came from Germany with her"
When the matron had finished speaking
she looked toward another woman, and
then said: That young woman is a
Swede, and has also been sent for by her
husband" The girl was h~atless, and had
hair that had been bleached by the rays
of the sun. She was not pretty to look
at, but was probably endowed with vir-
tues enough to lead her husband to pay
her passage across the sea at any rate.
She too was having to wait for the re-
mittance that would take her beyond Cas-
tie Garden.
Sometimes the reason for the delay"
explained Mrs. Stucklein, "is the miscal-
c~ulation in time. The person sent for
often leaves the other side sooner han is
expected, or the steamer arrives earlier
than it is looked for. The newcomer is
allowed to remain here for a time, but
there are only those rough benches to
sleep upon at night."-Florence c. Ives in
New York Press.