The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1889-12-13
DRIVEN AWAY LIKE CATTLE.
Thousands of CaIIcian Peasants
Frightened from Their no mes.

FITTSBURG, Ia, December II. - Max
Schamburg, the Austro-H Hungarian consul at
Pittsburg, expects to receive orders from the
government of Galicia to collect evidence
and probably forward witnesses for the trial
of 300 government officials who are charged
with making common cause with certain
steamship and railway lines in forcing about
$1,000 men, women and children to emigrate
to America.
These government officials, some of them
of high rank, receive bonus for each emil
grant transported. Treason was the favorite
charge on which heads of families wers
frightened into selling their humble homes
and fleeing the country. About $1,000 of
these people have come to Pittsburg within
the past two years. Gems d'armes at four
points on the Galician frontier were either
bribed or their imprisonment secnred on
false charges, and through these four outlets
the poor peasants, without passports, were
driven over the mountains in droves, put on
freight trains and carried to Hamburg,
where they were shipped to America.
Anton Czadon was one of the victims.
Yesterday, he purchased tickets in this city
for Trieste, and will return to his native
land, taking his wife and child with him.
Czadon told the following story. 1t is fair
odmplo VI tlo tIodtiutut Oh all. lie Sdlu
II came from small hamlet, about 100
miles east of CracOw. My occupation was
that OF farm lab0rer, but the Lut lived in
was my own. and we had COW and some
pigs. One evening, upon returning from my
days labor, found man who looked like
an official talking to my wife. She seemed
much frightened When | stepped into the
room the man gave me hard look and then
said in a deep voice, I'Anton Czadon, you
are charged with high treason. Some one
heard you speaking i'll of His Majesty, the
Emperor The punishment is death, but the
Emperor IS willing to be lenie1t, and will be
satisfied If you leave this country in a weeks
time and sail for America, never to return
While talking. he pulled out of his pocket a
long paper, affixed to which was large red
seal. He handed it to me to read, but he
very well knew that ] could not read it,
never having gone to school. He said that
the document contained the charges and the
verdict, signed by the Emperor's own hand
was ignorant. but | supposed l would have
to go, though l had never said bad word
to sell my fruit, my corn and pigs, and get
the money for him before the end of the
week. | obeyed, for knew that if l did not
would be thrown into prison and cowhided
besides. l only got half the value of my
property, being forced to sell so quick. The
man showed up promptly week after his
first visit, and asked me how much money |
had. told him 400 gulden about S100) He
said that was enough to pay for my passage
and that of my wife and child. He then
| took the money and ordered me to be ready
TO start at 6 O'Clock the same night. About
| fifty other men in my village were accused of
the same crime, and suffered the same pun
ishment The nearest railway station was
across the frontier, in Silesia, about 100 miles
distant. We had to walk. Four meu on
horseback, armed with pistols and long
whips. guarded us. The journey was terri
BILE for the women, the country through which
we had to pass being very rugged.
"From the minute we started until we ar
rived at our destination none Of us received
a morsel to eat or drop to drink. Two ba-
bies died on the road, while some tof the
women sank down from exhaustion, but a
cut from the whips of the men on horseback
put them on their feet again. About 800
men. women and children, who seemed to
have come from villages in my country,
were waiting at the railroad station when
we arrived.
1--WE were fed ON water and bread, and
| then put on board a train composed of COW
cred freight cars. The journey lasted day
| and night and then we were In Hamburg.
| Straight from the train we were taken to the
| ouav and loaded on a steamship On this
| shin there were already about 1900 of nv
| countrymen Upon arrival in New York
| the majority were put on board long train
| and brought straight to Pittsburg, although
| we had paid our fare only as far as New
| York. On our arrival at this place some OF
| us were sent to the coke regions and Others
| seemed to have been pre-arranged. Now
| known that we took the place of strikers
| though did not know then why a mum.
| ber Of men attacked us with bricks and
| clubs when we were going to work on the
| first day"