Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-08-05
ESPECIAL rrLrenAM TO THE p1srArcH.,

fsFRcIAL TELEGRAM TO THE DIsPATcH.i
NEW YORK, August 4-President Ridg-
way, of the Immigration Commission, had
planned a little surprise party for whatever
emigrant steamers might be coming in to-
day. the project being part of general
scheme he has for furnishing himself with
all the conditions of emigrant travel and
the general mode of treatment OF immigrants
on their way to this country and after they
get here.
At 9 o'clock in the morning the Commits
sioner took the Ross, one of the fleet of
steam yachts attached to Castle Garden, and
steamed out into the harbor. In the absence
of any steamers to meet, the Commissioner
followed the last conner, the French liner,
LaBretagne, up to her dock, and boarded
her before any Of the steerage passengers
had left the vessel. He plunged at once
into the steerage and moved around among
the tumbled-up mattresses and into the
kitchen and other holes and corners
NOTHING TO CRITIcIsE.
He found nothing to criticise. The steer
age was clean and seemed to be well venti-
, lated, and the passengers we're cheerful
looking and had no complaints to make,
They went down to the dock while the Com
missioner was fussing with the mattresses,
and he followed them and mingled with
them. As soon as it was discovered that he
was "Monsieur LIE COMMISSIONER" he had
his hands full.
Immigrants don't like to 60 through Cas-
tie Garden, ana as the only way in which
they can escape that course is by proving
themselves American citizens, they adopt
/ all manner of means to convince the au-
thorities that they have been here before.
About the only thing that goes with the
Castle Garden men is naturalization papers,
'but Commissioner Ridgway was disposed to
take reasonable view of the matter.
SOME SAMPLE CASES.
A woman came up wi th her husbands
naturalization certificate. A young man,
who said he was her son, vouched tor her,
tand she was let 60. A man who claimed to
have been a citizen for a good many years,
but who could only show his "first papers, I"
was passed by the Commissioner, never
theless, when he produced discharge from
the regular army.
! Edward Gill. who said that he went out
| ON the Persian Monarch with Buffalo Bill,
under the cognomen of "Boy Bill" but
who had deserted and come home because
, he couldn't make anybody understand him
in Paris, although he had bought a CONVEX
sation book and studied it diligently, was
passed on to Denver without delay on the
strength of his sombrero and red shirt.
INCLINED TOWARD INSANITY.
A very peculiar looking woman who
II h. H. Il L.. Il 4
/ in this country and to have lived here until
/ two months ago, applied to the Commits
sioner for her freedom. When he asked her
/ where she was from she told him she didn't
propose to be bully-ragged. but finally ad-
mitted that her home was ia Monroe, Mich.
| She was evidently an American, but she
seemed to be inclined toward insanity, and
the Commissioner decided that she had
better 60 to Castle Garden to be examined
and registered, before being allowed to go
into the city alone. She said she didn't
care, anyhow, and sat down to wait for the
barge.
The most interesting case was that of
Edward Hardre, an Alsatian. His story
was that he was a shoemaker, and had
started fo- this country with the savings of
his lifetime, about 900 francs. He had
bought his ticket at an agents Office in
Paris, for 145 francs. Then
HE HAD BEEN ROBBED
of $50 francs. He produced certificate of
the Paris Pasha, that he had been robbed of
that sum, ''by the American way" that is,
by pickpockets. With 20 francs and the
address of friend in the shoemaking busi-
ness at 1742 Lombard street, Philadelphia,
he had got on board the steamer. The first
thing he did was to accidentally destroy his
ticket, and when the purser came around he
had nothing to show that he had ever paid
his passage. He was allowed to ride, all the
same, but when he arrived here the question
came up whether he was a pauper immi-
grant, stowaway, an able-bodied embryo
citizen. or what. The steamship officers
took him to the Office on the dock, and the
Commissioner, after listening to his story,
ordered that he be held on the vessel until
the case could be submitted to the Collector
for decision. There is not much doubt
that he will be admitted, provided his story
us at all corroborated, but meantime the poor
iAlsatian is In dreadful stew.
1t is Commissioner Ridgway's intention
ato make similar trips frequently, and also
40 drop in at odd hours at all the institu-
l+;one conn ected with the inmi grant service