The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1893-05-17
IMMIGRANTS WITH MONEY.
A PROSPEROUS CLASS Is NOW
COMING TO AMERICA.
How the Fresh Arrivals Hide Their
Cash--sOme Queer Receptacles
for Worldly Wealth,

~ flowing into America through
Uncle Sans patent valve at
Ellis Island. A strange feature of the
renewal of immigration after the qualan-
tine embargo is that the newcomers
bring more money with them on the
average than they ever did before.
Their cash comes from queer hiding
places. Although gold is the standard
of currency, yet the incoming wanderers
prefer the big silver dollars of the
United States to either gold OF paper.
Ten or twelve occasions each day Fran.
els J. Scully, the expert of exchange at
Ellis Island, has gold turned back, with
the request in some jargon unknown to
any but the initiated, from some rough
shod, unkempt immigrant, with shake
of the head and suggestive gesture to-
ward shining heap of "cart wheels"
This means that the man wants the
American dollar. Gold doesn't please
him. In every instance his wish is graf
ified, and he goes away happier but
heavier weighted man.
Immigrants are always superstitious.
Many of those who have money say they
have none, while those who are poorer
than the proverblal church mouse say
they have plenty of it. The Italian i'm
migrant is the most deceptive. With
his loaf of bread under one arm, bottle
of sweet oil and bunch of garlic hang
ing over his shoulder he is prepared to
go out into the world. He seldom has
baggage. The only clothes he brings
are those on his back, and in nine out of
ten cases he could not sell these as old
rags. Every Italian carries long tin
tube in which his money and passport
are kept. The popular coins of the Ma.
ton arc lires; equal to nineteen cents
American money. Sometimes one i'm.
migrant has as many as 500 lires, and on
other occasions 1000 immigrants from
that country will not exchange more
than 500.
English, German and French immi.
grants carry the most money. Colonel
Weber, several months ago, was standing
in the registration department, where he
noticed Frenchman clothed almost in
rags. The Colonel had some doubts as
whether the man would be able to sup
port himself, and was anxiously waiting
for his turn to go aud be registered, as
he wanted to hear what was said. The
half-dozen immigrants who were in front
passed through, and the greasy French
man presented himself. tHave you any
money!" the man was asked. The immi-
grant looked up, smiled a smile of con-
tentment, unwound dirty neckcloth
and brought to view d pocketbook that
looked as though it had gone through a
threshing mill. From it he took bag
containing $4,000 in gold. To show that
he was rich in the worlds goods, the
greasy old immigrant showed letter of
credit for $1,000. He was allowed to
land.
Usually the giddy Frenchman carries
his money in short, brass tube. If he
is rich, the money is in Napoleons, or
twenty franc gold pieces. If he is poor,
his money is ''five franc" silver pieces.
When he gets change, he wants good
American silver dollars, which fit into
his coin tube and are always worth their
face value. An immigrant, more than
usually intelligent, who presented him
self at the money counter one day, asked
for silver dollars. After giving them to
him, Scully inquired why it was that
Frenchmen always wanted silver. The
immigrant said that tube full OF silver
was pretty heavy, and when a man put it
into his pocket he could always feel its
weight aud know it was safe.
English and Irish immigrants are
seldom very heavily weighted with
wealth on arriving here. The arrange.
ment they use for carrying their money
is a sort of watch.shaped affair, which is
made to hold twenty sovereigns. The
Irishman, probably from native preju-
dice, changes what English money he
has for that of the United States. But
the Englishman has a pride in holding
on to his sovereigns and f5 notes. He
may leave England, but for all that he
likes her money, and if he has some with
him it reminds him of "ome. 1t is not
unusual for him to buy food at the land
ing bureau and to hand in payment
coin of Her Britannia Majesty's realm.
Arabs carry very little money. Some
times they have q sovereign or a
napoleon. They have room, though, for
the wealth of Golconda in the capacious
belts which they carry about their per-
son. When a son of the desert has money
to exchange he does so in a way which
would make one who could only hear
the rattle and not see the transfer of the
coin believe that he had million dollars.
He seldom has thousand cents, and for
that reason he makes as much show as
possible. In getting his change he
wants pennies, for five dollars worth of
coppers makes quite big bag full and
feels heavy, which is the way the Arab
seems to judge the amount of wealth.
Swedes use pocketbooks, while the
Germans and Hungarians carry leather
pouches or linen bags. The krone,
valued at twenty-six cents American
money, is the money used by the Swede.
Sometimes he has from ten to fifty
pieces. The Hungarian comes here to
work in the mines, and changes very
little money, knowing that as soon as he
goes to labor he can use the money he
makes to purchase his necessities of life.
New York Press.