The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1893-05-05
WHAT KILLED MARIA?
A Pretty Immigrant Girl
Dies at Sea of a Mys-
teriouS Disease.

NEW YORK, May 5. 1898. 93.-Informstion
that may be Of considerable Importance
to the Health authorities OF this port ia
contained in the story Of Jacob Zaalar
and Abraham Rinzler, two passengers on
the Observation-Disclosures steamship
Edam, which arrived here on last Tues
day from Rotterdam. The story was cor-
roborated at Ellis Island by dozen other
passengers. 1t may also be OF interest 10
the people among whom the several hume
dred steerage passengers are scattered.
The two men allege something mora
than suspicious in the death of the pretty
sister of Zaaler while the vessel was al
sea. They make grave charges of an
unnatural death, and Leizar Saller. the
father of Jacob and the dead girl. intends
to consult lawyer and bring an action
against the steamship company.
On the third floor of No. 10 Delaney
street. LezaF Zaaler, his son Jacob. aged
nineteen years, his daughter Rosa, aged
eighteen, aud their cousin, Abraham
Rinzl er, aged twenty, today bemoaned
the d cath of the young girl whose body
now lies in the ocean. As the two young
men described the death of the young
woman the father wrung his hands and
swayed back and forth: The daughter
sobbed convulsively, and then tainted.
The father, in broken English. said he
came TO THIS country six mouths ago
with his daughter Rosa. leaving his Wife.
son and two daughters at Borysslaw,
Galicia, Austria. A month ago he sent
for his son Jacob and daughter Maria,
strong, healthy, handsome girl seventeen
years old
The son Jacob then told, through an
interpreter, the story of his voyage to
this country aud his sisters death.
JACOBS SAD TALE.
"We left Rotterdam Sunday, April 16.
he said. "On Tuesday, April 25, my SIS
ter felt i'll, but said it would be nothing.
She got worse, however. She hal pains
in the head aud in the back, aud had Il
high fever Spots came out on her face.
Dr. Whitehead, the ships doctor, came TO
see her, and she was taken into the hos
pital right away. | asked the doctor
what the matter was and he said. 'Oa,
| she is all right
~ went to see her on the next day, but
| the doctor would not let me g in, My
cousin also tried hut he was not allowed
to see her. The doctor SAID it would not
be safe for any of the passengers to go
| near her.
"a number of the passengers liked my
| sister, and wanted to help her when she
| was i'll, but the doctor would not let
| them into the room. / tried on each day
| to see my sister, but could not. The doc
| tor kept saying she was all right, and
| that nothing was the matter. | asked
| him what her illness was, but he wouldn't
| tell me.
ION Saturday, April 20, /. my cousin
| and several of the passengers stood in
| the hallway. near the door of the hospl-
| tai. The doctor came along and entered
the room. AS the door was open heard
/ MY sister calling out 'Jakei Jakep l
| tried to go to her. but the doctor stopped
| me. 1 saw the doctor carrying bottle OF
| p.d medicine il his hand.
| "Afterward he came and asked me
| number OF questions about my sister, ,such
| as, Where did she come tromF and
| Where did she stop on the waY1' AT
| seven O'Clock in the evening he told me
| my sister was dead. l then asked him to
let me see her. but he would not let me.
| In the middle Of the night my sisters
| body was thrown into the sea.
| jacob said be believed the officers of the
| ship were anxious TO get the sick girl out
| of the way, as the vessel was near port
| and they were afraid the steamship
| would be detained ut Quarantine. He said
| he believed his sister died so suddenly as
| a result of the medicine given TO her on
/ last Saturday.
1 THE DOCTOR REFUSES.
| Abraham Rinzler sail he saw the sick
| girl on the Friday before she died.
| 81 asked the doctor a number of times
| to let me see my cousin, but he refused. :"
| said Zingler THE doctor said it would
| be dangerous. He said: She is all
| right. She must be all right when We
| get into New York. or all the passengers
| will be kept on board for twenty days
ION last Friday. when no one was
| around, | stole into the room where Maria
was. She spoke TO me aud said she felt
| all right, but had tever.
'tHer arms, face and neck were covered
| with an eruption which l believed was
from measles. She told me she had had
no medicine since she was put into the
hospital.
| went in with the medicine on Saturday.
/ heard her asking for her brother. She
/ died very quickly after receiving the
| medicine, aud think that was the cause
| of her death.
"They were afraid the ship would be
| Kept in Quarantine when we arrived on
| the next Tuesday morning. Some of the
| passengers thought my cousin had the
| smallpox; others said she had rYphus
1 fever but think it was measles. Thd
| ship was not tumigated."
The father of the dead girl said
he strongly believed that his daugh-
ter's end had been hastened by
| The ships officers anxiety to avoid
| the trouble and expense of detention af
| Quarantine, and he said that he would
| bring suit against the company in order
| to cause an investigation to be made. He
1 said u number OF the passengers had ieI6
their addresses Win nlS son anu tnho
| they would corroborate the a bove facts
| should an investigation be held.
| No report of case of contagious dis
ease during the voyage was made by the
| officers of the Edam when she arrived
here on Tuesday. A report was male to
| thsimmigration authorities that Mare
! Zohler, German. aged sixteen, died or
pneumonia and was buried at sea-"
At the Custom House it was said that
1 the only report of death on the Edam
1 was of abraham Rinzler, aged twenty-