The San Francisco call., 1896-04-26

amid chorus of cries for 'backsheesh,
that the party were Brazilians, who hat
come to California overland thr ough Mex
leo and were on their way to San Fran
cisco.
Now a great party of Brazilians, desti
tute ard ragged, begging of every stranger
they meet, entering the country through 6
back gate by way of Mexico, constituted
so direct an evasion of the pauper immigra.
ton act that this was we'll worth looking
into. Armed with kodak when the sun
was high and provided with a plentiful
supply OF oranges, candy and bright cop
pers this correspondent visited the stran-
gers camp in Santa Barbara's pretty
suburb of Oak Park, where they had en-
camped beneath the spreading shade OF
iveoaks, while the younger women can.
vassed the town-telling fortunes in broken
English in true gypsy style.
Sixteen large ragged tents were pitched
under the oaks, dozens of horses were
staked around and nearly a hundred
swarthy aliens made up veritable little
village. What motley crowd they we're
The men, for the most part -browed
and evil looking, playing cards within the
shelter of their tents or strolling about the
green sward, casting suspicious and bale
full glances at the visitors. The children
ranged in age from the babe in arms to
boys and girls of II and IA years. The lit.
patched together OF two bright colored
rags, always rent and gaping, disclosing
their dirty bare breasts and plump little
stomachs. The girls, little women at II,
already assumed mature airs, wearing
dirty calico petticoats to their heels and
having silver coins braided in their dark
hair, forming an odd, barbaric framework
Co., kL.,;., foo1 IS
pretty. with brilliant dark eyes and regu.
lar features.
In one tent handsome, matronly
woman with blooming cheeks hustled
about. roughly disciplining a family OF
half-grown children and performing vari-
Gus domestic duties. On a pallet Law a
sick child one year old, and in a queer
little hammock swung the latest accession
to the family circle, tiny red faced in
fant, which she assured the visitors was
born ''last night" There was enough
smoke in this tent to lift a balloon. bnt
the sick child slept peacefully, and the
baby nestled like kitten in its swinging
nest. In the background and so removed
from the rest that they would seem to be
under some peculiar ban was one pitifuI
group, grave-looking, middle-aged man
and wasted boy of Is. So sad and so silent
We're this pair that they seemed to have no
part in the noisy, impudent crowd that
filled the space between the tents. A visit
thither developed the fact that the bov had
been hurt by team passing over his BODY
some days since and had evidently been
injured in some vital part. He stated in
broken English that his mother had died
three months before during their travels.
and modestly and gratefully accepted the
small aims rendered him. while the
fathers somber face told the burden NJ
grief that oppressed him.
The exhibition of some oranges and
candy, an adroit stroke of diplomacy on
the part or the newspaper writer desiened
to secure the good will of the little COM
munity, resulted disastrously. At the
first exhibition of couple of paper bags
the children surrounded the would be ben
efactor, bowling, lighting horde, clutch
ing wildly at one prize and instantly con
cealing it behind them to extend the
empty hand in hypocritical pleading. As
the bags showed signs of emptying the
panic grew wilder. The greedy band. now
mum bering some forty or fifty, threw
themselves upon the almsgiver, each one
endeavoring to gain forcible possession of