Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-11-16
TWENTY-ElGHT ARRESTED
Violators of the Alien Contract Labor Law
to Be Deported.
Result Of Long Investigation NV
commfssfOner POwderly-More
Arrests Expected.

| The most important work done by Conn
missioner Powderly of the immigration bu-
| reau since his induction into Office is tbe
arrest In Tennessee andMississippi of a large
number of contract laborers who arrived in
| this country In September and went to Mis-
| sissippi as stave cutters
commissioner Powderly has long believed
| that hundreds of foreigners have been
Irouent into this country in violation of
the contract labor laws and have been sent
" the stavecutting and lumber camps in
tennessee, Mississippi Arkansas and Loui-
| slana. He is confident the violation of the
Id" mas Deen going on for several years
he began an investigation early i'm the
year and found sufficient proof of his CON
Victions. Different patches of foreigner
arrived at the ports during the year and
gave iheir destination as Memphis, Tenn.
A Party Followed.
september . fifty Croatia ns Failing from
Croatia, in Austrian territory. arrived I'm
I,atiinore by the steamship Roland of the
4Nortn German steamship line The mani
lest Oh the ship gave their destination as
-hemph,s. The fact was reported to the
oSeioher SO soon as the party left
,or the south Commissioner Powderly de-
saiIeu special inspector George E Bald
WIN 10 follow them and make an inyestipa
ton He was aided by other agents of the
.epai .hent- The immigrants were taken
10 Memphis in roundabout Wav 10 asc.n.
uetectl az tS tlon. Mr.. BALDWIN, however waited
IN memphis until they arrived and followed
ne party to Mount Bayou, in Bolivar conn
y, MISS. They were taken in charge bv n
man named Leo Mienkus and hustled eight.
usI l.iies from the station to a camp in the
lowed ioi-
His life was threatened. but he p,ucki,v
non,i,,1e IN t-.e neighborhood until he was
a eoiiNinceo that the men had been brought
over IN violation of the immigration laws
Mr. baldwin found it hard to get ANYBODY
10 taik, all referring him to Mienkus the
poss OF the numerous camps of staye
eus'e,s, ers -, me country was full of foreign
srs, mostly Austrians Some of them had
peen there several years. Mr.. Baldwin re-
turned to W washington and made a renort
TO the commissioner
The investigation was continued b., o..
ers. In the meantime several other batches
OF immigrants arrived in New York from,
the same section of Europe and gave their
tues.,ilation as Memphis. One of these
pdtches was detained and an Investigation
made by Commissioner Fftchie in New
YORK, bringing out evidence that the men
are sent over from Vienna by Leopold
ii.a ~ = ne mead man at this end of the
me me Is Simon Kern, at New Orleans They
nave agents scattered in all directions
Ihese agents made it a practice to drill
anything. ''''iie
Last week the Treasury Department
s"ore out fifty warrants for the arrest of
tne party which landed at Baltimore
lhese warrants We're placed in the hands
OF Inspector Baldwin and four other in
spectors and they started for the Miss.ssip-
pi wilds last Saturday night Arriving in
hehphis yesterday, they found twenty
eight OF the men they wanted in that CITY
the boss of the camp having let them 20
hn fa,
non"use ;,,s ne feared the consequence of keep
ing .---Ii- The inspectors left last night
Tor the stave camps to arrest the other
men. ~ o'iiei
when the whole party is secured the inn
.Alsl anus VIII be put IN a special car and
Iahen back to Baltimore to be deoorted
Ihey VIII be sent back to Europe at the
expense Oh the steamship company which
Ls oLousn' tnem over. There will be no
cnance TO escape deportation as the war
rant or the Secretary of the Treasury is
maj. There is no appeal from the war
iaIil uhiess man can show he is an
American AN citizen, or has been in this coun-
u3 year. Alter years residence a man
cannot be sent back
Labor leaders at Memphis co-operatea
Win commissioner Powderly in the work
now in hand Milford Spohn nrecfdant Of
the Central Labor Union of this CITY fur
nished Commissioner Powderly the names
OF several labor leaders in Memphis who
would aid the officials
since the fifty men landed in Baltimore
In September probably a hundred others
nave arrived in this country and gone to
the lumber camps. Information has lust
come that 132 immigrants supposed to be
bound for the lumber camps arrived at Gal
weston a few days ago. The immf grafton
bureau Is looking into this and further ar
rests may follow.
CRIMINAL prosecutions have not begun
against the men instrumental in bringing
the laborers TO this country, but it is hin,ed
that this may follow.
The foreigners get good pay in the Ium-
per ana stave camps. AS stave cutters
they make 81 and s. day.