The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-11-12
A MATRIMONIAL AGENCY
MARRIAGES OFTEN MADE AT THE
NEW YORK IMMIGRANT STATION.
The MatrOn i'm Charge u ReIuctant
Matchmaker-A Farmer Described
the Woman He Wanted.
New York Commercial Advertiser.


to the officials of the barge office:
ITO the Person Who Looks After 1mmi-
grants:
Dear Sir-Being a farm owner OF nifty
acres of land end a man of fifty years who
lost his wife two years ago, and, finding II
hard to get some one to- take care OF my
house, would like you to send me woman
between the age of thirty-five and forty
five. Looks has nothing to do with it so
long as she is good housekeeper and will
ing TO pass the rest of her life with me-
If she has money of course 1t would be
preferable. Would like to have one OF
Protestant faith. AS soon as you get
person you think will suit me please send
her to above address and oblige," etc.
The letter was turned over to Mrs. Stuck
len. the matron of the barge office, other
wise known as 1.-The mother of immigrants"
who left it unanswered. Applications of this
sort are made quite frequently. but as the
immigrant station is not equipped with a
regular matrimonial bureau and has no
means of investigating the character and
the economical status of applicants. such
as the author of the above letter, it is very
seldom that Mrs. Stucklen will run the risk
of matchmaking in behalf of the women in
her care
Sometimes 1 wish j could get a suitable
man for one of the poor immigrant women
in our detention pen, she said in answer
to question regarding the farmers let
ter. 1T very often happens that woman
who seems to be perfectly respectable and
deserving in every way is excluded because
if admitted she would become a public
charge. One such woman was the other day
crying as if her heart would break when l
came to ask her if she would marry an
American farmer. She was so anxious to
get out that she said yes without asking any
question. / liked the woman and wanted to
sec her out and we'll fixed so l investigated
the case of an old man who once wrote us
for a wife but the answer received left me
in doubt. Fortunately some people took
pity on the poor woman and took her out
on their responsibility.
MEN APPLY FOR WIVES.
Sometimes a farmer or mechanic in
search of a wife will call at the barge Of
flee personally. OF course, We won't allow
them TO look over all the girls and to have
their pick but if the visitor knows an i'm
migrant woman whom he wishes to marry
and who is willing to have him We have no
objection. All we exact is that the mar
riage ceremony shall be performed accord
ing to the requirements of the law and Of
the faith of the bridegroom and the bride.
Similar marriages take place quite fire.
quently. although the more common type is
where the man and the woman are detained
immigrants. 1t is almost an everyday oc-
excluded because she is about to become
mother. The rules of our institution are
very. strict on this point. as are also those
of the various immigrant societies whose
representa- tives look after the interests OF
the poor foreigners coming To seek a home
in this country. Sometimes the woman Is
accompanied by the father of her child, and
if he is willing to marry her we take them
before a priest. Protestant minister or rab-
BIZ and after having the ceremony per-
formed we let them go. Sometimes, again,
she comes alone. but has another sweet
heart who is aware of her condition, but is
willing TO marry her all the same. In cases
We want TO be sure that the man is re-
spectacle and that he means what he says.
Recently we were deceived by a Swedish
girl, who said she wanted to marry a fell
low-countryman of hers VINO called at the
barge office. We put them through a careful
examination. He professed to have known
her in Europe and to be madly in love with
her. When / called his attention to her for
mer relations with another man he said he
knew all about it, that the girl did not care
any more for the other man: he had re-
fused to marry her and now she needed a
father for her child. He seemed to be a
straight fellow and able to provide a home
for her, so, acting in the interests Of
morality as we'll as OF the detained immi-
grant girl. we saw them married and re-
leased her. She had not been at large Il
week h6owever when we Learned nee that the
the .Swede contracted the straw marriage
for s..
NOT A MATCHMAKER.
THE other day man picked a quarrel
with me because 1 wouldn't advise an i'm
migrant girl to marry him unless he gave
us satisfactory references as to his char
acter. / asked the girl whether she was
willing to marry him. and she said she left
it all TO me. L like the looks of him all
right she said, but 1 don't know anything
about him. and If you tell me he will make
me a good husband he can have me- am
no matchmaker, but when a case Of this
sort comes under my notice and the re-
sponsibiity is shifted on my shoulder,
won't let a poor, frendless girl marry the
first conner. This is what said to the man
who came in search of a wife the other day,
but IL only made him anlry, and he told
me was not liberal enough and that my
position called for a person who would pay
more attention to the matrimonial inter-
ests of the immigrants"
Mrs. Stucklen's predecessor. Mrs. Louisa
ESlnger, did pay more attention TO the
matrimonial interests of the immigrants"
but that was when the immigrant station
was at Castle Garden. and when it had at
the late matrOn, did the additional service
of matrimonial agency. Hundreds of house
wives would call at the immigrant station
for servant girls in those days. and along
with THESE came men, mostly widowers or
old bachelors, in search Of wives. Mrs.
Eslfnger took great interest in the matri-
monial branch Of the bureaus business. and
nothing gave her more pleasure than to be
able TO boast of a long list of marriages
contracted through her aid in given week.
she carried on quite heavy correspond
enSe Win out-or-town applicants, and when
farmer or mechanic gave a satisfactory
account Of himself and sent the necessary
travelling expenses the woman who seemed
10 suit MS requirements was sent to his adj
dress. In many Instances Mrs. Eslinger de-
named return ticket in case the marriage
rallied TO take place and the immigrant
woman wished to return to New York
IN FORMER TINES.
The old-time labor bureau often looked
like sort of slave market" said one of the
Oldest officials at the barge office. 81 re-
member one day an elderly German came
to select bride He was well-to-do, and
he would not marry a girl who had been
some time in the country. because Amer
lean girls are only good to eat candy he
said. Another thing, he was sure the
climate of this country takes all the health
out OF woman. and he wanted his bride
10 be robust and capable of hard work.
There were lots Of strong peasant girls at
Castle Garden that day, and many Of them
were good looking. too. so the old fellow
inspected them all as you would a horse.
This one is all right. but her hands are
TOO small. he said, and amt going TO
Keep a my my, vie in the parlor another one
was rougn-looking enough, but Gid not
speak the right German dialect Finally
he struck one who suited him to 81 This
one l take, he declared. tapping the girl
m chD H. h.