Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1899-02-03

uary. was I'm response to a suggestion
contained in a letter received the previous
day from Mr.. Nathaniel ;. Rosenan, the
manager of the United Hebrew Charities,
OF New York. i'm which he said that they
had exhausted every effort I'm the case SO
far as the New York authorities went,
and advised me TO appeal 10 the Commits
oner-General Of Immigration at Wash
ington, and if / did so 10 appear person
ally before him, or 10 sue out writ or
habeas corpus.
Acting upon this l went there, and al
though l found my case already pre-
judged. I tried for nearly two hours, eX-
hausting every effort and every kind OF
appeal 10 get the Commissioner TO re-
lease these immigrants. When l got
through with Mr.. POwderly it was nearly
Y o'clock. The family were TO be placed
on board the vessel I'm New York the next
day Saturday at Y o'clock, and the YES
sci was to sail from her pier. which, am
informed, IS IN Hoboken. y. D., on the
following Monday morning al T o'clock.
My client Becker) did not have the means
TO pay for my expenses 10 go TO New
York, or TO pay court expenses there; be-
sides he was I'm Richmond. his family in
the barge office at New York, and l in
Washington. To have taken any action
I'm this direction ii would have had 10
have. been done early Saturday morning,
as the half-hoHday law that day I'm NV
York interviewed. l therefore returned 10
Richmond that night, getting here at 10
o'clock, and communicated with my client.
We were almost hysteTical in our efforts
TO reach some one IN New York on sat
urday and Sunday and get them 10 take
the matter up. as the telegraph and tele-
phone companies will substaniate. This
in itself is sufficient. / think. TO show
that time was not allowed us 10 apply Tor
relief, and that ii was almost a physical
impossibiity for il TO be done in the time
allowed between my appeal to Mr. Pow
DERBY and the time Of the deportation OF
these victims of the Czar-like administra-
ton Of the immigration laws.
knowing this, just before ] left the i'm
migration Office. ! spoke 10 Mr. Campbell,
who had been called i'm the private office
by Mr. Powderly. and was with Colonel
Brady and myself while the discussion
was going on. and told him that / would,
il / could. apply Tor the writ. and asked
him for a stay 10 enable me 10 do so.
This conversation took place in the pres
ence of a newspaper correspondent VINO,
l an quite sure. will remember II.
But aside from all this. had / not dis
tinctly asked for the stay surely 1t cam
not De CONltuQtQ lldl llif filbi 1 A4l44f N9-
tween Friday noon and early Monday
morning. with a half-holiday and Sunday
intervening. with Becker in Richmond,
the unfortunate family in the barge Of
fee in New York. and l in Washington,
that sufficient time was allowed to take
any proceedings in New York Ny client
was without means. while Mr.. Powderly
had the power of the government behind
him.
In conclusion. desire to say that / Of
fered Commissioner-General Powderly a
bond for the maintenance of these unfor-
tunate people, in order TO obviate the
idea that they would become public
charge. but the Commits sloner rejected
this offer saying that they might move
from Richmond. change their names, and
then there would be no trace of them
l Join the Post in the opinion that our
immigration laws should be changed 50
that in the future tyranny of the charac-
ter that has been practiced in this case
will stop. and. so far ar ] am personally
concerned. trust that this newspaper con-
troversy will cease.