New-York tribune., 1900-11-14
DENIAL BY AN OFFICIAL.

The substance Of the dispatch printed here
with was told to Edward r. McSweeney Assist
ant Commissioner OF immigration. who lives at
NO. 400 West -hundred-an and fiji fly -first-st.
last night by Tribune reporter Mr.. Nc
Sweeney said the story absolutely untrue
Continuing, he said Il know of no murder mys-
terry at the Barge Office. If the body of man
had been found there would know IT, and the
facts of the would be known by the
public body could not be concealed there.
Such thing would be impossibllity The
Barge Office is closed at night and In the day
there are many persons in the building at all
hours l know Of no suspicious death having
occurred in the last year at any time on
property which the immigration Bureau
has Jurisdiction.
"A Pole committed suicide some months ago
in the Barge Office. but there is no mystery sur
rounding that case, as 1t fully investigated
at the time, and the details Of the case were
printed in the newspapers A male Immigrant
who was detained Ellis Island made several
efforts to escape, and on the third attempt he fell
H<a-IsRt sksthsshe+gesslip at 4Sfis Island are
was drowned. His body found floating in the
slip His death occurred in the of the
last twelve months. The case was made public"
MAN NEVER FOUND, NOT A MURDER.
In the year number of immigrants have
escaped and their whereabouts is still a mys-
negligence on the part of Barge Office officials
Commissioner Fitchie received a letter some
time ago from lawyer who said that suit
for $4,000 would be begun against the Com
missioner # he did not produce the body of q
I certain Italian who had in this country.
The italian in question. am sure Isadore
Termini, aged siXty-fve years, who came to
this country immigrant last spring. Ter
mini has been missing since he reached this
port, and before the Registry Division in
spectOrs, who held him to await the action of
the Board of Special Inquiry. There about
three thousand immigrants arriving daily at the
| time Termini disappeared from the Barge Office.
How he disappeared. / do not know. My
theory is that he arrived at the Barge Office
in the afternoon when it quite dark and
that he was put aboard the railroad large in
stead Of the one bound for Ellis Island. l think
he was put on the railroad barge by some per-
son who asked him where he going. and
who received the reply that his destination was
Buffalo. The man had a son in Buffalo and he
intended to go to his after he released.
He had money.
UNABLE TO TRACE THE MAN.
We have tried to learn the whereabouts Of
the and have failed. Any fears that he
might have met with foul play not we'll
founded. he penness. His made
complaint to about the matter and also to
the Treasury Department at Washington A
report Of the sent by the New-York
immigration Bureau to the Treasury Depart
ment at Washington. I have not heard OF any
official of that Department. making special IN
NeStgatiOn of the
"ENcrythirS has been done to discover what
became of the man. not only by the Barge
Office, but by the steamship company on whose
vessel he this country. OF course, the
man might have fallen off one of the barges or
jumped into the river without anybody seeing
him fall jump
There is a detective stationed at the Barge
Office. He has been there for the last twenty
five years. He is there to protect immigrants
and others who need protection. He is an efl-
ccnt man If he had heard of any i'm
migrants or any other person having been as
saulted he would have reported it..
FITCHIE DENIES THE REPORT.
When asked last night If a mans body had
been found in the Barge Office Thomas Fitchie.
Commissioner of immigration at this port. said:
Such a :eport is all rot There is no murder
mystery at the Barge Office. l recall the case
of Termin the italian VINO disappeared from
the Barge Once some months ago. His case Is
not an unusual one. We have many like II In
the course of a year. The only person who died
in the last year in the Barge ONCE was the Po!e
who committed suicide. He committed suicide
under the stairway leading from the Bureau OF
Information. There is no doubt that ne Killed
himself"
Mr.. Fitchie said that If the Treasury Depart
ment had made a special investigation or
Barge Office case 1t would have been carried
on by William P Hazen. Chief of the NeW-HorK
Secret Service Bureau. Mr. Hazen SAID iast
night he knew of alleged murder case that
had occurred at the Barge Offlce, nor OF any
suspicious case there under investigation
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