New-York tribune., 1902-04-21
PRESIDENT ORDERS INQUIRY.
FfTCHIE TOLD TO INVESTIGA ATE STORY
OF POLICE CRUELTY TO
IMMIGRANTS.

Immigration Commissioner Fitchie received yes
terday orders from WASHINGTON to make an In
vestigaton of a charge that the police on duty
at the Barge Office treated the immigrants cruelty.
The order accompanied by letter written TO
President Roosevelt by a Brooklynite signing him
self "R. A. Carrick.'' The writer inclosed clip
ping from local newspaper. headed The 1mmi-
grant Herders." which he had pencilled to indicate
the particular paragraphs to which he wished to
call the Presidents attention. Mr.. Carrick said
substantially tfat he had personally observed the
specific referred to in the clipping. in which
a signing himself ''Pegram Dargan' wrote to
the editor of the paper declaring that he saw an
immigrant slashed three times with rawhide by
n policeman. He declared that the policeman who
did this charged on the immigrants, armed with
rawhide whip three feet long. and, 'glaring like
bull, falls upon them sheep dogs and beats
them at his Will and pleasure
The President referred the subject to the Secre-
tary OF the Treasury who in turn sent the cor
respondence Terence V. Powderly Commissioner
General of immigration. who forwarded it here
with the order to investigate and report.
The men who wrote the newspaper story and
letters not familiar with the facts" said Com
missioner Fitchie yesterday after reading the vo-
luminous correspondence from Washington. 1T
lice ofcers at the Battery driving back the crowds
who gather there every time shipload OF imnl- II
are unnecessarily severe. They see them pushing
and driving back the crowd from the curb where
the express wagons are waiting for the imml-
grants and not understanding the situation. they
Immigrants driven around and abused AS matter
of fact. it is the immigrants that the police
men are driving at all but the hordes OF hoteI
and idlers who congregate there and who
be kept off the sidewalk for the protection OF
the very Immigrant who is made the object OF
sympathy. Two-thrds of those who make up these
crowds there for other purpose than to rob
the immigrants by one scheme or another. II given
a chance. Any who has any legitimate business
q pass to go over to Ellis Island and meet them
there. Even that system has been abused owing to
the carcessness of some of the steamship lines In
issuing to all corners. without sufficient evil
the greatly Increased rush of immigration since the
first of the year II found impossible for the
policemen in plain clothes who were stationed
my request in uniform were detailed to
assist them Even with this force on busy days
sharks who gather there from carrying off i'm
migrants. and several arrests have been made OF
go with them when they found persuasion unaVa1l-
ing Orders finally issued to the policemen
street until the immigrants coming OF the Ellis ISL
and boat had been dispersed to their several des-
nations 1t is in trying TO enforce this order that
the officers are required to use Iorce and sometimes
they need to plenty OF 1t They no sooner drive
one bunch back than another crowd rushes forward
at different point and has to be similarly handled
It Is these crowds of hangers on and tdlers whom
the police their whips on. not on the imm-
grant. l have yet to hear of a case In which an
immigrant has received anything but protection
and assistance from the police"
credi, who detailed on this duty at the Barge
Office make the same statement and declare that
knives and attacked the officers A man whom De-
tective Quackenbos arrested a few weeks ago made
slash at the detective with a knife. cutting
missing disem bowelling him.
II has been worse than ever the last few weeks.
Ouackenbos says. because the Commissioners of I'M
mgra ton have recently issued order that per-
with passes must be kept off the dock until
each trip. have been passed outside the gate
and dispersed.