The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1903-02-21
EXTEN Give
FRAUDS
EXPOSED
Bogus Citizenship Papers Ols-
covered With Evidence Of
a Wholesale Conspiracy.
AMBASSADOR cHoATE.

New York, Feb. 2l.-A chance arrest in
the Federal building late yesterday after
noon revealed the existence OF what may
prove to be wholesale naturalization
frauds. While there appears to be a pos
sibility that the man taken into custody.
an ignorant Italian. may be only an up-
fortunate victim. everything goes to ind-
cate that gang is at work in New York
selling counterfeit citizenship papers to
foreigners and the developments yester-
day seemed to show that the frauds have
been going on in the corridors of the
Federal building
Early in the afternoon two Italians got
into the line OF applicants for final citi-
zenshlp papers in the United States dis
trict court. When they came before
United States Commissioner Alexander
one Of them. who said he was Antonio
Milando, laborer OF 300 East One Hun
dred and Seventh street, said he wanted
To be made q citizen. He pointed to his
companion and told the commissioner he
had brought him along as the witness re-
CURED by law. The second Italian said
he was Giuseppe Ferraro OF 355 East One
Hundred and Thirteenth street
Ferraro was telling the commissioner
that he was citizen, having taken out
uty Marshal Noone broke in: you never
got any papers here" Noone declared en-
phatically: II never saw you before"
NAME NOT THERE.
Commissioner Alexander had the rec
ords for Feb. l6 the day the Italian said
he had secured his papers, overhauled.
Ferra-o's name did not appear. At the re-
quest OF Commissioner Alexander he went
home and got his certificate An examin-
alton showed that the document was bo-
gus, even TO the seal OF the district court.
The certificate was printed on the same
paper as the originals and bore the cou-
pom bond watermark OF the real thing. II
bore clumsily forged signature OF Com
missioner Alexander. the name being mis-
spelled-"Alexandr."
Asked where he got the document, Fer
raro said: II got IT In the office over
there (pointing toward the CORRIDOR /
went into the room and saw a man there
i told him that I had come TO the country
before ] was Is years and that i wanted
my citizen papers. He asked me my
name, wrote II down and went away.
Soon he came back and gave me the pa
per and told me II was $3.50, gave II to
him and went away"
The Italian couldn't tell definitely
where he got the paper or who gave IL
10 him. and as his answers were evasive
Commissioner Alexander decided 10 have
him arrested. commissioner SnleldS nNeu
his ball at 5000 and Marshal Henkel took
him to Ludlow street jail.
NOT THE FIRST ONE
After the excitement attending the ar
rest OF Ferraro had died down the fact
that Mllando had not come back was not
ed His application, half made out, was
found crumpled up In a corner OF Com
missioner Alexander's room. 1t was COM
mon talk In the Federal building this af-
ternoon that the certificate which led TO
Ferraros arrest was not the first OF the
kind that has found II way TO the office
OF the clerk OF the United States district
court I'm this city.
This is the first time. though, that we
have got one OF these fellows with the
goods on" declared one OF the clerks.
The prevailing opinion was that the
counterfeit certificate had been sold to
the italian by someone who hangs about
the building.
Commissioner Alexander said that n
was possible that many counterfeit nat
uralization certificates had been sold I'm
this city 20 unsuspecting persons Of for
eign birth, and he had little doubt that
there was an organized conspiracy 10
nullify the naturalization laws
The business OF selling counterfeit nat
uralization certificates IL believed 20 have
some connection with the naturalization
frauds, which. according 10 the secret
service men. have beep perpetrated re-
Gently I'm Rhode Island On Wednesday
Hanes sarkeslan n Turkish merchant Of
this city. was arraigned before Commits
sfOneT Shields. charged with rrdunufpurfv
getting his second citizenship papers In
Providence last December.