The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1904-10-24
SEARCHED THEWORLD FOR Her
son FROM RUSSIA FINDS HIS
MOTHER IN NEW YORK.
That Is, She Finds Him, In q Crowd, and
Knows Him, Whatever Benjamin
Franklin Said, Although Her Son 10 40
and was a Baby when She Left Him.


The climax and happy ending Of queer
little story came yesterday in Jewish
tenement at lA3 East Broadway, when
Gershon Weitzman, a good 10 oking lad Of
twenty, found the mother for whom he has
been searching for looking FEVER since
l got sense" says Gershon.
The story begins twenty-one years back
in southern Russia, when Gershon Weitz-
mans mother was married at II to man
she didn't like. Her parents forced the
match. The boy Gershon was born year
later Four years after that she ran away
from her husband, but he held to the child.
helped by her parents She had friend
in the town-a woman-who wrote to her,
telling her how her parents were, and most
Of all how the child was.
She went to another Russian town where
she met a young medical student named
Fem. She was Of age by that time and she
got divorce from her first husband and
married Fem. The month she married,
her friend, who was keeping her informed
about her people, wrote that the child
was dead. Why the woman did it does not
appear Mr. and Mrs. Fein came to New
York, where Fein hoped to study medicine.
They had hardly arrived when he died.
His widow went to work in cloak factory.
The child, young Gershon Weitzman.
was brought up by his mothers people.
He went to school awhile, and got to be
good penman. At the age of IL, he learned
from his grandmother that his mother
was alive. The next year he went to work
as penman and card writer. From that
time on, he made the search for his mother
the object of his life. Through all the
ghettos of Russia he went, carrying his
pack with the pens, inks and cards. Wher-
ever he found a Jewish newspaper, he
advertised for his mother. Where there
was no newspaper, he saw the rabbis and
had his quest read in the congregation.
In the town where she married, he found
trace Of her. They said she had gone TO
Germany. He crossed the border into
Germany then. He visited Berlin, Dres-
den, Bremen and smaller towns and found
no trace. Everywhere he advertised, saved
enough money for railroad fare and went on.
Lart year a false clue led him to Ru-
mania. There, on a country road, he met
pedlor from the town in southern Russia
where his mother had married again.
She's gone to the glish-London, l
think said the pedler. 1t appear that
America and England were both English
to him.
And 80 to England went Gershon. He
advertised there and the notice caught the
eye of Morris Beckman. He had known
Fein, the second husband.
"1hey went to America-to New York.
Beckman told the boy. SO Gershon wrote
cards for the London ghetto, until three
weeks ago, he had ticket to America and
$50. As he was a minor and needed so me
one here to vouch for him. Beckman gave
him a card to Sam Finkelstein, whose adj
dress was given as ISL East Broadway,
instead of 143. .,
That mistake caused trouble. At ISL
they didn't know Finkelstein. So Gershon
weitzman was held for eight days In the
Ellis Island pen.
He might have been sent back II it hadn't
been for Yiddish newspaper. A reporter
for this journal found him in the pen and
made fine, scare head story, with He
brew job type head which read. "Mutter.
Vo Bist DUP" The article brought Finkel
stein, who got young Gershon out Of the
immigrant pen three days ago. The paper
went on printing the story. All the time.
Mrs. Fem, once Mrs. Weitzman and Gershon's
mother, was living only two blocks away
in Henry street.
A neighbor came in yester day, and showed
a newspaper clipping to her. 1t was the
first news she'd had that her son was living.
1t brought news, too, that her father was
dead. The friend" had never written
that. Mrs. Fen tainted
Benjamin Franklin declared once that
mother wouldn't recognize her own grown
child if she hadn't seen him since babyhood.
Fifteen or sixteen Finkelsteins and allied
relations were in the Finkelstein front
parlor yesterday. when a hysterical and
excited woman burst into the room. With
out the slightest hesitation she pushed past
eight other young men and fell on the neck
of Gershon Weitzman, crying. My boy!'
and tainted again. The Finkelsteins went
out and left them alone together.
The mother and son sat in her rooms
in Henry street yesterday and held hands
like lovers and laughed and cried while
they got acquainted again. The neighbors
rambled all the evening through the Finke-
stein parlors while Sam told them of this
mar vel. And the Yiddish newspaper sent
for an extra size Of job type
Mrs Fein is going to take vacation from
the cloak house. while she shows her new
son New York.
Its home come back after all my
troubles" she says.