The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1906-11-07
IMMIaRANTs HERE.
Many Sent to Up.country Number Of
Them Stay in Columbia, However
Many Of Them Have Money to
Invest.

invest.
One could tell they were strangers,
although they did not appear to be
lonely, and nearly all of them seemed
to be prosperous. These were the i'm
migrants who came to Columbia yes
terday on their way to points in the
upper part Of the State. They arrived
Sunday, in Charleston on the Witte-
kind, and we're brought up on special
trains early yesterday morning.
Capt. w. w. Miller, who went down
as representative of the State de-
partment of immigration, accompani-
ed by Mr.. Beverley Herbert, and the
officials of the railroads, came up to
Columbia with the newcomers and
saw that they were placed in proper
trains and that kilograms were. sent
to their prospective destinations in
order that the home-seekers would be
met by those who had agreed to take
them and that they might not go
astray.
1t must be remembered that only a
few Of these immigrants could speak
English and the majority Of them need
ed interpreters. Their reception by
South Carolina therefore was far diff
ferent than would haye been their re-
eeption had they landed in New York,
where no effort is made to care for
them and where they are allowed to
shift for themselves. !.
It was an unusual sight in the capitol
building. The men and women hud-
died together and on the outside there
were dozens of Columbians, who had
never before seen such number of
foreigners at one time and in one
place. Just Like small Ellis, Is
land, y one expressed it, and those
who have seen an ocean liner dis
charge a cargo of strangers agreed
with him. In the Columbia crowd
there were those who were seeking
servants and those who wanted labor
ers. Tired Of present conditions they
were willing to pay double the money
for first class domestics and laborers.
However, the services of all of those
brought over were engaged and the
majority of Columbians will have to
wait on the next boat which will come
in about the last of the month.
Some of the immigrants had money;
in fact the majority of them had
enough to live on for while. Peter
Pel, a Belgian, went up to the Ma
tional Loan and Exchange bank with
$3,700, which he deposited and in
broken English asked for reliable
real estate man from whom he could
purchase a farm. Others visited the
various banks of the city and deposit
ed anywhere from $500 to 81, 900 for
safe keeping and many Of these had
their German Or Belgian money
brougt over in their packages Or queer
little belts, which they ware around
their bodies under their clothing.
The majority of the 200 who came
to Columbia were home-seekers. They
wanted to get small place with a
little cottage and earn their own iv-
ing. Some of them are skilled labor
ers and, in fact, 19 families are engag-
ed for work in the cotton mills in this
city. Others have come to take places
with families who engaged servants
through the State department of
immigration.
DR.. L. Goldberg, who is an inter-
prefer of some ability, was at the
capitol yesterday morning and gave
much assistance in placing the men.
Last night 80 more were brought up