Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1907-04-12
BRATTLEBOR0 LOCAL
FOREIGNERS IN SAD PLIGHT.
Held as Witnesses in Case Of Alleged
Violation Of immigration Laws-Michael
Blacks Kind Work.

BLACK NlUu NO'N'
A pitiful story Of ignorant foreigners
betrayed by one of their own country
men, came out in the United States dis
trict court here Wednesday, when eight
Russian immigrants were brought before
Judge J. l.. Martin and required to fur
nish bail for their appearance as wit
nesses before the grand jury in Windsor
next month. The prisoners included
woman and two small children who came
to this country to join her husband in
New York after a separation of four
years, another woman with three children
on her way to join her husband in Cam
bridgeport, Mass, and an elderly man
bound for the home of his brother-in-
law in New York.
The story would have been a much
more pitiful one if Michael Black, the
junk dealer, had not played the part of
the good Samaritan. He not only served
his countrymen as Interpreter, but took
charge of the woman and her three chill
dren and placed them in a comfortable
home that night at his own expense be-
side telephoning and telegraphing to her
husband. The Russians were wholly I'M
known to Mr.. Black, and he never saw
them until he boarded the train at Put
ney on which they arrived They were
brought here by Deputy United States
Marshals Lorenzo Miles of St. Adams
and Reeves of Burlington. United States
District Attorney Alexander Dunnett of
st. Johnsbury conducted the case on be-
half of the government
IT appeared from the testimony of the
old man, Ezekiel Abramovitz, as inter-
preted by Mr.. Black, that he came to
America about six weeks ago and landed
at st. Johns He came to Montreal
and a man brought him over the Vermont
line IN a team. Mrs. Rachel Perovoskin
testified that she came to Montreal and
that a man agreed to send her and her
two children to New York for $45 She
paid the money but the ticket he gave
her was only to st. Johnsbury. The other
woman, Mrs. Nashan Bobrik fell into the
hands of the same man and Jared SINH
larly. She and the old man were arrest
ed in st. Adams and the others in St.
Johnsbury. The man, who is supposed
to have brought them into the country, is
Louis Smelsvect of Montreal who is I'M
der arrest, with c. I. Holden, the livery
man who is alleged to have brought one
person across the line. All the Russians
are wanted as witnesses against Smells
vect, but will have to go back to Mon
treal and be regularly examined before
being admitted to this country. War
rants have been issued for their deporta-
tion but these will not be acted upon I'M
til after Smelsvect has been tried.
The husband of the Perovoskin woman
NdlllG lIOIi view 1OIh anu lGlI q Dduk-
book with $500 to his credit as surety that
he would furnish the 500 bail demanded
for his wife's release. He took her and
the two children away with him on the
late afternoon train. The case of the
other woman was less easily solved and
Mr.. Black spent several hours in trying
to reach her husband by telephone in
Cambridgeport, Mass. AS the day was
nearly over Mr.. Black offered to provide
lodging for the woman and children
until the next day, when the husband
promised that he would send the bail.
A telegram was received from him yes
terday saying that he would send the
money last night. The old man was sent
back with the deputy marshals He
claimed that an order for 5000 rubes was
taken from him when he was arrested.
All of them had been two weeks in Jail
and were in poor condition physically as
well as mentally. None of the immi-
grants could speak word of English.
The husband of the Bobrk woman
started from Cambridgeport to the aid of
his wife but was so ratified that he went
through to ST. Johnsbury and did not
reach Brattleboro until last night. He
had bond with him instead of the ready
money and Judge Martin would not &C
cept that. Bobrik expects to receive the
money today from a friend and will then
be allowed to take his wife and family
and depart.