The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1908-04-03
WHENCE CAME THEYc
Visit To Italian Towns Depopuiatcd
by Emigration.


this question has framed itself in the
minds OF many persons as they have
stood in front OF the big immigration
building on Ellis Island and WATCHED
the men. women aud children in their
foreign dress pouring across the plaza
from the barges. 10 be swallowed up
by the wide portals OF the station
three thousand. four thousand, five
thousand, in the course OF cycle OF
twenty-four hours.
On May 81. last year. as | stood
IN the new port" at Naples the query
framed itself in my mind. Before me
moved a line of Italian men, women
dragging bundles after them, A
United States hospital surgeon. Off
cially protecting the health OF
Amerlca-really advising the steam-
ship companies. in addition. who
would be rejected at Ellis Island
was turning inside out the eyelids
and running his hands through the
hair Of each as the line slowly passed
him. The inspection card OF each
was duly stamped with the American
consular seal, and one by one the
procession OF short. bronzed Sicilians
and Calabrians filed out. the pamph-
letlike italian passport in hand.
Whence came they?
A few days later | was on the Pal
mera express bound for Calabria and
Sicily.
Arriving az Geso walked down
through the main street. II was
almost as deserted as the streets OF
Pompeii. The appearance OF an
American drew forth from the dank.
stone tagged houses scores Of wom-
en-, children and wrinkled old men.
One was surprised to see so few Young
and middle-aged men. The reason
was given by the syndic, or mayor.
They were in America A few years
ago Gesso had a population Of nearly
six thousand persons To-day the
houses, with the worm-eaten wooden
doors, are peopled by only about
eighteen hundred women, children
and old men. who are supported
largely by money sent home from
America by the able-bodied men who
have gone hence.
We stopped at Battiro. and a man
beside the road, who had returned
home after living several years in
Buenos Ayres, said that four hun
dred of its former population OF four
teen hundred were in North and
South America. From Monteleone.
which stands on the site OF the an
cient Greek city Of Hippo, five hum
dred had gone to both Americas and
three times as many from the sur
rounding country. At Tiriolo from
a former population Of six thousand
one thousand had found their way to
Naples from their mountain home
and sailed for America. The num-
Der is being increased by upward OF
two hundred each year.
Whence came they? The question
IS answered for one who has visited
these communities, which are truly
deserted villages.
In the beginning, apparently the
emigrants were chiefly middle-aged
men "HOSe uUduCeS Udu ItdCHcu Il
hopeless condition through poor
crops and the payment OF taxes. the
demand for the latter being regular
If the crops were not. They went
TO America, leaving their families
at home, in the hope of repairing
their fortunes. Money began to
come back. Then the men them
selves. They wore better clothing
than they had ever worn before. They
had watches and chains. More than
that, they had money. greater
amounts than they had ever before
possessed. The younger men, OBJ
serving the success OF the older ones,
reasoned that by going TO the
United States they could avoid the
troubles Of the older men, and at
their age be comfortably well off
Then wives, sweethearts, brothers,
sisters, parents, were sent for, and in
course OF time-the avalanche
Herbert Francis Sherwood, in The
Outlook