Los Angeles herald., 1909-11-24
KEPT IN CELL
AS OUTCAST BY
u. S. OFFICERS
ATROCI0US BLUNDER LAID AT
DOOR OF RIDGWAY
WRONG WOMAN SAID TO HAVE
BEEN INSULTED IN JAIL
Still Held as Undesirable Immigrant,
Although Said to Belong to an
Estimable Family in
This City

w HAT is declared by Attorney
w Paul Schenck to be the most
atrocious blunder, coupled with
persecution, ever made or attempted
by immigration officers here or else
where has been reported by him in
letters mailed yesterday to Secretary
Nagel of the bureau of commerce and
labor at Washington, Commissioner of
Immigration Keefe at Washington, I'm
migration Inspector Weedel at San
Diego and M. Durand, the local French
consul.
The story involves a woman now
held in the county Jail on a warrant
charging her with being an undesirable
immigrant, and is indirectly, but, it
would seem none the less seriously,
connected with a young woman, whose
name the immigration officers, Attor-
ney Schenck and the French consul
have bound themselves not to diVulge
owing to the fact that she is mem
ber of one of the wealthiest and best
known families in Southern California.
The woman in the county Jail is held
under the name of Simonne Chauvin.
Her story and the peculiar circum-
| stances in connection with it'were di-
vulged yesterday after visit to the
| Jail by j. C. Nardini, immigration in
spector in Los Angeles. and his efforts
| to compel the woman to undergo a
physical examination, for the purpose.
| it is claimed by her attorney. to fit
| her description with some passenger
on some steamship or train in order
that her deportation might have some
semblance of legality.
Not Discouraged by Failure
Already, it is claimed by the attor-
ney, three efforts to fit this woman's
| description with some other person
have failed, but these failures he de-
clares have not discouraged Nardini
or his chief, A. C. Ridgway,, inspector
of immigration matters in this city.
In explanation of the duties of i'm
migrat tion officers the first step to be
| taken when they desire the deporta-
| tion of person is to apply to WASH
| ington. giving the facts as to entry and
| landing, the names of aliens furnished
| by the captain of the vessel, a descrip
tion of the individual as to physical
makeup and whether he or she has $50
The woman held at the Jail was ar
/ rested October 90. Later. it is said,
| the immigration officers procured the
| clearance papers of a young woman
| whose name everybody connected with
the case refuses to disclose and APP
plying this name to the woman under
arrest applied to Washington for the
warrant of deportation, accompanying
il with the description contained in
the clearance papers
Says Description Didn't Fit
"The woman whose name we refuse
to make known is one of the most
estimable women in Southern Califor-
nia," said Attorney Schenck last night.
Under her name in the certificate
prepared by tine immigration officers
she is accused of being an immoral
person: Her description does not fit
the woman held as Simonne ChauVln
in single instance"
He then told of the alleged treatment
accorded the latter by the immigra-
tion officers.
"She was placed in the county Jail
October 23" he said. There she was
held incommunicado and denied the
privilege of seeing anybody, not even
an attorney. The United States mar
shall was not informed of her arrest
On November 1, more than week after
her arrest, she smuggled a card out OIL
the Jail calling on me for assistance
My request to the immigration officers
for permission to visit her was refused.
| made second application in writing.
and Inspector Ridgway wanted to post
pone my visit until he could accompany
me. As soon as left the office he went
to the jail, and the woman told me later
he informed her she did not need the
services of a lawyer, and If she did he
would select one himself. l finally saw
the woman, and then the immigration
officer would not allow me to examine
the papers"
Finally Discovered Error
A week ago, he added, his desire to
examine the records was gratitied, and
it was then he discovered the error in
the description contained in the certiti-
cate which had been applied to the
woman under arrest.
II called Ridgway's attention to the
error, and that the woman whose name
and description were contained in the
certificate was a member of one of the
best known families in Los Angeles. [
told him that fact could have been
learned by an inspection of the city
directory or a question to any person
of prominence in the city. He said he
knew what he was doing, and further
more stated he would see that the
woman's male companion on her voy-
age to this country would be placed
under arrest for the purpose of deporta-
ton.
ct know she was a woman of bad
character in France, and came to this
country accompanied by a man named
Emil :" Is the statement attributed to
Ridgway by the attorney.
Accompanied by Sister
"Then," added the attorney, 81 ex-
planned to the inspector that the young
woman's companion was not man but
her sister, whose name is Emelie."
The attorney then sued out writ of
habeas corpus, the hearing of which
was held before Inspector Nardini yes
terday. Present at the hearing, he
sides the attorney, the woman now
held and Attorney George McKeebey.
was Consul Durand of France, the lat
ter of whom protested against fur
ther proceedings because, he said, he
knew the young woman under whose
name they were brought and she was
not the person held for deportation.
Proceedings under this name were
then abandoned and all present agreed
not to divulge the name of the young
woman upon whom a reflection had
been cast.
"Then," said Attorney Schenck,
"Nardini produced another certificate,
and still the description did not fit the
accused woman. He refused to allow
an interpreter or a stenographer until