The Washington herald., 1909-05-06

New York. May 5-For ten months
two-year-old baby girl has been kept a
prisoner on Ellis Island By the United
States. Meanwhile the baby's mother. 4
widow. has paid the goverl rent SO a
month for keeping Il. To do this she
and Ter three other children nearly
starved. while she worked twelve hours
a day scrub5ing floors
The mother is out Of 4 Job now. and
as she has been unable 10 pay her bsby's
board for May the government Is going
10 put the child on steamship and send
it back 10 Russia.
This means that tFo-year-old sick
baby Viii be Iazded II q distant port
without a relative OF friend 10 Gaze for It
The story Of this baby and It's mother
vas learned to-day from Irving Llpsitch.
representative OF the United Hebrew
Charities on Ellis Island.
When Mr. Lipsitch was asked what
would become Of tire child on its arrival
in Russia he replied. II don't know.
Terrible Dilemma.
On July last. Mrs. Hode Chanln- 4
Russian immigrant. arrived at Ellis
Island with her four children. the young
est Of which vas Two years old. and
named Mechanic The island doctors
found that little Mechanic had ring
worm. and they told her mother that sse
would be unable to bring the baby into
the country According TO the law, the
child had either 10 Be deDo-ted CT kept
in the island hospital al the expense of
relatives until il was cured
Mrs. ChaRin could not 20 hack 10 her
native land. She had spent her little
sture Of no=ey IN coming 10 this country
Neither could she remain on TIE island
while the baby was being cured
There vas but one thing for Ie- 10 dc
She SIZED cut al application 20 have the
child stay in the hospital until It had re-
covered. snd signed an agreement 10 pay
Sc month for its board
Then Mrs. Chanin. with her three other
small children. after many trials. sue
ceeded in getting TO Chicago She had
tried in vain 20 procure work II this
city
Worked Like Slave.
With but one thought, that OF paying
the keep Of her baby. she obtained en-
ployment scrubbing floors. By working
twelve hours a day and taking in wash
ing at night she managed 20 make
enough 10 pay the IS a month. but as
the months passed starvation stared her
and her children in the face
Mrs. Chanin stuck 10 her work deny
ing herself food for her three children
Finally her health broke down, she lost
her position. her family was in desperate
straits. and she could no longer pay The
monthly board Of her sick baby TO the
government
Appeals for Leniency.
To-day Mr.. Lipsitch received a letter
from the woman telling her plight and
begging leniency be shown her 0y the
government for her chiId's sake until she
could re-establish herself.
Mr.. Lipsitch wrote in reply that II ths
baby's board bill was not paid the child
would have 10 be sent back TO Russia
When asked as TO whether anything
could be done 10 save the child Mr.. Lip
sitch said:
we have no fund 20 pay the bills Of
people Besides il would establish bad
precedent for Us 10 help this woman pay
her bill. We have no right 70 distribute
a penny 10 any one, no matter how badly
;hey need IL
Unless the mother sends Oh the
money the government viii ship her baby
back to Russia This sort of a case viii
awaken people 70 q realization OF their re-
Snonsibilities