The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1910-04-26

AN AMAZING STORY
Mrs. ouackenbos Tells the Congress
sionaI Committee About the
Way Some People are
Defraudcd.

An amazing story of traffic In hui
man souls paralleled only in the dark
days OF the slave trade has just been
revealed TO congress.
A woman told the house committee
on immigration OF the sordid cunning
OF human vampires in New York and
elsewhere and their traps to catch
the unwary immigrant; how they
fleece him, perhaps sell him into
Deonage. and finally turn him adrift
bereft of friends or funds in land
OF which he knows nothing beyond
the golden descriptions and glowing
pictures painted by the scoundrels
who lured him away from home.
The woman is Mrs. Mary Grace
Quackenbos. She is a philanthropist.
an attorney at Law, at one time spec
I ial assistant to the attorney general in
connection with peonage cases, and
a sociological authority of years OF
practical. first-hand study. One of her
best known philanthropies is the
Peoples Law Finn, an institution
which she founded az New York,
where distressed aliens unable to pay
4 for legal services may obtain such
FREQ OF charge.
II Is with the system of distribut-
ing immigrants after they arrive in
America that Mrs. Quackenbos finds
particular fault He doesn't take suf-
fcient care OF them after they leave
the immigrant stations. And, also.
states and municipalities don't CO.
operate with the federal government.
Investigations undertaken nv Mrs.
Quackenbcss show that st . mship
companies, by means OF agents scat
tered throughout Italy, lure immi-
grants to American shores for the
sake Of The transportation charge, and
then abandon them to the scant mercy
OF human wolves in the big cities. An
Italian tailor, for instance is induced
by the steamship agent in his native
city, or BY a representative of some
labor agent in New York, to emigrate
to America. He is assured that there
is demand for tailors, in-say Chi
cago. He gets to New York, and is
sent on by the labor agent He dis.
covers finally that he must work in
Georgia turpentine camp as la.
borer. He may toll as slave.
1t Is the people of their own ma.
tionality mainly, who cheat the new
alien. They are the labor agents
1t is matter Of SO much a head
with them" says Mrs. Quackenbos
and because Of the fee which they
hope to get they are tempted to de
ceiye their ignorant and less enter
prising countrymen. They cheat and
defraud those who are already here
and they prey upon the new arrivals
, as soon as they land"
An agent in New York ..picle up'
seven Roumanians just after they had
passed through Ellis Island. They
said they wanted to go to Colorado
where they had friends The agency
charged them 81 head as a fee for
obtaining them employment in that
state, and turned the seven over tc
an Italian agent. They paid the Ital
ians the amount of the fare to Colo
raoo The agent sent them to Troy
y. y. and pocketed the difference In
the railroad fare.
Another agent rounded up 10 Turks
They wanted employment; the agent
suggested Canada. They agreed, and
turned over to him $13.72 each. The
agent sent them over to Flushing. n.
Y.-the fare cost him 10 cents each
and pocketed the remainder.
German Jew agent in New York
sent number of Russian Hebrews to
"sawmill' in Florida. When they
reached Florida the work proved to
be in turpentine camp Tho agent
had promised them indoor work, and
painted a pleasing picture of life on
land of their own which could be
acquired cheap, and where they and
their families could live as in a
paradise. Actually the men were