Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-05-05
EW YORK CITY, May Josephine /
Mandre stood on the deck Of the


French freighter Belgravia, gazing
miserably at the impressive shoreline of New
York. She was slim little girl, unmls-
takably French, with dark, serious eyes and
two long braids of black hair dangling down
her back. Her dark dress was worn and
rumpled; her high-heeled French shoes
scratched and shapeless
For nineteen days she had been on the Bel
gravia, a stowaway and the only woman
had been grim, nerve-racking experience for
a sxteen-year-o1d girl, but she had been
strengthened by the thought that eventually
it must end-end in America, the world-fa-
nous land of opportunity. And now there
was America before her eyes, and she was
told that she could not land.
every WE'LL" she told the customs official
who reluctantly broke the news to her, "but
| shall not go back, Monsieur. From now
on do not eat. In little time, before the
ship sails, I will be dead. That will be better
than going back
AS the customs official reviewed the girls
story. he was half-inclined to agree with her.
What would she do if she did go back? Three
years ago, her father, poilu, had been killed
at the front Then her mother had died.
viz
girl had made her way to Malaga, Spaln'
where, she learned, it was easy to obtain pas
sage to America. She had paid sailor on
the Belgravia $40 francs to stow her away,
which he did in the 'tweendecks providing
her with food and water. After the snip
was we'll under way the sailor attempted 10
assault her Her screams attracted otner
members of the crew, and she was brought
before the captain, who put her IN state
room and thereafter kept protecting eye
upon her. .
The captain intended to turn her over to
the immigration authorities at Ellis 1sland'
Int discovered that a month before new
WILING had been passed stating that all stow
aways must be retained on board the vessels
bringing them. This meant that the glrI
would have to return to Malaga on the Bel
gravia, via South America, voyage OF many
months, still the only woman on ooaro'
Rescue of Josephine
Fortunatelv however, she was not COM
neIled to do this. Nor was she compelled TO
die The customs authorities, becoming III
terested in her story, appealed to the french
high commission, which came to her rescue
and thus the incident ended happlly'
The case of Josephine Mandre is only one
of the MANY dramatic instances which have
RECENTLY harassed immigration and customs
authorities here, as the result of an UMPIRE
cedented influx of stoWawa. S from Europe.
Since the war, the greater part OF Europe
seems bent upon coming to this country
whether possessed of the necessary passage
money or not and as might be expected, an
obliging organization has grown up to help
them do it, An international stoWaway ring
a sort of Stowaway, Lids now operating
in all of the chief ports Of Europe, collecting
big profits on it's promise to ship Immigrants
in hiding to America. The difficulties OF
landing at Ellis Island do not concern these
professional hiders. They merely put the
trusting one on board in charge of one of
their sailor accomplices, and collect their fee.
Some of the sailo4s of course, work alone,
but in such risky business it is much safer
to work with the ring.
Before the war the cost of steerage trans
portation across the Atlantic was from $50
| to $40 Today it ranges anywhere from $40
to $16O, prohibitive price to many would
be immigrants, anxious to escape the awful
poverty and after-war depression of Europe
Such disheartened peasants are easy prey for
the stowaway gang. "You can be hidden on
board ship and supplied with food and water