The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-05-04
Frederic Haslkin's Letter
Romance Of the Stos0a.0ay.
60 c


phine Mandre stood on the deck OF
the French freighter Belgravia,
casing miserably It the impressive
shore line Of New York. She was
- slim little girl. Enthusiastically
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 scratch
ed and shapeless.
For 10 days she had been on the
Belgravia, a stowaway and the only
woman among q crew Of Mediter-
ranean sailors. 1t had been . grim
nerve-racking experience for . a.
year old girl, but she had been
strengthened by the thought that
eventually it must end-end in
America, the world-famous land OF
opportunity. And now there was
America before her eyes. and she
was told that she could not land.
Very well" she told the customs
Official who reluctantly broke the
news to her, but I shall not go
back, monsieur. From now on l
do not eat. In little time, before
the ship sails, ! will be dead. That
will be better than going back"
AS the customs official reviewed
the girls story, he was half-inclin-
ed to agree with her. What would
she do il she did 60 back: Three
years ago, her father, a poilu, had
been killed at the front. Then her
mother had died. With no relatives
or friends to help her. the girl had
made her way to Malaga, Spain,
where, she learned, it was easy. to
obtain passage to America. She
had paid a sailor on the Belgravia
$40 francs to stow her away, which
he did in the 'tweendecks. provid-
ing her with food and water. After
the ship was we'll under way the
sailor attempted to assault her.
Her screams attracted other men,
bers OF the crew. and she was
brought before the captain. who
put her in a stateroom and there
after kept a protecting eye upon
her.
The captain intended to turn her
over to the immigration authorities
at Ellis island, but discovered that
month before a new ruling had
been passed stating that all stow
Always must be retained on board
the vessels bringing them. This
meant that the girl would have TO
return to Malaga on the Belgravia,
via South America. voyage of
| many months, still the only woman
on board.
Rescue of Josephine.
Fortunately, however, she was
not compelled to do this. Nor was
she compelled to die. The customs
authorities. becoming interested in
her story, appealed to the French
high commission, which came to
her rescue, and thus the incident
ended happily.
The case Of Josephine Mandre is
only one Of the many dramatic in
stances which have recently har-
raised immigration and customs
authorities here, as the result of
an unprecedented influx OF stow
Always 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 organiza-
ton has grown up to help them do
1t. An International stowaway ring
"a sort OF Stowaway Lmited-is
now operating in all OF the chief
ports Of Europe, collecting big
profits on its promise to ship i'm
migrants In hiding to America.
The difficulties OF landing at Ellis
island do not concern these pro
fessional hiders. They merely out
the trusting one on board in charge
OF one Of their sailor accomplices
and collect their fee. Some OF the
sailors, OF course, work alone, but
in such a risky business it is much
safer to work with the ring.
Before the war the cost of steer
age transportation across the At
lantic was from s25 to $40. Today
1t ranges anywhere from $12O to
S160. a prohihitive price to many
would-be immigrants, anxious to
escape the awful poverty and aft
er-war depression in Europe. Such
dlsheartened peasants are easy prey
for the stowaway gang. "You can
be hidden on board ship and sup
piled with food and water and it
will cost fou only $780," they are
told. And OF course they grasp at
the opportunity.
Hence, during the past year
stowaways have been coming in
droves. sometimes as many as a
dozen carried in the hold of one
ship. They represent all types and
conditions of mankind from des-
perate criminals to impecunious
but respectable professional men.
but they are mostly unskilled work
!