The New York herald., 1922-04-04
immigration Inspectors
Accused of Issuing False
Landing Cards.
U. $. is DEFRAUDED
Names Cut From Steamship
Checking List When
Newcomers Paid.

Five indictments were returned yes
terday by the United States Grand
Jury charging conspiracy and graft
ing by ring of inspectors in the I'm
migration Office. BY altering records
in payment for bribes it is charged
that these officials unlawfully admitted
aliens.
Those named In the indictments are
William Alexander. William Leonard,
John Donovan and Jeremiah Fitzger-
aid. present or former immigration in
spectors. Tobias Levy. a barber, also
was indicted. The inspectors have
been suspended on charges or have re-
signed.
Robert f. Tod Commissioner of Immi-
grafton. is given credit for revealing the
system. The inquiry is only we'll started.
but it is believed Mr.. Tod has broken up
the ring" long suspected but too cleverly
concealed to be detected. Samson Selig.
assistant United States Attorney, who
presented evidence to the jury, outlined
the case this way:
"Mr. Tod dug up two cases which
looked irregular and began to check
back and has run down few grafters
operating with steamship people outside
the bureau in a we'll organized form Of
ehakedown. The purpose was to get
money from persons bringing relatives to
this country.
Island "Horrors" Pictured.
This Is a typical case: A man here
wishing to bring over a relative went to
steamship ticket office. The ticket
agent stated that when the immigrant
arrived he or she would have to go to
Ellis Island. where conditions were al.
ways depicted as terrible Next. the
agent volunteered that IL the man spent
$50 to 800 the relative might be allowed
to land without going to Ellis Island
Then a landing agent employed by the
company or an inspector was named.
THE inspector would strike the name
off the list OF aliens prepared on the
other side by the ship company and the
name would go on the list known as the
citizen manifest. or the name would be
The inspector would give the passenger a
stamped landing card and the landing Of
fetal would accept 1t.
Nearly every one who had anything
to do with bringing in the aliens ap-
reared to have some hand in the 'sys-
tenn at one time or another. including
agents for rescue and missionary SO
cieties-the little, small salaried en-
ployees. Agents OF three OF those So
cieties have been involved.
There are nearly twenty cases OF this
sort OF bribery proved. A man with a
contagious disease of the eyes was re-
jected by health authorities. Two in
spectors conspired to get him Off. The
immigrant and his family were sent to
Ellis Island where an inspector changed
the marks on the card to indicate the
wife OF the immigrant was rejected, al
though nothing was wrong with the
woman. The family was admitted and
the immigrant paid the inspectors about
$50. as ! recall.
"A girl with an illegitimate child
came TO New York to marry the father
OF the child. The young man paid an
inspector sa5 and the girl and child
were permitted 10 land. An elderly man
came over with his wife and a niece,
adopted ms a daughter. They were held
up py an Inspector. but paid $3.50 an1
were allowed 10 land without going to
Ellis Island An Englishwoman COM
ing here on a charity mission arrived
nrst class but was held in a cabin
several hours on a pretext her passport
| was not correct. She paid $50 for a
card 10 land.
steamship Lines Liable.
zone man came first class bringing
fourteen relatives third class and with a
payment of $3.50 10 an Inspector all were
permitted 10 land without undergoing
examination and left Immediately for
the West The price usually was fixed
by the capacity ~ the alien TO pay.
when one of tho big liners came in with
thousand aliens II is estimated the
graf, amounted 10 $500"
Another phase Of the investigation
will be 10 determine 20 what extent tho
Government had been defrauded. Stea n
ship companies are compelled TO paw
SIS ts the Government for each alien
landed. and II u can be proved land
ing agent or other employee Of a conf
pany was involved In any way in any
OF the frauds the Federal Government
may collect considerable sum In
penalties and nnes. None Of the re.
sponsgble steamship companies or their
officials arr suspected Of knowledge oi
these frauds. but their responsibility Is
not lossened II employees are involved.