The New York herald., 1922-04-30
Rogues GreetMemmigrants
Gulibe Newcomers Easy Prey for Well Organized Band
Which, Not Only Tricks Them out of Their Onm Sayngs


swindlers who prey upon immi-
grants newly arrived in America has just
been made by Harry H. Schlacht, formerly
chairman of the United States Welfare
Commission at Ellis Island and now presi-
dent of the Downtown Chamber of Com
merce, New York. Mr.. Schlacht reveals
the existence Of we'll organized band OF
suaye, debonair rogues, who, with affilia'
tions reaching into almost every country
in Europe from which the more prosperous
immigrants come, has succeeded within the
last two years in filching many millions Of
dollars from ignorant newcomers to Amer
ica.
Mr. Schlacht's Information is built upon
his term as Welfare Commissioner at Ellis
Island, the landing place of all immigrants
who ceme to this harbor. He describes in
detail the most successful operation of the
swindlers, and discloses that they seem to
have unlimited financial backing and ex-
treme cleverness in remaining narrowly
within the law.
This, the most successful swindling plan,
is conducted under the guise of 'interna-
tional banking" The tricksters are sufi
ciently familiar with human psychology to
know that banker may, in the minds of
the usual immigrants include multitude
of sins. The peasant and the workman
traditionally stand in awe of the man who
moves in the glamour of banking assecia-
ton.
In New York there seems to be little
company of men who present themselves to
the incoming immigrants as international
bankers" These men know that as rule
the immigrant coming to America leaves
behind him family, or at least close rela-
tives, to whom he has promised that he will
find way to send for them. He has come
believing more or less that money may be
picked from bushes in the New World and
that it will not be long before the wife, the
mother and father, the sweetheart or the
uncles> and aunts may follow him. He
promises faithfully to send the money
within just little WHILE"
He is not so greatly astonished, there
fore, when Immediately after his arrival
and before he has learned that the bushes
that grow money for the passerby to pick
are planted only at the top of high hills
which are hard to reach he is approached
by a sleek, extensively dressed and pros.
porous looking business man." who greets
him with an astonishing familiarity with
his name and the place of his origin and
proposes a way that the family or the rela-
tives may be brought to America at once.
The business man." who introduces
himself as banker and who presents
neatly engraved calling card to prove his
status, has found little difficulty in learning
the name and former residence in Europe
of the newly arrived immigrant. The rec
ords at Ellis Island gave him this informa-
tion. Yet the immigrant himself is most
deeply impressed by this knowledge and
believes at once his callers explanation that
shis friends at home, who had learned of
the bankers business in America, had
written him asking him to call upon the
newcomer here"
With this introduction properly staged
and passed the banker" makes an attrac-
tive proposition.
my bank is sending to Italy," or Scandi-
navia, or Hungary, or France or whatever
country the immigrant has come from.
lone of the members Of our staff, who has
been commissioned to arrange for trans
portation to America OF the relatives of
number of your countrymen who have just
arrived, like you, in New York.
'If you wish to have us undertake
similar mission for you we would be very
glad to bring your father, or your mother
or your wife, or whomever you would like
to have brought over, without further de-
lay 1t will not cost near as much as you
anticipate IL you make your arrangements
at once, and we will be very glad to accept
what little money you may have about you
1t is established that during the first
weeks or months in America the immigrant
who has come, quite often alone, is lonely
for the associates he left behind. The
dream of being able quickly to bring over
parents, or relatives, or perhaps the wife
who has promised to wait patiently until
he could afford 1t, remains very vivid with
him. He yearns for the encouragement
and the accustomed society which the pres
ence of those who we're close to him at
home would mean in this strange country
1t is the psychological time for the broach
ing Of any proposition which would seem
to hurry the arrival of those whose pres
ence here he most desires.
The average immigrants as unsuspect
ing as child. He has as a rule been
brought up in an atmosphere OF haggling
barter and trade. He has learned to fight
and bargain for every necessity. Funda-