The New York herald., 1922-04-30
But Gathers In the Little
Relatives Back Home

mentally he is shrewd and quite often
clever. But in the atmosphere Of the new
country, surrounded by what to him is an
imposing grandeur of great buildings, pros
porous people who rush to and fro, appar-
emily always bent upon important business,
and with the signs of lavishness and luxury
on every hand, his suspicious of his fellow
man are as a rule in abeyance for quite
some time. Even as he has accepted as a
fact the almost unbelievable splendor of
the great New World, so he is ready to
accept as true whatever is told him by any
of the New Worlds representatives. And to
him who could be more substantial repre-
sentative of the opulence around him then
a .great international banker?
The majority of immigrants come to
America with quite little hoard >of say.
ings. They amount of course as rule to
only few dollars measured in comparison
with the average New World wealth. But
they are at any rate dollars, and quite
often the immigrant has brought with him
two or three hundred of them. But even
though he has but $50 left by the time the
spurious banker reaches him, or even if
he has made no new friends who will lend
him more than this, the banker" is quite
satisfied.
He proposes that whatever amount it is
the immigrant can produce be given to
him. He promises that the Representative
of his bank" will faithfully deliver the
message to the relatives back home which
the immigrant may give him to carry, and
that he will see that whatever more money
is necessary is advanced, and that the
relatives-father, mother, sweetheart, or
uncle or aunt-are duly brought back on
the very next steamer.
Thus he procures from the unsuspecting
newly arrived immigrant a written or a
verbal message to the folk at home And
of course becomes fully informed of the
names, addresses and general station of
these, who are waiting on the other side to
be sent for by the one who came first
Not long after representative" of the
banker" actually does sail for Europe. He
carries with him not only the messages
and the names and addresses furnished by
the one immigrant mentioned above but
has been similarly equipped by scores and
scores of others His sailing is a step
toward the climax of campaign extended
over several weeks of preparation in this
country, during which time hundreds of
newly arrived immigrants have been ap-
preached by the members Of the swindling
band.
On the other side this representative of
the rogues here one by one hunts out the
relatives to whom he has been given letters
and messages. Assuming that it is a
mother and father, living perhaps out in
the garden lands beyond Naples, whom the
immigrant mentioned above wishes to have
with him in America, the procedure of the
representative who is visiting Italy would
be.
Approaching the couple, whom he prob
ably will find in a cottage set in the midst
of prosperous vegetable garden, he brings
untold joy to them, when, hat and gloves in
hand, he bows ceremoniously and an
nounces that he has come-come especially
to see them-as the agent of their Antonio,
who has been so fortunate in America
Ouc may easily picture the awe anu nap
piness with which Antonios parents re-
ceive this distinguished looking visitor
from the much tabled America. He stands
before them a spectacular symbol OF the
great company of rich and powerful friends
whom their Antonio must already have
gathered about him in the new land. They
are almost pathetically joyous to learn that
Antonio has longed for them more than
even they expected. The mothers eyes,
perhaps, will grow quite dim when the
stranger tells her how anxiously her An.
tonic is waiting to greet her in America
with his arms held open READY to enfold
her
And no doubt the dampness will become
actual tears when the visitor says. "And
so have come to take you back with me
to where your Antonio Is waiting" He
explains that 1t was just for them he has
come to Italy, although, OF course. while he
Is there there are few others whom he Is
taking back with him to their sons and
husbands who went before. They will be
company on the ship, he adds
"Of course, there is a slight arrangement
that will be necessary. Antonio has not
yet been able to save a great amount OF
money, and what he has earned hA has