The Washington times., 1923-06-29
'RA|LROAD|NG' IN
FLOODS Of !.
ALIENS
Snugglers Charging Some
S. 900 Great Organization
Unearthed by Officials.

road system, it was disclosed here
today, has been built up in. the
United States since the world war
1t operates from many terminal.
scattered along the Atlantic and
Pacific coasts and the Canadian
and Mexican borders. Its traffic
IL confined exclusively to the trans
portation of aliens snuggled into
the United States in violation. OF
immigration laws. Island Heights
N. r.; Wilmington, Dell. Norfolk
Va; and Charleston, S. c., are de
clared to be among the principal
terminals Of the Atlantic coast
while 1t is said that the shores OF
Delaware Bay and Chesapeake; Bay
are honeyeombed with ports OF
streams Of contraband tourists seep
into the country. Many, arriving
through bay ports pass through
the National Capital.
immigration agents, familiar with
conditions, are continually striking
at the terminal points in efforts to
unearth the identity Of resident
agents. Their detection, however;
is extremely difficult. f.Hfa 4
To convict them it is necessary
to apprehend them while actually
In charge OF the smuggled-in aliens.
Testimony Of the latter, when sab
sequently caught, involving the
parties aiding them in entering
the, country is rarely of Char
acter warranting arrests, much less
certainty of conviction. 4
Fixed Schedule of Rates. .3
What is declared to b a fixed
schedule OF fares has been adopted
by the underground railroad inter
ests. First, a charge of $3.50 per
capita is made for accepting the
struggled alien To this is added q
daily maintenance charge of $50.
This goes to defray the cost Of his
food and lodging. A commission OF
100 per cent is charged on railroad
fares to destination.
Finally a service charge" usu-
ally determined by the ''rat's.'-
smuggled aliens are so designated
in underground railroad circles
ability to pay is made. Service"
means that the struggled alien will
be passed on, from hand to hand.
safeguarded against capture, until
the final destination is reached. All
charges must be paid in advance.
In addition to the underground
railroad tariff the rat must have
previously paid for passage to the
American coast. This varies in ac-
cordance with the distance he comes.
Chinese seeking illegal entrance
to the United States must finance
themselves for sums ranging from
$4,000 to $4,000. They are the heavt-
est taxed of all aliens.
AcCOr6inn fn -irnunfrva tior rffiriolc
! q case is known where a Chinese
, spent more than $1,000 in futile
effort to gain admission to the
United States. When captured after
passing through Washington en-
route to Pittsburgh, Pa, and re-
turned to Havana, Cuba, he con-
fided to Government agents that his
experience had cost him that amount.
He cheerfully added he intended to
keep on spending his money in the
same way until he succeeded in max.
Ing his home in the United States.
Methods Of Organization.
In the organization of the under
ground railroad various methods OF
transportation are employed. Re
Gently 1t was learned that storage
company, with headquarters in
pennsylvania, operated two of It's
moving vans in transporting aliens
from the Chesapeake bay to Penn.
syivania points. They were fitted
up with hunks, portable lavatories
and ice boxes, The equipment could
be installed and removed with little
work.
The company operating them was
spotted" by Government agents
tracing struggled aliens captured In
Erie, Pa, when about to leave for
Cincinnati. Ohio.
So effectively do the underground
railroad interests watch over their
own welfare, however, that infor-
nation of the discovery was flashed
70 the storage conpany's headquar-
ters in time to prevent the Govern
menu agents capturing the vans
with their equipment in place,
Smuggling aliens into the coun.
try is going on all the time" d.
clared an immigration agent. today
who is engaged exclusively in run.
ming down the illegal entrants.
Along the Atlantic coast thew
come in mostly from West Indies
ports. 1t is a short run for a
small schooner which can, on reach.
Ing the coast, enter almost any of
the bays and make the smaller
landings.
Scattered around the shores of
delaware and Chesapeake Bays
are more than a hundred points
where 1t Is perfectly feasible to
land from one to a dozen rats
VINO can be picked up by the trans.
portatlon agents and motored back
INTO the country before they can
be spotted.
Our chance is in picking them
up at transfer points, or later
when engaged in industries. So FAR
as capturing the underground
agents goes, that Is rarely accom-,
pnshed because the latter are care.
iui to take no chances. Thew
know the rats will do exactly ks
told and that time is of little vaIue
In handling them.
Some OF the rates charged the
rats by the underground railroad
representatives would cause the
most avaricious board of railroad
directors to die of heart failure.
Charged $40 Per Mile.
Il have known of numerous In
stances where 1t ran as high a.
SO mile besides incidentale
This is particularly true where aIien
women are being struggled in
Italians come in cheapest of all
Next come the English. while ar
1rishman can get by for a pitance
Russians are about the average
They can usually travel protected
FOR about $3.50 a mile anywherf
east OF Chicago. A Chinese girl II