San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1924-03-12
Cruelties Practiced in Trade
b. Stir American Au-
thorities.
APPEAL TO EUROPE
Emigrants Promised Every.
L thing and Get Barely
Enough to Eat.
BY ROBERT t. SMALL.

-
Il New York, March 12.-Cruelties
e practiced in the "bootlegging" of i'm
migrants into the United States have
|e stirred the immigration authorities
: here into new appeal to Washing
X ton to make thorough investigation
X on the subject.
s. The plight of a young Italian girl,
= Maria Matalizio, who is about to be
+ deported because she arrived here
N after the italian quota had been closed
Z until next July 1, has pointed the ne
81 cessity of the new inquiry which may
r be extended to L ropean countries
r where the bootlegging plots are
r formed.
+ 1t is not alone the violation of the
y United States laws which has aroused
: the ire of the officials, but the hard
+ ships Of the innocent victims of the
q plots.
" Virtually all of the immigrants from
Europe who find their way into the
Is United States over the Mexican and
: Canadian borders pay for what they
believe will be direct passage into New
:. York City. After their money has
b been taken by the schemers they are
IS herded together i'll all manner of I'M
Z fit vessels and dumped mostly in Cuba
sor Mexico and left in majority of
cases to find their own way as best
they can TO the hoped for promised
land.
: Both in Mexico and in Cuba they
are frequently arrested for violation
of the immigration laws in those coun-
5 fries n for the petty thefts they are
= compelled TO commit to exc out
miserable existence.
Maria's story has barred an immense
immigration swindle. 1t has been
stknown for long time that bootleg
. ging" was in effect, but the villainy
rof the system has been lost to sight
Yin the consideration of the technical
e.viOlations of the federal laws commit
9ted by each and every one of the igne-
way into American territory after be-
eing dumped on an unfriendly coast.
2 Now an attempt will be made by an
appeal to foreign countries to stop
stthes fraud on the other side of the
swater. Orientals long have been snug
sgled into the country at so much per
shead. In their cases the Americans
shave wasted no sympathy for the i'm
~mlgrants were party, 10, the fraud.
with the European immigrants there
is a difference.
. More than six months ago Maria's
rbrother, GiacomO. who lives in De-
sstroit, sent for her to come from their
sold home in Italy. He sent her plen-
ty of money to pay for good accom-
Z modations in the steerage and on the
strains. He also sent for her in plen
fy of time to come within the Italian
srestriction quota. ...
/. Maria was happy when she received
the invitation to 60 out TO America
r'and the money for her passage. Her
< joy was such that she told all the
rvilIage. Immediately there were vol
unteers TO tell her what to do. Her
brother had given her instructions,
but the new friends insisted he was
out of date. They would look after
her. She fell into the hands of the
schemers and gave them her money.
Maria was sent TO st. Nazaire,
France. That was where the first
American soldiers landed.
In st. Nazaire the girl met several
score of her fellow countrymen, all
Haiting for passage to America on
the "big liner" which had been prom
ised them. They were kept waiting
there until after Christmas. BY that
time the Italian quota in America had
dwindled to the vanishing point.
The emigrants were housed in
squalid quarters and fed barely enough
to keep them alive. At last after
many prostestations from them they
were bundled together and placed on
board an old freighter, tramp steam
ship, and, instead of setting out for
New York. as they supposed, they
landed in Vera Cruz. The girl told
pitifully of how all the miserable hun
bred gathered on deck at sight Of land
and looked in vain for the Statue of
Liberty which all had been told was
10 be the beacon of their new life.
Shooed ashore in Vera Cruz and
left to their own resources, some of
the Immigrants were deported by the
Mexican authorities. Others escaped,
among them Maria. and got as far as
Monterey, where they were arrested.
From Monterey Maria got word to her