The Cheyenne Daily Leader

The Emigration Investigation.

New York, July 28.—When the four congressmen who are investigating the emigration affairs of the country assembled to-day, Paul Wolff, the Washington correspondent of the New York Staats Zeitung, took the witness stand and stated that some three years ago he was informed that there were several societies in Germany and especially in Bavaria formed for the purpose of sending discharged criminals to this country. Witness laid his information before Assistant Secretary of State Porter, and that gentleman wrote to the American consul at Munich on the subject who replied in December, 1885, that there were no such societies. Witness then read extracts from reports of one of these societies showing that in 1883, twenty-seven discharged convicts were sent to this country by the societies. The report said that the worse the men are and the larger families they have the better they are to send to America. Witness said the societies are not government affairs, but the Royal Counsellor Boner is president and Prince Regent Luitpold is honorary president of one society. In 1886 their report was more cautiously worded, but it shows that out of 15,000 marks expended nearly half was used to assist emigrants to come to this country.

At this point Mayor Hewitt interrupted the proceedings to shake hands with the members of the committee and urge upon them an invitation to spend Sunday with him at his country seat. When he left the examination proceeded.

Witness had no statistics for the year 1887, but said that he knew of cases occurring this year. About two months ago, he said, two men came over on the Saale, but were sent back from Castle Garden. The American consul at Munich learned of their being sent and cabled over to the Castle Garden authorities. Witness believes that they were sent back to Hamburg and from there to England, from whence they came over to this country again under assumed names. He said that these societies give to each of these assisted emigrants tickets to whatever place in this country they select and gives each 100 marks over and above that.