No. 682.
Mr. Fish
to Mr. Blaine.
Legation of
the United States,
Berne, March 26, 1881.
(Received April 11.)
No. 376.]
Sir: I have the honor, referring to my No. 375 and
previous dispatches therein mentioned, respecting the emigration of
Fridolina Vögelin and Theresa Hauser, to inclose herewith an affidavit
respecting a conversation which I had with Wirth-Herzog of Aaran, through
whose agency those women were shipped to New York on the Suevia. He fully
admitted that the commune of Böttstein paid for their passage and that the
two women were of the very lowest order of prostitutes.
Consul Mason telegraphs me that he mailed my No. 375 at ten this
[Page 1126]
morning, and that he has
affidavits from the police and of an official character which will be
forwarded to you through this office.
I send a similar affidavit to the one inclosed to the collector at New
York.
I have, &c.,
[Inclosure in No. 376.]
Affidavit of Nicholas Fish.
Legation of the United States,
Berne, March 26,
1881.
To-day, at a few minutes before 11 o’clock, Mr. Wirth-Herzog, of Aaran,
an emigrant agent, licensed as such in the canton of Argovie, called at
this office and asked to see Mr. Hofacker. He was told that he was not
here, but that Mr. Fish would like to speak with him. Mr. Wirth-Herzog
said that he came to see Mr. Hofacker about the alleged sending of an
insane girl by the name of Vögelin, who had been forwarded through his
agency to New York from Basle on the account of the commune of
Böttstein, canton of Argovie; that the said Vögelin was of sound mind
and that the statement as to her insanity was untrue.
I then asked him if Vögelin was not a notorious prostitute of the lowest
sort. He said with a smile, she was “liederlich” (a loose character). I
then asked him if the woman Vögelin was not accompanied by another woman
of the same character, from the same place, and he said, “Yes.” I then
said, “Are they not both prostitutes of the lowest class? He admitted
that they were, but said that he was not aware of it when his sub-agent,
Frei, made the arrangements for their shipment. He fully admitted that
the commune council of Böttstein, canton of Argovie, paid the passage of
the two women to New York. I advised him not to send any more such
persons to America, and in general not to accept emigrants whose passage
is paid by the communes unless they produce a certificate of good moral
character and are not destitute of means.
Mr. J. E. Hinnen, consular agent at Berne, whose mother-tongue is German,
was present during our conversation, and my own knowledge of German, in
which the above-described conversation took place, is sufficient to
enable me to swear that I understood all that was said by Mr.
Wirth-Herzog.
I solemnly swear that the foregoing is a correct statement of my
conversation with said Wirth-Herzog.
Consular Agency of the United States,
Berne, Switzerland, March 26, 1881.
I, John E. Hinnen, consular agent of the United States of America at
Berne, hereby certify that Nicholas Fish, to me personally known,
personally appeared before me, and by me being duly sworn, signed the
foregoing affidavit, and stated under oath that the same was a true and
correct statement of the facts therein mentioned.
I further certify that I was present at the conversation described in the
aforesaid affidavit, and that the statements therein contained are
correct and true.
In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my
hand and affixed the seal of this office at
Berne, this 26th day of March,
1881.
[
consular seal.]
JOHN E.
HINNEN.
