USA > Maryland > History of the German Society of Maryland > Part 10
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When we told the poor oyster dredgers that they were free and we would take care of them, the scene was inde- scribable. They were overjoyed, tears ran down their cheeks, they embraced and kissed each other, and when we asked them how they felt, they cried "happy ! happy !"
We marched in procession to the courthouse in Leonard- town, the three colored men handcuffed at the head, it cre- ated great excitement, the better class of the inhabitants sympathized with the poor dredgers and I heard many words of praise for our society."
Col. Tieck further reported that he caused three minor boys to be set free. In a later letter he writes: Since I wrote to you this morning, we came up with the "Viola" and rescued five men, one Irishman and four Germans, who will appear as witnesses against the captain, who together with his mate, left the ice-bound boat, when the crew had neither victuals nor water on board. The crew would have perished or starved to death if we had not arrived in time, as it was impossible for them to reach the shore, it being a mile distant and the water covered with ice. There are about 150 vessels frozen in. The suffering among the poor oyster dredgers must be terrible. I still have much evi- dence of other cases in my hands, the difficulty is that we cannot do anything in Crisfield against the cruel cap- tains but have to apply to the U. S. Court in Baltimore.
(Signed)
HEINRICH C. TIECK."
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The dredgers were taken by the president before United States Commissioner Bond, warrants issued and the cap- tains and mates arrested. Colonel Tieck returned on the fourth of January, 1893, and on the fifth there was a hearing before the Commissioner in the case against Cap- tain Evans, of the Schooner "Mary E! Dennis." The German Society was represented by L. P. Hennighausen, Col. Wm. F. Brune and Col. Heinrich C. Tieck, attor- neys; the United States Government by John T. Ensor, United States Attorney, and the prisoners by the Hon.
Thomas G. Hayes. The testimony showed cruel and brutal treatment, especially of the young man Kleber, who jumped overboard; that they received insufficient or spoiled food, several of them showed bruises where they
had been hit by the captain and his colored mates. Ignaz Grandaz was struck by the captain with a hammer on his nose, and at another time the captain and mate poured a bucket full of cold water over his head, for no cause that he knew of. They were kept as captives, not allowed to go on shore, etc. The captain was committed for court, tried, found guilty of cruel treatment, fined and im- prisoned.
It is remarkable that on the 2nd of January, 1893, the "Canton Oyster Exchange" passed resolutions of protest against Governor Brown for permitting the State Oyster Police Steamboat "Governor McLane" to be used on this errand of mercy and justice in liberating the poor oyster dredgers out of slavery.
The German Society, however, pursued its even way as the friend of the poor and oppressed. Every one of the many cruel captains and mates it had in those years arrested, was convicted, and those of them who wronged
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their crews out of their hard earned wages by outrageous overcharge for matches, tobacco, boots, oilskin clothes, socks, etc., were compelled by libels against their vessels, to reduce the charges to reasonable market prices and pay the heavy costs of the libel. There were in January, 1893, a number of complaints of brutal treatment and horrible suffering. Karl Springer on January Ist com- plained of the oyster boat "Marsella" No. 35. There were six men in the crew; it was very cold, heavy ice formed on the water, and the captain and mate rowed ashore and left them five days without a drop of water or wood to make a fire, when the ice had frozen to the thick- ness to bear a man, they escaped over the ice, on reaching shore they were pursued and fled for their lives. This happened in Virginia water out of the jurisdiction of Maryland.
On the 6th of January, Fritz Bauer of the boat "Jose- phine Smith" escaped. He related an even more horrible experience.
Henry French, 24 years old, from New Orleans, a son of A. B. French, of A. B. French & Co., exporters of heavy lumber, was shanghied and escaped after fifteen days on board by swimming ashore on Sunday night. Five Germans escaped from the schooner "Sumner," Capt. Charles Light, of Accomac county, Virginia, re- ported atrocious cruel treatment. They had suffered, and stated that a German on the schooner "Boggs" at anchor near the "Sumner" was by the captain or mate of the vessel kicked to death and his body buried on the shore.
The reports of cruelties and murders were so frequent in 1893 that the other charity societies of the city, the
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Charity Organization, St. Andrew's Society, Hibernian, St. George's Society and French Society united with the German Society to form a bureau for the protection of the oyster dredgers, and opened headquarters at 210 South Charles street. L. P. Hennighausen of the Ger- man Society, was elected president; Alexander H. Rob- ertson of the St. Andrew's Society, secretary; Major O. H. Horton of St. George's Society, treasurer; Patrick Reilly of the Hibernian Society, William H. Perkins of French Benevolent Society, and John Glenn of the Charity Organization Society, committee. Col. Heinrich C. Tieck was retained as counsel for the bureau. Large placards were ordered to be printed to be hung in the shipping offices, and smaller ones distributed among dredgers, calling attention to the purpose of the bureau, and advising the filing of all just complaints for any kind of unlawful treatment with it. This had a good effect, and less cases for non-payment of wages or cruel treat- ment were noted and tried in courts.
The oyster captains, packers and industry in sympathy with them, fretted under the restrictions of the register laws of 1888, which impaired and hindered them in their greed for large profits at the expense of the poor dred- gers and having more political influence in the counties, than the charity organizations of the city, were active for the repeal of those laws. At the meeting of the society of April 29, 1895, F. W. Brune, Esq., the counsellor re- ported that by an act proposed by the legislature of Mary- land at the last session on the 29th of April, 1894, Chap- ter 379, the laws for the protection of oyster dredgers in the Chesapeake Bay had been so amended as to defeat to some extent the object in the protection of oyster
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dredgers, and that by the enacting clause of the next Chapter No. 380 the entire law so far as it related to the protection of oyster dredgers had been repealed. This was a great surprise and a severe blow to the efforts of the society. Not a line had been published in the daily papers of the effect of these chapters, and its officers were in complete ignorance of the repeal during the session of the legislature. Dispairing of a remedy of the evil from the hands of the State, the charity organizations now ap- pealed to the Congress of the United States to have the strong arm of the Federal Government invoked for the protection of the oyster dredgers about the same as it ex- tended to sailors, especially in securing their wages. A bill No. 383 to prohibit shanghaing and peonage in the United States, etc., under severe penalties, was intro- duced in the House of Representatives by Mr. Moerel, of Pennsylvania, and referred to a committee who gave a public hearing on February 2nd, 1906. There appeared before the committee in favor of the passage of the bill, representatives of the four Baltimore charity societies, the American Seaman's Friend Society of New York, the Local Seaman's Society of New York, the Virginia Mariner's Friend of Newport News, Virginia, the Legal Aid Society of New York, the Protestant-Episcopal Sea- man's Society, the Seaman's Christian Association and the Legal Aid Society of Philadelphia. John C. Rose, United States District Attorney of Baltimore, took deep interest in the passage of the bill, also appeared and gave a graphic description of his seven years' experience in the trials of oyster captains, etc., and assisted in amending the bill to make it more effective in the protection of oys- ter dredgers. Statements of the grievances were made
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by the representatives of the several societies, the per- sistent valiant fight of the German Society of Maryland in behalf of the oyster dredgers was often alluded to. A number of letters, from prominent citizens, among them Bishop O. A. Whitaker of the Diocese of Pennsylvania, Co-adjutor Bishop Alex. Mackay Smith, R. S. J. Ran- dolph, E. W. and Mrs. R. R. Bradford, Philip E. How- ard, John B. McPherson, Charles C. Binney and others were read. It was shown by these letters and by the rep- resentatives of the New York, Philadelphia and Balt :- more societies that the practice of shanghaing was very prevalent in these cities, in the manner in which men were lured to Maryland by promise of well-paid work, and then, usually stupefied by the influence of liquor or drugs, or by deception or by brute violence, were put on board of oyster boats and kept there as practical slaves for weeks and months without proper food or accommoda- tions and without any certainty as to their pay or time of discharge. United States District Attorney John C. Rose stated :
"The one curious result of all the cases that come before us is that I have never met any of them who had ever been paid for a day, no matter how long he had worked." The bill prescribed a punishment for any person, being of the crew or ships company of any vessel engaged in the oyster trade, etc., shall ship any person while in a state of intoxication, or while laboring under any false impression, and shall thereupon forcibly confine or detail such person on board of such vessel with intent to make such person a slave or compel him to perform involuntary service of any kind, and every person who shall in any ivay aid or abet such action, shall be guilty of felony and
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shall be punished by imprisonment not exceeding ten years, etc.
Mr. Moerel accepted the suggestions of the District Attorney, John C. Rose, and re-drafted the bill, which was adopted by Congress and is now law. Mr. Rose at the next session of Congress had further acts passed for the better protection of oyster dredgers, and as far as laws can do it the oyster dredger now enjoys full protec- tion. A large share of the credit for this noble achieve- ment is no doubt due to the German Society of Maryland, who took the initiative, and with energy and persistency continued at large expense for many years the humane effort to obtain good effective laws for the protection of the oyster dredgers. We now return to the ordinary routine work of the society. The temporary evils of the redemptioner system and oyster dredger slavery had been met and disposed of, but as it is said, "the poor shall always be with you," and among them the poor widow with infant children admits of no doubt in the application for charity. The money the society had spent in the good work of protecting honest, hard-working men aroused the higher nobler sentiments of helping those in want of the necessities of life and to intrust the German Society with larger sums of money for practical dispensation among the poor of our city. In the years 1893-1894 one of those periodical crisis or panics in the industrial life of our country set in. Factories closed or worked with diminished half force, house-building was at a stand- still, banks closed, many thousands of mechanics and workmen were out of employment and unusual heavy de- mands of those who were in need without any fault of their own were made upon the society. It was then that
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our vice-president, George W. Gail, generously raised his annual dues to $300 a year, payable in monthly instal- ments of $25 a month, to be distributed to five families to be selected by the executive committee ; the workmen of Gail & Ax factory contributed $200; Anne Catherine Denhardt gave a legacy of $1,093.18; Mrs. Nannie Ax, $99; Unkel Brasig Verein, $25; A. C. Meyer, $20; Ladies' Bazaar, $614.54; Mrs. Nannie Ax, $132; Fred- erick Schepeler, $1,000, and some members raised their annual dues to $10, $20 and $25. The society in the crisis of 1893-94 distributed directly among the poor $12,911.25 in cash. The largest distribution by it ever made, it was among 85 widows with 314 children, 3-+ widows without children, 78 families with 298 children, 31 couples without children and 28 men, and mostly given in monthly payments. The employment office pro- cured positions for 342 farm hands, 20 mechanics and 3I servant girls.
At the meeting of October 8, 1894, Mr. Charles Weber, Jr., the treasurer, reported that the old record book of the society, covering the period beginning with the re- organization of the society, February 3, 1817, at the meeting held in Kaminsky's tavern and ending with the quarterly meeting of the society, held in one of the rooms of the Germania Club October 22, 1860, had been placed in care of the secretary of the society with instruction for safety against loss by fire, etc., to keep it in one of the vaults of the Hopkins Place Savings Bank. Ten years thereafter the great fire which consumed even the metal in the bank destroyed the book. On January 30, 1893, Frederick Schad resigned as agent and Mr. John D. Meyer was unanimously elected in his place at a salary
GEORGE W. GAIL
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of $60 a month, which later was increased to $1,000 a year. During a sickness of the attorney, Colonel Tieck, Alexander H. Robertson, Esq., acting for Colonel Tieck, in the name of the society succeeded in recovering for three German cattle shippers $70 for their return fare from Liverpool to Baltimore.
In the spring of 1894 a number of German-American ladies formed a temporary organization and held a fair or bazaar in the first week of May at the Germania Maen- nerchor Hall, which netted the sum of $1,114.51. Six hundred and fourteen dollars and fifty-one cents whereof were paid as a donation to the society by Mr. Rother. who acted as treasurer of the bazaar. The balance of $500 was paid to "the Maryland General Hospital" in consideration of which the managers of the hospital agreed to establish and maintain in perpetuity one free bed, to be known as "the German Society Free Bed," for the accommodation of such persons as shall be recom- mended from time to time by "the president of the Ger- man Society of Maryland," or his legal representatives, for medical or surgical treatment. This free bed with medical treatment has been and still is a great blessing to many poor women and men, who could not gain admit- tance to other hospitals of the city and in need of surgical or medical treatment. The kind and remarkable success- ful treatment they received at the hospital induced the society in the year 1902 to add another $500 donation to the hospital. The ladies who founded the free bed never did a more far-reaching act of beneficent charity. The applicant for this charity is first examined by the agent of the society as to his means, then by the physician of the society whether he needs hospital treatment, and then
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recommended by the president of the society to admission in the hospital. Experience has shown that even hospi- tals are sometimes imposed upon by frauds well able to pay for their treatment.
An invitation from the German Society of Pennsyl- vania to attend the banquet to be held in Philadelphia, December 26, 1894, to celebrate the one hundred and thirtieth anniversary of its existence was received and accepted. Messrs. L. P. Hennighausen, Jacob Klein and Robert M. Rother were elected a delegation to represent the Maryland Society on the occasion.
The suffering and hardship of the foreign oyster dredger continued to engage the attention and time of the officers, especially of F. W. Brune, H. C. Tieck and Oscar Wolff, the attorneys of the society, the secretary being instructed to keep the society in communication with the other societies in this matter.
A proposition in 1897 from the German Branch of the Young Men's Christian Association of Baltimore for the German Society to acquire the hall and building at No. IO15 and 1017 East Baltimore street for the sum of $14,000 for a joint home was referred to a committee for a full investigation and consideration. The committee reported unfavorable and the report was adopted. The society in those years had been often invited to join in social, benevolent, political and other affairs and always declined, believing in the singleness of purpose as ex- pressed in its charter the only safe conduct.
In February, 1899, the society elected the Hon. Karl Schurz an honorary member and sent him a letter of con- gratulation upon the anniversary of his seventieth birth- day.
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In 1895 the society received large donations from philanthropists who were not inhabitants of the United States. Mr. Friedrich Schepeler, a resident of Münden, Hanover, Germany, had been a resident of Baltimore and a member of the German Society from 1846 to 1869. when he returned to Germany. In the month of August, [894, a number of "the Baltimore Wecker," a weekly German newspaper, containing an interesting historical sketch of the German Society of Maryland and of its recent activity, came to his hands and he called to his memory the meritorious humane work of the society. He, therefore, with his wishes for the continuance of the good work of the society, sent a donation of $1,000.
Mr. August Marquardt, a German merchant of Bremen, sojourning in the month of October, 1895, in our city. on being informed by H. G. Hilken of the good work of cur society, sent a donation of $250. Both donations came through the house of "A. Schumacher & Company," the old steadfast friend of the society.
In the meeting of April 12, 1897, the president reported that not one case of serious complaint of cruelty or other bad treatment of oyster dredgers had been reported in the past winter, and that it was the voluntary expressed opinion of the United States commissioners and other officers connected with maritime jurisdiction that this was due entirely to the former vigorous efforts of the society in extending protection to the men by bringing the offend- ing captains of oyster dredging boats to justice and pun - ishment. Several cases of withholding wages from dredgers were prosecuted and settled in the season of 1898, but no case of cruel treatment reported. In 1898 relief was extended by the society to 343 adults and 669
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children. At the meeting of April 10, 1899, the death of Col. F. W. Brune, one of the counsellors of the society, was announced. He at great sacrifice of time and money had rendered great services for twenty-one years in fight- ing for the poor and oppressed. His grandfather was one of the charter members, and his father, William F. Brune, held the office of counsellor of the society for more than thirty years, until his death in 1879. Both were eminent attorneys-at-law.
At the October meeting of 1899 it was resolved that a committee of three be appointed by the president, who shall petition the next State legislature to have the report of the Labor Statistician translated into German and printed in pamphlet form for distribution among German emigrants. The president appointed Messrs. Ferdinand C. Latrobe, George W. Gail and Rev. Edward Huber on the committee.
At the end of the year 1902 the membership by death, removal from the city and resignation having been ma- terially reduced, Mr. Gustav Siegmund, Robert M. Rother, L. P. Hennighausen, Ernst Schmeisser and other members made an effort to regain the loss, and on Janu- ary 12, 1903, nominated forty-four candidates as mem- bers.
In October, 1904, Mr. Ernst Sander, a citizen of Leip- zig, Germany, sent a donation of Mk. 200 and was there- upon elected a member for life of the society, but he wrote for leave to become a regular member, and was unani- mously elected, and has since paid his dues by draft punctually ahead of the time when due. The society suffered severe loss during the next following years by the death of a number of highly esteemed, faithful old
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officers and benefactors and many kind words of sorrow, praise and eulogy to their memory are noted in the record book of the society.
At the yearly meeting, January II, 1904, the president. announced the recent death of the former president and late vice-president, Mr. Claas Vocke. In 1842 he was elected secretary and for sixty-three years he continued to hold offices of trust and honor in the gift of the mem- bers of the society.
On April II, 1904, the death of George Brehm was announced ; a generous member and contributor of large sums annually to the society.
On October 16, 1905, on the death of Vice-President George William Gail, a special meeting was held by the officers and resolutions deploring his loss, etc., passed. Mr. Gail was not only the most liberal contributor, but also a very active officer and member. He was vice- president from 1892 to the time of his death, and remem- bered the society with a legacy of $2,000.
In the following year, 1906, Mr. C. W. Schneidereith, since 1893 second vice-president, and the four esteemed and active managers, Professor Otto Fuchs, Rev. Ed- ward Huber, Captain Henry Steffens and Captain Daniel Steenken, each of them after many years of faithful serv- ice in their office, departed this life.
In 1906 Mr. Ed. Nieman, a retired merchant, for many years a member and from 1879 to 1890 treasurer of the society, died in Germany. Although a resident of Ger- many since 1890, he remained a steadfast member and in his last will gave the society a legacy of $2,500 and a share of the residue of his estate after the life estate of certain devisees had expired.
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In 1907, Mr. Henry Lautz, vice-president, elected as successor of Mr. George W. Gail, deceased, and a gener- ous contributor, departed this life much lamented, remem- bering the society with a legacy of $1,000.
On the 30th day of June, 1908, the society suffered another heavy loss in the death of its treasurer, Mr. Charles Weber, Jr. Mr. Weber retired from active busi- ness about or before the time he was elected treasurer in 1890, and devoted most of his time to works of charity and therein especially to the care of the orphans and widows supported by the society, he also took an active part in the protection of the oyster dredgers. A special meeting of the board of officers was held. Appropriate resolutions deploring his death passed and Robert M. Rother elected temporary successor as treasurer.
The bureau or office of the society was removed in 1906 from No. 219 South Sharp street to the more con- venient location of 215 and 217 Courtland street, Mr. Samuel Siegael, a liberal contributor to the society, is the owner of the building and in his generous character, it being for charity, he let the office on the first floor with heating, cleaning, gas, etc., at the almost nominal rent of eight dollars a month.
ROBERT M. ROTHER
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THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE.
Too much praise cannot be bestowed on the executive committee. The work of the committee requires experi- ence, patience, sound judgment and true disposition of charity and benevolence. Every person who is or has been active in the work of charity knows that imposition, knavery, deceit and fraud is largely practiced by persons, not in need or too lazy to work, to obtain gifts of charity. It is sweet to obtain money without working for it. It is the duty of the executive committee to carefully examine and investigate every application for charity, so that not a dollar of the society is wasted on unworthy persons, the committee in its discretion orders victuals, groceries, wood, coal or cash to be given by the agent to the appli- cant, by an order on the treasurer. Messrs. Robert M. Rother, A. C. Meyer and Charles Weber, Jr., have since February 10th, 1890, performed the arduous delicate duties as executive committee with the approval of the so- ciety. On the death of Mr. Weber, Mr. Herman Baden- hoop was appointed to fill his unexpired term. At the yearly meeting January 1Ith, 1909, Mr. Badenhoop, for business reasons, declined the office, and John Hinricks was in his place appointed a member of the executive committee. Since Mr. Rother is chairman and to the year 1909, the executive committee has approved and is- sued 30,851 orders on the treasurer, for, and the treas- urer thereon has paid, by the agent $89,851.17 to worthy poor persons in need, largely to poor widows with infant children; it is a pleasure to record, that with this aid
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