[Indexed as: “Children As Slaves – The Little Ones Kidnapped in Italy and Sold in New-York – Horrible Treatment by Their Masters,” The New York Times (N.Y.), Jun. 17, 1873]
A Times reporter yesterday afternoon, in company with Capt. Caesar Moreno, who is endeavoring to put a stop to the traffic in Italian children which is going on in this and other large cities in the United States, visited one of the cottages in Central Park for the purpose of hearing the story of a little Italian boy, who has been three years in this City, and who during that period has been treated worse than any slave was during the days when slavery was recognized. There is, besides, more than sufficient reason to give warrant to the statement reason to give warrant to the statement that hundreds of other young Italian children are now suffering the greatest the greatest cruelties at the hands of task-masters, or owners, who has purchased them in New-York City, and who cruelly and maliciously beat and ill-treat them daily should they not bring home enough money every night to satisfy their greed. These ruffians keep themselves in a state of luxurious idleness by sending these little white slaves into the streets to extort money from the charitably disposed by means of playing a cracked violin, a harp, triangle, or some other kind of musical instrument. They are sent forth in the early morning, after grudgingly giving them a piece of common black bread about three inches square, which, with the same allowance at night, is all the food ever given them. The following story, however, will better explain the state of bondage in which these children are held, and which cries aloud for immediate action on the part of the authorities:
On arriving at the cottage previously mentioned, and which is under the charge of Mrs. McMonegal, by whose aid the little Italian was rescued from starvation, the boy was found playing around the rustic arbor which closely adjoins it. He appeared to be in good health and looked like a bright and intelligent lad. He was dressed in a decent, though worn, suit of clothes, for which he is indebted to the kindness of a lady who had heard the story of his sufferings from Mrs. McMonegal. The boy was first discovered by one of the Park keepers named Dennis, who found him in a nearby famished condition, and with scarcely a rag on him. Being of a kindly nature, Dennis did what he could for the boy, and it being about his usual dinner hour, he sat down and divided his meal with the lad. But the boy could speak but little English, next to nothing could be learned as to what had led to his being found in the condition that he was in. After eating his dinner the boy, evidently acting under some fear, withdrew himself from Dennis’ company, but was again in the Park the next day. The keeper’s dinner was again shared, and the boy gained more confidence in the keeper, who took him to the cottage and gave him over to Mrs. McMonegal’s care; who did what she could for him, unable to afford him shelter at night, although she has nearly a fortnight fed him, and been the means of his being clothed and cleansed.
He was questioned by our reporter, and through the aid of Capt. Moreno, who acted as interpreter, the following story was elicited:
He said his name was Joseph, but he had forgotten his other name. He is twelve years of age, and the son of a farmer, in Calviello, Basilicata, Italy. Some one, he says, came into his father’s house, one night, and took him from his bed, and the next he remembers was being at sea, with eight other children from the same neighborhood, in charge of a strange man whom they were taught to call “padrone,” and who daily instilled into their minds the great power he possessed, and the necessity of them for obey him. This man brought them all to New-York, and took them to a house in Crosby-street, where he lodged them in a cellar, straw being given them to sleep on, and without covering. The next day, the boy says, he was sent into the sent with a triangle to play, previously being instructed what to say, if any one questioned him as to who had sent him out to beg in this manner. On returning at night he was beaten because he did not take home enough money, and was again thrust down in the cellar, which has been his only habitation, with ten others, for the past three years. the only food served out was a small square piece of common black bread. After playing the triangle for some time he was taught the violin, which was substituted for the triangle. He was then sent out and told not to come home without having at least a dollar to give the padrone, and if he was not successful enough to be able to hand over so much, after staying out until sometimes after midnight, he was cruelly beaten and tortured to make him say if he had spent any pennies during the day. After suffering like this for over two years, his fears of the padrone’s vengeance being so great as to prevent his running away, he one night, after severely beaten, asked his ruffanly master to either free him or cease beating him, or he would run away. Upon this he was threatened with fearful vengeance, and was told by the padrone that he had authority from the King of Italy, from the Pope, and from the President of the United States to do as he like with him, sued that if he attempted to escape he could always find him, and would then torture him fearfully and perhaps kill him. This frightened the boy, who was then forced into returning to his task-master every night.
The padrone to further impress his authority and kill his spirit, every night tied him by the wrists with rope so tightly as to cut deep gashes in his flesh; these are now healed up, although the marks remain. In addition to this, the ears of the boy are scarred and seamed where is master used to punch him, taking pieces of flesh away each time. At last the boy could bear no more and ran away, and after hiding for two or three days in the Park he was found as above described.
He says there are now ten more boys between the ages of four and eleven still in the Crosby-street collar, and four little girls in another one adjoining. Some time since three boys made their escape, one of whom was found in the river. He has, he says, seen, while he was in the house, some thirty or forty children brought in and taken away again, having been sold to some other man. He further says that there are several more houses in Crosby-street where there are a number of boys who are treated in the same manner as he was; several more in Greene-street, and a great many in Mulberry-street, but he does not know the number, or near what streets they were located. He has now been under the care of Keeper Dennis and Mrs. McMonegal for over ten days, and yet he still exhibits and speaks of his fear that the padrone, as he calls his late master, will find him and then perhaps kill him. When told that he need have no fear, and that if the padrone molested him he would be arrested and punished, he brightened up and seemed to be, as it were, glad that the tables were likely to be turned.
It has been learned that at the present time there are between 7,000 and 8,000 children kidnapped from Italy held in this state of slavery in the large cities of the United States, New York being the great central entrepot. The children are brought here are sold daily by private auction, prices varying from $100 to $500 for girls. Where girls are exceptionally pretty, the prices are considerably higher. It is said that two little girls, who are frequently to be seen playing in Wall-street, were sold to their present owner for the sum of $1,600.
In order to show that this inhuman traffic is still being carried on in fill force, we copy the following, taken from the Movimento, a newspaper published in Genoa, which says in its issue of May 20:
“There were stolen in Milan, this morning, three children, as follows: A boy named Caponi Gisoné, aged two years, living at No. 26 Via Vetroschi; a girl named Fiocci Emelia, aged three years, living at No. 2 Vicola St. Zeno; and also another girl named Giovanmno Azati, aged six years, the daughter of the porter of the house where the first-named girl lived.”
It was believed that the kidnapping of children was confined to the southern provinces, but it would seem from the above that the traffic now being pushed into the north of Italy, and besides being pushed into the north of Italy, and besides is on the increase. It is quite likely that these three children are now in this country, and have been put up and sold at auction in this City.
Fresh developments in the matter may be expected within a day or two.
The following statement shows the number of Italian children that have arrived at this port since the 1st of April last, together with the names of the steam-ships that brought them. The children are all under fourteen years of age of the majority of them under eighr years, and many of these are more infants. The children are brought over by persons appointed by the conspirators for that purpose, a chief of convoy, who really becomes the master or driver. This person is represented as the father of the children, and as such takes absolute charge, from the time they are bought or stolen from their native villages until they are sold to new masters or “padroni” in Crosby-street. Some of these children are accompanied by parents, but very few. All the masters call themselves fathers, but the chest is readily discovered when the ages of the victims are looked into, because but few fathers have many children of exactly the same age. As the law now stands, all emigrants arriving here are required to give bonds that they do not become a public charge for the space of five years. These children are all “bonded” by the steam-ship companies upon whose vessels they arrive, and yet, although they invariably become a public charge as vagabonds and itinerants, there is no instance where any off the steam-ship companies were any of the steam-ship companies were ever required to provide for their supper. If this law was enforced, the importation of infants would soon cease. The following table gives the number of arrivals above referred to:
