This document is the testimony of Mali Kaltman and Adolf August before the Board of Special Inquiry upon her arrival at the Port of Philadelphia.
The Board of Special Inquiry consisted of three or four male inspectors who were tasked to question aliens who had been detained for various reasons. After taking testimony from the alien and receiving answers to inquiries by the Board from other immigration authorities throughout the nation, the Board would then decide to either admit or deport an alien. The decision of the Board would then be recorded with the transcripts of the testimony and marked on the alien’s passenger list. The detained aliens were held on questions of contract labor, stowaways, and bond cases.
Most interesting are the cases of women who were considered likely to become a public charge. One such case involved Mali Kaltman, a 19 year old Jewish woman from Germany. The testimony reveals a tangled tale Ms. Kaltman related to her interrogators of how she was to be married and would be well taken care of in this country. Her supposed fiance, Adolf August, reinforces her testimony and even agrees to marry Ms. Kaltman as soon as tomorrow. Their testimony shines a light on the experiences of female immigrants and the often unfair treatment they endured.
