a thesis by Flora Jane Satt - Shealtiel

Flora Jane Satt—annotated by Miles SaltielThe Denver Republican played up the story, emphasizing Saltiel’sresponsibility and the HEAS’s gullibility in investing such a largesum in so novel an experiment, without proper investigation before-hand.They exposed Saltiel’s entire plan as a “vile atrocity”and described the colonists’ sufferings in minute detail. This newspapertook the opportunity of divulging at the same time, other ofSaltiel’s deals and schemes, as well as his unsavory personal reputation.“Unsavory personal reputation”This echoes Roberts (op cit p129), whogoes on at this point to repeat allegationsthat Saltiel had “failed to provide for hisfamily”. This should be seen in light ofthe 1881 collapse of Saltiel’s marriage;see the sidebar, Biography ofEmanuel Saltiel on page 5. This gaverise to the customary exchange ofallegations—hers of his failure to providesupport; his of her notoriousinfidelities—and may also havecontributed to his absence fromCotopaxi.The Rocky Mountain News tended to play down the whole story,reminding its readers that all pioneers must endure some hardshipand compared conditions in other outlying districts withthose at Cotopaxi, making the lot of the Jews there seem ideal,even better than most.The colony did manage to survive the first winter, but they facedthe coming spring with determination not to make the same mistakesnor rely on Saltiel for any further assistance. They observedtheir first Passover at Cotopaxi that April of 1883, and immediatelyafter the rites were concluded, again borrowed seed andequipment and sowed their second crop. But nature seemed toconspire against them, for scarcely were the seeds in the groundwhen a late spring blizzard ruined a large part of them. These latestorms are common in Colorado but to the struggling and discouragedcolonists, it seemed a special punishment directed at themalone.HEAS ‘report on the colonistsThe view of the Rocky Mountain News isechoed by the report of March 2, 1883 fromH S Henry of HEAS:.“… a committee sent by German, Irishor Norwegian Emigrant Society wouldprobably have encouraged the colonistsby pointing out that their presentdiscomforts were temporary, that withthe return of spring and anotherharvest, things would improve; thatperseverance after all the expenditureof money would certainly result inultimate success.... This committeewould recommend that to start life in anew country is not child’s play--thatthere are frequent disappointments andsome misery…”Cited in Hard Times: The Jewish colony atCotopaxi, Article by Nancy Oswald,Colorado Central Magazine, No. 132,February 2005, Page 26; and available athttp://www.cozine.com/archive/cc2005/01320261.html.Again they wrote to the Hebrew Emigrant Aid Society for advice.Up to this time, the directors of that agency in New York could dolittle but counsel patience and fortitude, but by the late summer of1883, the pressure of immigration had subsided in New York, dueto the Czar’s temporary retirement of Ignatieff, and the new directorfound time to write to the unhappy farmers in Colorado. MichaelHeilprin had been forced to retire that same summer, due toillness, and his successor was not as familiar with the whole story.27