Few threads are as colorful as the story of immigrants’ names being changed at Ellis Island
Moses Schmelowitz made a small fortune on the black market during World War II. The first thing he did was to change his name to E. Lincoln Saunders. After that, he and his wife decided to move from Williamsburg to Central Park South.
To celebrate this happy occasion, they arranged for a party in their apartment on a Saturday night, to which they invited their old cronies and friends. At the last moment, Mo decided to invite his widowed mother, who lived in Williamsburg.
The happy occasion arrived. Champagne was flowing and an orchestra was regaling the guests. The clock struck eight, then nine, and his mother was not there. His mother did not have a phone, so he called her neighbor. She informed him that his mother had left some two hours ago.
By ten o’clock, Mo called the police. After all, he was still a son. At eleven o’clock, he called the FBI. He had spent a fortune on the party, and now the whole evening was ruined for him.
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