Intracommunity Conflict among New Citizens: Ottoman Immigrants in Late nineteenth century Brazil

Abstract

On December 27, 1898, Mr. Jorge Cure and Mr. Antonio Bachera arrived at the local police station in São Paulo, Brazil 1 , to formally denounce the robbery of 50 fine-tooth combs, 30 scissors, and 20 dozen of switchblades from their business 2 . The businessmen reported the incident in adherence to the law procedures to formally involve the police authorities to recover the stolen merchandise valued at three contos de reis 3 . The men petitioned the authorities "in accordance with Art. 389 of the Brazilian Criminal Procedure Code, to look for and to retrieve the merchandise," which they were told was in position of Mr. Jacob Merchaud, owner of the business Merchaud & Irmãos 4 . The two men, accompanied by their attorney, signed the obligatory documents in which they swore to the truthfulness of their testimony "without any prejudice," as they were simply "exercising their legal rights 5 ."Mr. Carlos Gonzaga Junior, a scribe at that police station, in accordance to the law and its procedural execution, took the deposition of Mr. Felicio Mizidra to advance the investigation. The testimony of Mr. Mizidra fulfilled one of the multiple legal tasks required by the Brazilian Penal Code. In the police filling, Mr. Gonzaga described Mr. Mizidra as a twenty-five-year-old Arab man. In his deposition, Mr. Mizidra declared that a couple of days before, at nighttime, when the two businessmen were away from their business, "lots of merchandise was stolen". He testified that the stolen property was in the possession of Jacob Merchaud. After the deposition of Mr. Mizidra, the chief of police ordered a search warrant to enter Merchaud & Irmãos 6 . Upon his arrival to the business Merchaud & Irmãos, Mr. Gonzaga read the warrant to Mr. Mercahud, and then proceeded to perform a thorough inspection 7 . He entered the business accompanied by Mr. Severo Rodrigues de Macedo and Mr. Felicio Elias Maziarece, the two witnesses required by law, to perform the search warrant. Mr. Gongaza Junior found three fine-tooth combs, which he confiscated and later delivered Intracommunity Conflict among New Citizens: Ottoman Immigrants in Late ninete...