The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1854-04-30

10 iIauu Hom peglnulnS 10 emu, put, SeneIaAly
speaking, their deluded victims are sent COM
fortably enough as far as the Isthmus, where,
to their utter establishment and modification,
they learn that their tickets for the steamers on
the Pacific side are worthless and fraudulent.
OF course they are obliged, if they have money
sufficient, to buy genuine tickets in order
to arrive at their destination; but numbers
are compelled through the lack Of means to
remain at the Isthmus, having had barely
requisite funds on their starting from New
York to convey them to San Francisco. There
they remain, perhaps, for many months, dest-
tute of even the common necessaries of life.
There many Of them fall victims to those dread
full diseases fatal to all living in temperate
climes.
The manner in which returned Californians
natives of the Western States) are treated on
their arrival here is equally disgraceful. The
moment steamer lands these emigrant run
ners, like flock Of ravenous vultures, beset
every passenger that they think will bleed, and
hand them over to the proprietors of the nume-
rous forwarding agencies, whose Offices are To-
Gated on the most conspicuous corners of the
principal business streets in the lower part Of
the city. Here they are induced to purchase
through tickets for Chicago and for the West,
paying for the same the usual charge for tick
cts on the first class cars. Their tickets are, in
nearly all cases, of that description Sid to
foreign emigrants, too poor to be able to pay
for passage in the first class cars The I'M
suspecting countrymen do not find out their
mistake and the fraud committed on them I'M
til they have left New York many miles behind
them. Their only alternative then is to pro-
coed on their journey in the emigrant cars, or to
pay an additional sum for seat in the first
class cars. To think of returning to New York
to prosecute these harpies is out of the ques-
ton. Anxious to arrive home, and not relishing
the idea of mourning further expense, having
been swindled already to a large extent, they
abandon all thoughts of retracing their steps to
Gotham.
Within the last few months facts of new
dodge have come to light which outdoes all the
former rascality and impudence Of these mock
railroad agents, and by which their revenue
from the nefarious business has been increased
fourfold. This consisted in the selling of through
tickets for Cleveland and all the principal West
ern cities along the line of the Michigan South
ern railroad. When the emigrant arrived as
far as Cleveland he found himself completely
bamboozled. Along with the ticket to Cleve-
land he received an order on somebody, repre-
sented in the document as being possessed with
sufficient authority to forward the bearer"
and upon searching for this important person
age, the unlucky dupe generally comes to the
conclusion that he is no where; that
the ticket intended to take him further
West is worth just as much as a piece
Of blotting paper, and that an adroit swindle
has been perpetrated, which, to his amazement
and vexation, he is not made aware of until
midway between his destination and starting
point. Nothing remained then for the unfortu-
nate but to purchase bona .Jide ticket, for, as
we said before, returning to New York was out
Of the question. Some eight or nine hundred
individuals have been defrauded in this way
during the last six months to the certain know
ledge of parties connected with those railroad
companies at Cleveland.
To such an extent had this evil prevailed, that
the various railroad companies in the West,
fearful that the effects produced by such gross
frauds would change the tide of emigration by
the way of the Lakes, took the matter in their
own hands and determined to prosecute those
engaged in the sale of these fraudulent tickets.
Accordingly, correspondence took place be-
tween these parties and the District Attorney
of New York. An astute officer was in
structed to be on the look out for few of the
most intelligent green ones he could find. He
had not long to wait for almost every train
going West poured forth some Of the duped at
Cleveland. Having easily procured and in
duced two or three of these unfortunate ones to
accompany him back to New York, (all their
expenses having been paid,) they cheerfully
gave what testimony was necessary to convict
one of the principal and most extensive dealers
in these spurious railroad tickets, who was
sentenced to three years Imprisonment in the
States Prison, as will be seen by our criminal
records of this month
The good work of exterminating these misera-
bic, blood-thirsty, yet legal plunderers, for by
the statute of this State the emlgrant runner is
licensed to carry on an atrOcious trade,) has
now began in earnest. Two or three of the
largest establishments in the city have been
broken up, and more than half a dozen of the
occupants are now in the City Prison to an
swer indictments of obtaining money under
false and fraudulent pretences, found against
them by the Grand jury We hope the rail
road companies will not desist in their
praiseworthy efforts to suppress the illegal
traffic. Let them send back every emigrant
who may be defrauded in New York, and the
District Attorney will see that but few Of these
mock railroad agencies will be permitted to
exist in our midst Give him but the material
to set in motion the grand piece Of machinery
that will forever annihilate these rapacious
plunderers, and you will have the good wishes
and prayers of all useful members of society in
this city.