New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1856-03-25
COunIssIONRRs OF EMIGRATION

CONTINGENCIES OF EMIGRATION.
Prior TO the conversion OF Castle Garden into
depot for immigrants enormous frauds were COM
mitted on them. Then there were establishments
known as forwarding and booking Offices, which
had branches through the Union and in the prlncl-
nal sea ports of Europe. These offices employed
several thousand runners, whose business was to
entice immigrants to purchase tickets for trans
portation into the interior. The railroad and other
transportation companies sold tickets to these OIL
fees and they retaed them to others, who again
yended them to persons wishing to 90 into the ID
terror. The profits made by these private for
warders were immense, although they paid two
thirds of all their gains to the runners. They gen.
eraIy did their business by consignment, for ex-
ample: an immigrant applying to be sent to Chi
capo, received a ticket to Cleveland, Buffalo, or
Toledo, TO be renewedther at branch Office where
the same exOrbtant rate of fare was demanded as
in New-York, and no passage would be given until
il was paid Frequently there was no branch Of
fee at the place designated, and the ticket
purchased in New-YOrk was useless for the
half of the Journey. In all cases the i'm
migrant had to pay twice. The Offices, or at
least many of them, RPresented themselves
to be agents for all the railroads along the routes
while in fact they had no authority to sell for more
than portion of them. The consequence of this
was that II system of plumber was organized and
carried on throughout the country with It's center
in New York. Here the chief robbers, with their
armies of runners, feeced the immigrant of his
4 IL
left him a pauper at some intermediate place.
Many shipping merchants moreover, were in league
with the forwarders, and all shared the proceeds.
The manner in which they carried on their game
of plumber and fraud was very simple. Four
or five hundred passengers, coming from Eu-
rope in vessel Of shipping merchant con-
signed to him, he, in defiance of law, would
sell permit, usually for one hundred and fifty to
two hundred dollars to forwarding Office. The
forwarder then chartered a steamboat, and sent
fighting men, runners and baggage-smashers, to
compel the passengers 10 purchase tickets. These
boarded the ship, and a scene OF outrage ensued.
Neither age nor sex was respected. Where mis-
representation and fraud failed in inducing immi
grants to book with them, they resorted to Violence
They stole all they could, as matter of course,
and the ingenious vilainies they practiced were
beyond belief. They have even been known to tow
vessel up and down the h0rbOr until hunger or
fear compelled the passengers 10 come 10 terms.
As it is custom in Europe for immigrants to en-
gage their passage TO the West by q certain line,
and pay at the agency there portion OF the fare,
the runners could represent themselves as the
agents of that line, for the purpose OF selling tick
cts on different and rival route. We have known
one hundred and fifty complaints made by passen-
gers on single ship who were thus cheated. The
Mayor has low in his possession permits thus sold
BY some of our weslthiest merchants. Lameatable
as the fact is, many of the Custom House officers
whose duty is 10 board ships, were aders aud abet-
tors 10 the runners, and made money By their in.
famous completely, as afidayits in the City Hal
will show.
If the runners had done nothing more, their rep
uta;on would have been comparatively fair; but,
beside swinding, they committed higher crimes.
Under pretense of taking immigrant girls to board
ing houses, they decoyed them To brOtbels, where
they received percentage according to the beauty
rape or seduction. improbable TIM statement
may seem, ii is literally true and can be corrobo-
rated. Another mode Of cheating immigrants was
through their baggage. \ certain number Of pounds
of luggage is always allowed TO go free with the
passenger. The scales for weighing the property
were so adjusted as to give false numbers. The
police have frequently arrested weighers Tor this
fraud. One officer stated that be often de-
ected runners placing their foot the scales while
the baggage was weighing. Every extOrtionate
device was practiced with such impunity, and ras-
cality became so systematized that New-York
runners achieved European reputation a stupid
runner in any of the European ports, was often
tod that be should come here TO take lessons.
German who graduated in NewYork could get
higher prices for his services in Amsterdam than
any Of his untrayeled associates.
Arunner indeed, was sort of Protess, represent
ing al natonaliIies, speaking different languages,