The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-02-27
10! THE POOR EMIGRANT.
How the Embryo Citizen Is Taken
In and Done For. a
Making Reputation for Mick Muller-work-
ing the Belt and Ticket Games
Where THE Bank Of Ireland" Is-In-
side Glimpses Of Castle Gar
v dsn-Erie's Model Agent"

t!on-Hart, Forrest, Walach, Lynch and O'Gorman.
Mr.. Nicholas Muller, welI-known politician, ticket
agent and emlgrant boarding house keeper OF the
First ward, was recently appointed agent Of the
Erie Railway Company in Castle Garden Emigrant
depot. His duties are to look generally after the
interests OF the Erie Railway Company in securing
emigrants for transportation to the West; the New
York Central ana Pennsyivania Central railroads
being each similarly represented by an
agent. or course, 1t Is necessary that
the agent appointed by each company to
this lucrative and responsible position shall be an
honest man, and approved by the Board OF Com
missioners. At the meeting held on Tuesday Com
missioner Wallach, in view Of certain information
he had received, objected to the approval of the
appointment of Muller by the Erie Railway Com
pany as their representative, and the Castle Gar
den Committee Of the Board was instructed to In
vestigate the charges. $500
THE CHARGES
are three in number. The first alleges that in
1850 Muller, acting IN the capacity of emigrant
ner and ticket agent, took an emgrant to ticket
oiAce, and induced the emigrant, Christian Schu-
maker, who desired to 60 to Europe to pay sos for
ticket to Bremen, the proper and legitimate
value Of which was only $35. Muller trans
acted the business without a license and
was convicted of O misdemeanor therefor, and
second charge was that in 1869 Muller had charged
an emigrant full price for ticket to Chicago for a
child eleven years of age when the proper charge
should have been half rates, and that he also in
duced the father OF the child TO deposit $40 In his
tMullers) hands to pay the incidental charges and
expenses for the child's transportation. The third
charge was that Muller had attempted to brine o
police officer to pei NIT the escape OF witnesses in
a case where a man named Ryan was indicted and
subsequently convicted for playing the "belt game"
upon three emigrants. Still another case is that
where Muller, in making change for a $40 gold
SHOCKING MISTAKE
Of giving the emigrant seven new Onecent pieces,
instead OF seven SO so gold pieces
The investigation took place in the Commission
ers' roOm and the usual "free-lunch" business was
INDUCED in before they went into the legitimate
business OF the meeting. AS soon they had
seated themselves at the business table discus
sion was opened as to the scope and manner of
as Chairman, and Nicholas Muller, though absent
In person, was represented by counsel, Mr.. Otter
bourg; Mr.; 0'Gormaa did not arrive until half an
The Chairman read the charges, and there was
some little debate as to whether the committee
should ~
GO BEHIND The RECORD
OF the Court IN Inguirng into the charge Of INSIDE
meanor. 1t was finally decided that the record Of
the Court was sufficient proof
Commissioner Wallach was DESTROYS that, mas
much as the Commissioners were the legal guar
fully investigate such charges as were brought be-
fore them. I.,l "a. -.
mistee to the fact that it was alleged only that Mr.
Muller, by his representions, had induced an emf
grant to Pay s6S for ticket the regular price OF
which was S35-not that he had himself profted by
the transaction or reaped any benefit from 1t. He
had only been convicted of misdemcanor in s0lic-
i NJ Bernard casseriy the Secretary Of the Com.
mission, and who Is reported to
''RUN" THE WHOLE CONCERN,
was In the room, though It did not appear that he
is q member OF the committee or that ne is counsel
The Chairman read the first charge on which
evidence was to be taken, to the effect that said
Nicholas Muller induced an emigrant to purchase
Chicago, and demanded and obtained from said emf
grant the sum OF SO to defray the incidental ex-
penses OF said chi child &c on 4 M cu,c.oo
Dennis McGrath, emigrant boarding house
keeper, of SO Greenwich street, was called as the
and testified with apparent sincerity and great
readiness OF reply In answer to questions. He tes-
tilted tnat IN July or August OF 1859 an emigrant
perhaps learn by referring to his books, came to
board at witness house; next morning the emf
Train TO his destination in the West; witness ar
ranged matters for him so that he was to
oelock that evening"; Witness weDt to or BROOKE
Ign that day, and upon returning, in the after
noon, saw the emigrant in the company Of one Han
rahan; they went into saloon, and witness fol
lowed and accosted the emigrant and said to him,
~ thought you were down at Castle Garden; 1t Ii
have You to with this the emsrant sad
II don't know him tHanrahan), but he said
he WAS A COUNTRYMAN
Of mine - witness said to the emlgrant "That man
you are in company with is a thier' tmcaning Han.
rahan Hanrahan turned to witness and said,
cause ne gave glass OF ale ,; witness told Han
rahan that ne should not interfere with any one
who came to his twitnessD house:
witness continued-I called the emigrant out
and talked with him afterwards; the emigrant told
me he met this man at the Garden and that he
money to change, and where he was going; the
cmigrant sad that he told Hanrahan where he
was going and that he had some money to change;
here 10 .r .n
THE BANK OF IRELAND
pointing to Muller's office at No. 10 Greenwich
changed at Muler's ONCE, and he said he Gould
not tell how much; that Gil he had was in an Old
had changed; asked him how much he got
paper money and asked him that was an he
he showed me piece q white paper with some
writing In the middle Of 1t, which he said was the
ticket; 1t purported to be
TICKET FOR CHICAGO;
he ae s sSs oa na
to Chicago Mr.: Glynn, employed in this office. was
ne recommended me to take him down to the
Garden and see Casserly about 1t; brought him
Casserly sent for "a police ocer and sent for Null.
Ter to come down here; Muller came, and the
whole story was ted In his presence, and Muller
returned to the emigrant half the money paid him
for the ticket and half ticket for the girl and also
returned the $40; this was In the office I'm the
next room Muller handed the ID FL tt y.
MONEY AND TICKET TO CAssERLY;
and Mr.. Cassery In my presence handed back the
money to the emigrant and took charge of the
ticket for the little girl 80 as to forward her on It
to Chicago upon her arrival in New York from Ire
think, go 46; cannot say OF my own knowledge
what was paid originally for the ticket; only know
what this emigrant told me and what happened
Cassery "Here Ia o halfticket and the bal
ance Of the money for the whole
ticket;r Casserly gave Muller reprimand
for doing business in this kind of way; two days
afterwards met Muller In the street, and he said
to me- "You would nave been very good man II
YOU had come in and settled that thing with me,