The legislature of the State of New York, in 1847, appointed a Committee
to inquire into the frauds practised upon emigrants. It made its report
in January 1848. In the fourth page of that Report these words occur:
"Your Committee must confess, that they had no conception of, nor would
they have believed the extent to which these frauds and outrages have
been practised, until they came to investigate them." The first set of
robbers into whose hands the emigrants fell were called "runners." They
are described in the Report as a class who boarded the emigrant ship and
brought the emigrants to their special lodging-houses in spite of them,
and in spite of the authorities. They took charge of their luggage,
pretending that nothing would be demanded for the storage of it, the
price claimed for which afterwards was exorbitant, and the luggage was
held until it was paid.
The frauds committed with regard to passage tickets were if possible
more grievous than those practised by the runners. "The emigrant," says
the Report, buys a ticket at an exorbitant price, with a picture on it
representing a steam-boat, railway cars, and a canal packet drawn by
three prancing horses, to bring him to some place beyond Albany.
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