Wolfe told me that two dollars was the price, and all luggage
free."[298] Mervyn L. Ray swore that he knew Mr. Adams to take twelve
dollars for a passenger to Buffalo, when he (Ray) would have given him
the same fare at two dollars.
One of the witnesses, T.R. Schoger enters into some details. 1. The
first fraud, he says, practised on emigrants is this:--the moment the
vessel arrives it is boarded by runners, whose first object appears to
be to get emigrants to their respective public houses. Once there they
are considered sure prey. There are, of course, rival establishments;
each has agents (runners) and bullies. There is often bloodshed between
them. The emigrant is bewildered. He is told he will get meals for
sixpence a piece--he never gets one less than two shillings, and he is
often charged a dollar a meal. 2. The next ordeal is called booking;
that is, he is taken to the forwarding office, and told it is the _only_
office, the proprietors being owners of boats, railways, etc. The runner
gets one dollar for everyone booked. 3. The next imposition is at
Albany; it is there the great fraud is perpetrated. If they find the
emigrant has plenty of money they make him pay the whole passage over
again,--repudiating all that was done at New York.
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