Thank you for visiting SNEWPapers!
Sign up free
Letter to Editor
July 9, 1841
The Liberator
Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts
What is this article about?
David Ruggles reports an assault by the steamboat Telegraph's captain, who refused his $2 fare for full privileges, forced a $1.50 deck option, and seized his papers and hat, foiling his Nantucket visit. He labels it robbery and battery, warning travelers between New Bedford and Nantucket.
Clipping
OCR Quality
98%
Excellent
Full Text
Personal Outrage.
New Bedford, June 23d, 1841.
To the Editor of the New Bedford Daily Register :—
Sir,—Permit me to inquire of your readers, what is Highway Robbery? and if the following outrage is not Robbery, and Assault and Battery. I left New Bedford on Saturday last, the 19th inst., on board the Steamboat Telegraph, for Nantucket. On the passage thither, when called upon to pay the fare, I stepped forward to the Captain's office, and inquired the price of the passage. I learned that there were two prices; one $2, the other $1 50. The passenger who pays the first price is entitled to all the privileges of the Boat. The one who pays the second price purchases a forward deck privilege. I concluded to pay $2, which the Capt. repeatedly refused to take, and insisted on my purchasing the forward deck privilege, which I did not choose to take, on the grounds, first, no man or body corporate has a right to decide for another person what he or she shall purchase; second, no man can justly compel another to pay for what he does not want. The Capt. became furious at my position, commenced an assault and battery upon my person, took from me by force my private papers. Finding myself 'a stranger in a strange place,' shorn of hat and important papers, I was compelled to leave the Island without accomplishing the object of my visit; on my return passage, Capt. Lot Phinney received $2 fare. I state these facts to caution the public, who may travel in the Steamboat between New Bedford and Nantucket.
Yours for Equal Rights,
DAVID RUGGLES.
New Bedford, June 23d, 1841.
To the Editor of the New Bedford Daily Register :—
Sir,—Permit me to inquire of your readers, what is Highway Robbery? and if the following outrage is not Robbery, and Assault and Battery. I left New Bedford on Saturday last, the 19th inst., on board the Steamboat Telegraph, for Nantucket. On the passage thither, when called upon to pay the fare, I stepped forward to the Captain's office, and inquired the price of the passage. I learned that there were two prices; one $2, the other $1 50. The passenger who pays the first price is entitled to all the privileges of the Boat. The one who pays the second price purchases a forward deck privilege. I concluded to pay $2, which the Capt. repeatedly refused to take, and insisted on my purchasing the forward deck privilege, which I did not choose to take, on the grounds, first, no man or body corporate has a right to decide for another person what he or she shall purchase; second, no man can justly compel another to pay for what he does not want. The Capt. became furious at my position, commenced an assault and battery upon my person, took from me by force my private papers. Finding myself 'a stranger in a strange place,' shorn of hat and important papers, I was compelled to leave the Island without accomplishing the object of my visit; on my return passage, Capt. Lot Phinney received $2 fare. I state these facts to caution the public, who may travel in the Steamboat between New Bedford and Nantucket.
Yours for Equal Rights,
DAVID RUGGLES.
What sub-type of article is it?
Persuasive
Emotional
Provocative
What themes does it cover?
Commerce Trade
Constitutional Rights
Crime Punishment
What keywords are associated?
Highway Robbery
Steamboat Telegraph
Nantucket Passage
Assault Battery
Equal Rights
Fare Prices
Personal Outrage
What entities or persons were involved?
David Ruggles
To The Editor Of The New Bedford Daily Register
Letter to Editor Details
Author
David Ruggles
Recipient
To The Editor Of The New Bedford Daily Register
Main Argument
the steamboat captain's refusal to accept the $2 full-privilege fare, insistence on the $1.50 deck option, and physical assault constitute robbery, assault, and battery, violating personal rights to choose purchases without compulsion.
Notable Details
Assault And Battery By Captain
Seizure Of Private Papers And Hat
Return Trip Accepted $2 Fare From Capt. Lot Phinney
Caution To Public Travelers