Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1870-05-04
SAN FRANCISCO LETTER.
trnox OUR REGULAR coaREsroSDzsr.l

boarding houses. Local legislation was
inadequate to control these
or the Supervisors did not care
to interfere ; for the proprietors, run
ners and h~angers-on Of these establish
ments are a political power not to be
offended, and our city fathers
preferred to leave matters rs they
were. Every week some enormity
by these water front ras-
Gals is brought to light, and the mum.
Der of hidden crimes never revealed
kidnappings, landsmen
drugged and shipped, terrorism exer,
etc.,-must in the course of a
year add a guodly volume to the
angels library. The Chief
Of Police receives over a dozen letters
a month from people, in the interior,
making inquiries about missing Friends
who leave their country homes for San
Francisco, arrive here and disappear.
The last words to father, son, husband
or brother, rs he takes 4 parting kiss
before stepping into the stage or cars
are, generally, BE sure and write as
soon as you get to the Bay" and 1t is
safe to say masculine humanity COM
plies with the request. Then comes a
long silence ; the family representative
doesn't return OH the promised day ;
the women become anxious; friends in
the city are written to; a sorrowful
wife or mother comes down to look for
the missing one ; the police are notified
and the lists Of "Found Drowned" and
Unknown Dead are carefully gone
through at the Coroner's office. Per-
haps after many months the MAJ re-
turns with a tale of drugs, violence,
and a long sea voyage; but
these are as brands plucked from the
burning. The majority are heard of
no more. They are shipped by force,
destitute in some foreign port,
and can never muster courage or money
to find their way home again; or the
brutality used to them on the voyage
breaks down their health, they become
inmates Of 4 distant hospital and die
unknown.
Sometimes the raw country material
is so scarce that our boarding house
are compelled to prey upon
their friends. Jack, who graduated ut
Sing Sing and took a five years degree
at San Quentin, has become q little too
we'll known to the police, or he has
done something to offend those digni-
and "the cops have got a down
on him." Maybe Jack has outlived
his usefulness, and doesn't bring in
enough strangers to pay for his diurnal
whisky, but hangs round the house all
day, drunk, q%uarrelsome and "spoiling
for 4 fight" Jack thinks he is too
knowing to have any tricks played on
him, but if he only saw the vicious
CLEAN from the landlords eye he
might be a little more cautious and
less easy to snare. 1t is not 4 very
difficult task, anyway. Another
drink, Jack, fore you turn ill.," and
the played-out runner swallows his
rum and Scotch snuff unsuspectingly,
mutters a growing commentary on
his employers restored good temper,
stumbles up stairs to his bunk, and
wakes-on board the good ship Sucha-
name, two days at sea, bound for the
AntipodeS.
Occasionally the landlords secretly
combine to get rid Of the too knowing,
openly criminal, or u~utractable run
ners, and make a wholesale shipment,
Some Captain has offended them by re-
fusing to pay head money. demurring
to charges, not accepting the men they
provide, or curtailing the profits. Fol
days his vessel has been in the stream,
ready to sail, but unable to procure a
crew. The boarding house keepers
have prevented that, and without their
consent it is impossible to procure one.
At length the skipper, weary of port
charges, finding no official sympathy,
tired of waiting, comes to terms, and
that night enough hands shall be fur
nished to work his ship. Now is the
landlords opportunity. In ones and
twos, stupidity drunk or helplcssly
drugged, the disused runners, offscom-
ingS of the city front and cream OF
scoundrels, are put aboard. Revenge
is gratifed, dangerous witnesses re-
moved, money made, and everything
done quietly and without talk. But
how goes it with the Captain? Let the
following facts, taken from a letter
addressed to 4 gentleman here, speak
for themselves. The ship John Banks,
$50 tons, Captain Reynolds, took in a
cargo of wheat at this port last Novem-
Der, for Liverpool. For some cause
that | cannot ascertain, the Captain
auarreled with the landlords, and could
not C n crew.. Obliged, event
ually, to accede to their demands, he
was furnished with q quorum Of sable
bodied seamen"-otherwiSe, a dozen
drugced villains who had become oh.
noxious to their employers. The yes
sci sailed on the 25th of November,
and immediately after leaving land the
Captain found that he had such an un'
tractable, mutinous crew, that he was
almost prevailed to put back, but q
recollection of the troubles he had nj.
ready undergone prevented him. In 4
few days the officers became aware that
a murderous plot was Matching, and
from that time forward hardly ever left
the deck, but armed with revolvers,
and kept a constant watch oil the do
ings OF the men. By the utmost Wig.
lance an outbreak was prevented until
January 18th, in latitude 30, after
rounding the Horn. The mate ordered
some work done which was refused,
and on the Captain desiring them to
come forward and state their cause o.
complaint, five men stepped forward
with daggers, turned OH the second Of
ficer and stabbed him In a dozen places,
The Captain and mate fired on the
mutineers, wounding two and driving
the rest into the ~forecastle, where, with
the assistance of the cook and steward,
the ringleadsrs were secured and
ironed. The wounded men afterward:
confessed that the whole re of six
teen had resolved to murder all the
officers except Capt. Reynolds compel
him to steer for Valparaiso, and when
in sight of that port throw him over
board, aud then dispose Of vessel ant
cargo. The latter portion OF the deSigI