Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-03-12
HE WAS ,.sH 4NGHA1ED."
How a Man Was Kidnapped and Carried
to the Oyster Beds.
From 10 Nelo YORK Sta'


'PVe been 'shanghaied,' " said seedy.
looking, weatner-heaten man, as he en-
deayored to get on all sides OF the hot
stove in Chatham street saloon at the
same time. He wore a pilot jacket,
threadbare and buttonless, a pair OF
trousers that lad made successful efforts
to retreat from well-worn shoes, and a
SLOUGH hat whose days of respectability
had long since passed. His ears were
tied up in piece of red flannel. "Pve
had about the toughest experience a man
can have, l reckon" he said, moOdily,
and then as several men in the saloon
evinced curiosity as to his experience, he
proceeded to enlighten them.
81 live in Will.amsport, Md, :" he began,
land was employed in LemmOn's grocery
store. Last October l went on a spree,
and wound it up, dead broke in a saloon
in Light street, Baltimore. When l was
sober enough to know what | was about
the saloon keeper said owed him over IS
for drinks and board. 1 felt In my pockets
and found only a few cents. My watch
was gone also. | suppose l had been
robbed. l told the man this, but he said
that unless ] paid him he would have me
arrested. While we were quarreling a
man who had been drinking with
two companions at a table came
the disturbances. / told him. Without
a word he took money from his pocket,
paid the bill, and asked me TO take a
drink with him. l did so, and sitting
down at the table we had several more.
reckon the liquor was 'crOOked,' for it
put me to sleep. l remember nothing
more until found myself--as | atterward
learned-in the hold of the oyster pungy
Jane K. l was sick from the effects of my
destination and tho O6nr the hilUa
water made me worse. The hold was as
dark as midnight, aud could not find my
way out. AT first ] wondered at the mo-
tiOn felt, and then began to realize that
| was on a vessel, and one that was under
wav.
when l listened could hear the gurg-
ling Of the water, and guessed - only too
truly-that / had been shanghaied.
had often read the newspaper accounts OF
how men had been kidnapped and carried
to the oyster beds in the Chesapeake.
When | thought OF the suffering in store
for me | tried to get out. l climbed up
the ladder and eRdeRvored to force off the
hatch. had succeeded in slightly NOV
ing it, when it was raised and | was
struck on the back of my head. When |
recovered consciousness l was lying in
the hold and two men were bending over
me. One was the man who paid my bill
in the saloon, and the other negro.
When l sat up my acquaintance, who
proved to be the captain, said: Thought
you had finished him, Sam, hanged If l
didn't / asked where l was, when the
captain said that when l went to sleep in
the saloon he had me taken on board the
pungy.
"'YOu were dead drunk, and only
wanted to take care Of you. ! guess you
can work out that's on the trip; then you
can 60 where you please begged to be
put ashore, but he only laughed. | cursed
him and he Knocked me down. This was
the beginning. / was sent TO the fOrecas-
tie, and the first work | did was to take
an hours turn at the pump. The pungy
was then below Seven foot knoll. Sam
was a decent sort of a fellow, but it was
rough to have to sleep in the bunk
Potomac and anchored over the
oyster beds, where dredging is illegal.
All the first night we worked hard, and
took in good many oysters. just about
daybreak the oyster police boat was
sighted and we departed. During the
frat two months or so the work was hard
and we were treated badly; but 1t was a
holiday in comparison to what we went
through afterward. Whenever the pungy
was loaded l was lent to some other
dredgeT until the Jane could get back.
In this way l had no chance TO escape.
"When cold weather set in and every
thing was frozen up our sutferngs were
dreadful. Half frozen, and with nothing
to eat but oysters, / was taken ill and
could not work. This did not make any
difference with the brutal Captain-his
name was Jim Woodland many a kick
and blow | got from him. Often have
been on deck for hours chopping ice away,
with stiff northwestern blizzard howl
ing around me, or working at the wind
lass with the spray flying all over me,
freezing as fast as it struck. Itmakes me
cold now when l think OF it. But haven't
told you the worst yet. Look at this.'
The man took the piece of flannel of his
ears. Both had been frozen and presented
a horrible appearance.
81 got that from standing lookout" he
said. "YOu see, the Captain was always
afraid OF the oyster police, as the pungy
was not registered. Well, | managed to
live through it all, and would probably
be there yet il an accident hadn't hap
pened to me. One cold day two OF us
were at the windlass, when we lost our
holds. AS the handle flew around it
struck my right arm below the elbow,
breaking the small bone. Even then the
Captain wouldn't put me ashore, as he
was afraid would report him to the DO.
lice. One or the men set my arm
as well as he could. 1t healed,
but will never be strong again. You
can feel where it was broken. Finding
that | was useless to him Capt. Wood
took the first opportunity of getting rid
of me. One day when a three masted
schooner lay becalmed about tnree-quar-
tiers Of mile from the pungv, he told me
to get into the small boat and 90 with
him. Sam rowed us over TO the schooner
and the Captain and l went aboard her.
The Captain talked with the schOOner's
Captain for few minutes. When ] came
back Capt. Woods boat was 100 feet
away from us.
THAT'S all right said the schooner's
Captain, go below did so, wondering
what was coming next. In about an hour
l was sent for and told that part OF my
passage had been paid 10 Boston, and that
/ could work out the rest. When We
reached Boston left the boat. 1 begged
enough to pay my way here, and now
want 10 raise funds to go home"
After taking up a subscription among
themselves one OF the men went out. In
a few minutes be returned With a railroad
ticket 70 Baltimore, and found the man
eating a hearty lunch given by the saloon
keeper. He was prOfuse in his thanks,
and picking up his forlorn hat left the
railway station guided by q small boy
As he opened the door he said: II reckon
my wife ana little ones think that / am
dead. They haven't heard a word from
al 1 Iaff aN