Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-07-23
CHINAMEN on ICE.
The Smugrler Got Drunk and Forgot
All About Them.
From the Chicago He-ald.

From the Chicago He-ah
The midwinter fair has made a good many
Chicagcans acquainted with Characters and
stories of the Pacific coast. One of the best
OF these latter is that OF Jones' the pirate.
man with one leg and a bad breath. He Is
well known around the water front. though
where he got his title is by no means re-
vealed 1t has been some years since he
retired from active piracy on the Spanish
Main. where all good pirates hold forth. but
he has lost little of the bad reputation a
pirate may enjoy when IN active service.
Ten or twelve years ago he was in the serv-
ice of the Pacific Mail Steamship Company
as steerage steward on a China liner. He
was well qualified TO MI the position. as lie
could converse in eighteen Chinese dialects.
and had lost the sense OF smell.
Jones. the pirate soon found there v-ero
better ways of making money than tho
hacAneyed one OF smuggling opium, besides
Which. they were not contrary TO law. Tor
be 1t known that since Jones had left of
piracy and his right leg he was upright
citizen, when sober. lie turned his atten-
ton to the smuggling OF Cinnamon, for
there was then no exclusion act. and the
ceiestials were received without question at
the docks in San Francisco. Every trip he
brought over from six to ten Cinnamon.
whose passage money never reached the coz
fers OF the steamship company. Jones'
Pacific tourist route was well established.
trancisco-or. in fact. wherever Jones was.
He had one failing which has proved the
undoing Of many great man before ana
since. He loved strong liquor. The strong
er IL was the better he loved IL. lie didn't
care whether il was dispensed in the form.
of red-eye by Flanagan, on Brannan street.
in San Francisco, or san shu on the quay
at Hong Kong. IL was all good TO him
provided IL scraped and there was enough
OF it
Safe I'm the Ice Box.
OF course he had charge Of all the stores
with which TO feed the almond-eye1 iinmi-
grant SO 4: was al easy task for him to-
feed and stow away a few extra passengers
till the ship was well out on The blue wa
tiers of the Pacific. when he wcali turn
them loose among their 1880 cousins on.
board. all OF whom had paid their fare in
the regularly stipulated fashion. one trip
and IL WAS his last-Jones hid six Mon
golians without excess baggage IN his ships
ice box. which was well forward and deep
down In the hold. Some of their friends
who came to the wharf 90 see the snip on
left several bottles Of san shu with Jones.
who Faithfully promised to deliver IL TO tho
stowaways.
II is needless 70 say that they dii not
taste the liquor. for Jones promptly pro-
ceeded TO get drunk, succeeding 80 wen
that IL was three days before he recovered.
The ice box had not been entered. He I'm
meliately started 10 see about his SIX pas
senger3. They were right where he had
left theEl--but frozen SIN.
Here 4 Quandary. He could not re-
port the matter 10 the ships officers. FOR he
could not explain Their presence in the ice
box without telling lie, and that Jones
would not do. But. like another great man
who scoTned f2lschooo. Jones Was n man
Of resources Armed with n clcavcr. which
he had surreDtit;odsly borrowed from the
butcher. he returned 10 his silent 9assen-
gers in the dark reccsS@s OF the furehod
Undismaye1 by their unintentionslly chilly
reception. h. proceeded TO Glsrlbe them,
taking care nothing OF value in their clothes
should be overlooked. ana shen-iwe;l. then,
that night Jonec stumped twelve times up
the companionway ami dumped twelve big
runny sacks into the Pacific ocean.
Then he went hack 70 the store room and
drank the rest " the san shu. Nhilc in a
state OF coma which followed the drinking
some inquisitirc officers invaded his realm
and found the SIX suits OF clothes and the
cleaver. So. when the ship rcachcl san
Francisco. Jones. the Pirate. Was discharged
without the customary letter OF reconInen-
dation-