The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1897-10-24
HOW MEN ARE SHANGHAlED
Victims of Kidnapers Who Appe al
to Washington.
A MAN FROM GALVESTON GOT EVEN
NIis Abductor Heavily Fined ana
Sent to PrisOn--An Arizona Dad
Man Wrealxs Vengeance.
Washington Correspondence New York

Washington Correspondence New York
Sun.
The officials OF the consular bureau of
the state department figure on receiving
every year certain number of COM
plants from shanghaied men all over the
world. In recent years not SO many are
shanghaied from American ports as there
cases to cause tho state department a
good deal OF bother The best that can
be done by the shanghaied men, as a rule.
Is to authorize the consul at the port from
which he sends his tale of woe to fur
nish him transportation back to the United
States, and this can only be done in
cases where the shanghaied man has not
permitted himself to be bulldozed by the
skipper Of the ship that took him away
from this country to sign ships articles
for the cruise. When the shanghaied man
thus gets himself down In black aud white
there Is rarely any redress for him when
he gets back to the United States. Ilo
may wait on the pier for the ship that
took him away to como back again and
have papers of arrest served upon the
skipper for unlawful detention or kid
mapping, but when the skipper gets before
to produce the articles signed ander duress
by the shanghaied man TO secure his re-
lease from custody. IL Is only when some
young man OF good family falls victim
TO the shanghaier that there Is a moderate
chance OF punishment falling ulon the
ship captain.
Such a case happened at Galveston three
years ALTO. Angus Burrill was navigating
from his club to his home early nne mcrn-
iYat an I, pAI of.I hna,y lp
He fell in with rough looking citizen
in cardigan Jacket and a peaked cap. and
presently found himself impIblng law red
liquor In a dive beneath sailors board
ing house on the water front. I his was
the last OF his consciousness ntil he awoke
In a bunk In the forecastle OF the bark
entine Santa Monica; the had-eysd, cnrd-
gan acketed man was assisting him to
awake by cloutlng him on me side " the
head, and Burrill soon discovered that he
was addressing his first mate. ghe Santa
Monica was by this time 100 miles from
Galveston on her voyage 10 Odessa, Rus
sla. with a cargo OF iignum vitae.
Burrill went to work like little man
and did not emit whmper He was
sensible young fellow when his head was
clear, and when he saw how he was In
for 1t, he buckled down. sawed wood and
did his work up to the handle. He made
a pretty good seaman, for he had been one
of Galveston's leading yachtsmen, and he
exhibited such philosophical content over
the situation that the skipper and mates
spared him OF the cruelties ordinarily In
fiictei upon shanghaied men. Whom they
drew up able seamans papers for him 10
sign he signed them unmurmuringly
shanghaied men do not get shore liberty,
but young Burrill took 1t when the ship
cast her mudhook In Odessa harbUr. He
promptly jumped the ship by swimming
ashore. In Odessa he operated the Cable
got some money from Galveston and re-
turned to The United States. The Santa
Monica turned up in New Orleans barbor
six months later. Young Burrll ana his
people were waiting for her. and the skip
per got a year In prison and a $4,000 fine,
and was deprived OF his captains papers
The case was exceptional and the young
man would unquestiOnably have been
obliged 10 forego the joys Of vengeance
had he not had powerful backing
Whea, as occasionally happens, ths
shanghaied man stubborniy refuses to sign
articles, enduring all the torture that Ia
inflicted upon him on account OF his re-
fueal. for the purpose OF establishing his
case when he gets back 10 the United
States, the skppors story bstore the
United States commissioner Is that the
shangbaied man was stowaway. This
story Is becoming pretty threadbare, the
absurdity OF II becoming altogether too
patent. II is only ships with a bad name
among sailors that are reduced TO tho
necessity OF patching out tlieir crews with
shanghaled men. and no man with ordinary
common sense would stowaway on such "A
chip, 70 matter how urgent his desire 10 get
away from land or how prodigious his
laundering for life or the ocean wave.
San Francisco is the worst city In the
United States for shanghsing. and about
IS per cent Of the shanghaied men who