The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1897-10-17
sHYL0CKs
Bootless Efforts to Weed Him Out Of the
Army and Navy Have Failed.
GET RICH At HIS MATES EXPENSE
In tho Navy He is Called n sssix.Por.
Five Man" and Ira tho Army IIe ~
Known ms "iho screw" or ..sh,,
lock" and tho Degree of His srsury
is Variable.
WashinSton Starr

me enlisted banker is an institu-
ION ooth in the army and in the navy.
countless efforts to weed him out of
Doth services have failed. He is some
times suppressed for q brief period when
MS sense OF security becomes 50 heavy
ana lnsistent that they can't be longer
>otlclally ignored, but he always hobs IN
serenely and openly, after pursuing his
Shylock-like business on the quiet for
time.
Inc enlisted banker Is soldier sailor
: OF marine who wakes opulcm on the
prodigality Of his fellows-nyt infre
quently, indeed, upon the reclSleesness
OF ms superior officers. lie is a money
lender who often gets rich at the cxpense
Of the spendthrfts In both services. In
the navy he is called q x-for-five
man., the difference of one In the fig
ureS OF the term indicating the interest
ne charges for the loan of So for n month
lie could as we'll be called 4 twelve for
ten. or tWentyfour for twenty" man
Tor on all the ships Of the navy his
interest charges are the same In the
army he Is known as "the screw" or the
"Shylock." and the degree of his usury
is variable, depending altogether upon
the comparative Eolvency of the men
VINO have permitted themselves to be-
come entangled In his net, and upon
their rank and standing as we'll. There
is scarcely ship in the United States
navy that has not among its crew one
Or more bankers. There is scarcely n
company, troop or battery In the United
States army whose muster roll does not
contain the names Of one or more bank
ers. The navy banker lis in most cases
the paymaSter's yeoman OF n ship. The
paymaster's yeOman is n chief petty
officer, who acts as clerk and all-round
assistant to the paymaster and pay
ha n far hoty ~ 1Htp
cd for single cruises, who attends to
about seven-tcnths of the paymastcr's
duties. The paymaster's yeoman is the
actual custodian Of q warship'S money.
lie attends to the bulk OF the paymaS-
.er's clerical work, is paid $50 n month,
and has an accountant, In order TO make
out the innumerabe paymasters' reports
OF money and stores served out demand
ed by the navy department.
In general the paymasters' yeomen
who are bankers, lend out their own
money. The paymaster's yeoman of n
gunboat now on the Pacific station, is
said to have made nearly $1,000 rs q
banker in the course of two cruises,
during which he has worn the chief
petty officers uniform as Il paymaster's
striker" He Is cautious Welshman,
an Observation-Disclosures "a Jack-oC-thc
dust Is paymaster's ycoman's under
strapper, who attends 40 the labor of
serving out stores), and every time he
has been "called to the mast" by the
commanding officer to clear himself of
the charge of usury he has done It, lie
has never undergone q days punish
ment for his shylock work, and me Will
coon retire from the navy to enjoy n Very
fair fortune at n home which he has
purchased in Brooklyn. And yet the
sort of business by which he has gath
cred his hoard is expressly forbidden in
the regulations OF the navy
This man is type of the navy money
maker. He not only engages in money
lending at enormous interest but he Is
ships purveyor. lie has charge of the
paymaster's store rooms, as all paymas-
tiers yeomen do, and, when his ship is
about ITO start off on n cruise, he loads
these Storerpoms up with canned eata-
bles, scores OF boxes of them. and then
stands by until the ship puts in at a
starvation port" like those of Central
America, on the west coast, for instance,
where decent food for the mems mcsscs
cannot be had for love or money. Then
comes this yeoman's opportunity. He
breaks out his canned goods and sells
Them ITO tho Dluejackcts and marines for
from 20 to 90 cents per Can-Stuff for
which he has paid on the average about
cents per can. There Is great amount
OF money in this business, for the hun
cry Sailorman is bound to feed himself
If he can, especially If he may do it on
credit-and the yeoman only collects
for his canned goods when monthly
money is served out. For very obvious
reasons, this paymaster's ycomnn suf-
fers great wrethchedneSs of mind and
soul when his ship Is ordered to ports
Where gOod food is cheap.
This ships purveying, however,
which Is, OF course, strictly forbidden,
and which the officers rarely know any,
thing about, Is only q side issue of the
paymaster's yeoman,s regular business
of money lending. NO matter how much
money man-of-wars men draw from
the paymaster each month, about three
fiGths of them are pretty certain to 20
broke within week after payday. One
shore liberty Sufllces to empty the
pockets of most OF them. Then, for n
while, when the ship is in port, where
Joy is TO be found, these spendthrifts
watch the more saving men go over the
gangway on liberty and become rest
less They want to go, too, but they
have no money, and n shore liberty
without at least one piece OF gold in his
pocket Is something the b!uejacket can't
see through. Finally his longing for the
delights Of the beach takes complete
possession of him. and there Is nothing
for him to do but to make q visit to the
pay Office, aft, for negotiations with tho
ships banker. If he abides In the
bankers good graces he comes away
happy. the little bag around his neck,
under his shirt a-clink; but IL, on the
contrary, his time is nearly out, or IT,
at any TING in his whole naval career,
he has ever been guilty Of q little back.