The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-11-29

I've 1housasa Chinese and Other ORR
entails Whs Live by Catching shrinp.

- tlltA1ts - a8aA III
scattered about the margins Of Grand
AXE Little lake and the musically
named Cheniere caminda In q strange
coiony. the bare existence of which II
PracticaIiy unknown. IL numbers, all
toid. at least 1000 people. three-fourths
y. wnom are Chinese n the rest
Maniiamen n unclassifiabIe mon
grels. They live in brush wood camps
near the edge Of the water. their hab-
It's are incredibly simple and semi-sav-
age their business Is the CATCH
ing and drying OF shrimp.
inns singular settlement recently
came to the surface in some litigation.
on the calendar Of the local courts.
over the ownership of a piece OF ad-
Jacent property. but the industry has
oeen quietly pursued, from time out
OF mind. In almost unbroken isolation.
us product In never seen In the New
orleans market, but Is shipped direct
TO a Francisco and New York and
consumed entirely by the Chinese. At
certain seasons the shrimp are caught
py the millions In rude hand nets and
spread In layers On platforms. built
over the surface of the water. The hot
sun o shrivels them up and they
become ~desiccated. When thoroughly
dry they are brown and brittle and
nav = sweet. nutty ' that Is far
from disagreeable. In this condition
they are packed loosely In barrels
holding about $50 pounds each and
sent TO native merchants on Mott and
Doyers streets I'm New York and to the
famous Chinatown Of Frisco. At
both places they are in lively demand
are eaten either as condiments.
wfthou further preparation, or with a
curry Of rice. Even American barbar-
IAN n them very good.
The scene at the shrimping m
Is so strangely oriental that II Is hard
for a visitor to realize that he Is in
the neighborhood of a big American
city. As a matter of fact the industry
In imported, and exactly the same pro-
cess of fishing and drying is pursued
on a vast scale I'm China. Almost all
the colonists come from families of
shrimpers and when they save sufii-
cient money to return to the Flowery
Kingdom and send back relatives to
take their places. There are thousands
OF common Chinese fans In the stores
OF New Orleans bearing pictures of
shrimp fieshers m dryers. and, no
doubt, many a purchaser has puzzled
over the queer daubs and
what 1t all meant. The same thing
precisely could be witnessed by max
ing a trip to h outlying bayous of
Grand lake.
Secluded as they have been. the liti-
cation already referred to Is not the
first event that has brought the Chi
nese shrimpers to the attention OF New
Orleans officials. About IL years ago
a tremendous row was raised at the
poston1ce over some unknown matter
that was tainting the mails with a pc
culiar and villainous odor. The trail
being as evident as the aura of a
soap oundry. the government sleuths
were not greatly overworked in fol-
lowing II TO certain mysterious parcels
decorated all over with Monaghan hi
e~roglyphics. The bundles contained
dried shrimp. prepared after a special
and odoriferous formula, and sent as
tidbits to friends of the colony. Need
Iess 10 say, they were promptly confs-
Gated under the rules of the postal SER
vice, but the mailing went on. to a
wild chorus OF public protest. until it
was stopped by a peculiar incident.
One day the superintendent was PASS
ing his window just as a Chinaman
dropped a tabooed parcel in the slot.
The official was a man of action. Crab
bling the package. he hurled it instantly
at the retreating Celestial. who turned
Just in time to stop IL with his nose.
The Chinaman emitted a howl OF an
guish, and from that day to his not
a single shrimp has ever perfumed the
nails.
But the most remarkable story con-
nected with the shrimpers Is that of
AahtS ~ . n ut SlOE1
and so curious in its details and so
grotesquely sinister in It's denouement
that IL might easily be elaborated into
a striking romano of Anglo-Oriental
life. However, the plain facts are
these:
About seven years ago a Chinese
prince of blood came to New Orleans
for his health. He was not III. but he
had reasons for believing that he might
live longer III he removed himself tenn
porarily from the n~eighborhood of the
court and enjoyed a complete change
or diet. Exactly what these reasons
were nobody knows. for. like all ORR
entails, he kept his own counse strict
~, but IL was limited i'm the Chinese
colony that he had taken too active
an interest In politics. n was regard
ed at Pekin as an offensive partisan.
Strangely enough. the news of his
presence here never got into the pa
pers. but there was no doubt whatever
OF his genuineness. Those Americans
who met him in connection with GER
tain business transactions found him a
cultured. superbly educated and thor
oughly accomplished man of the world.
His Official robes. which formed part
or an extensive luggage. were such
gorgeous affairs as are seldom seen
outside the sacred circles OF tina court.
They were made of silk of the wonder
full weave reserved for the royal house.
to counterfeit which means death. and
were stin with intricate embroidery.
He had besides a multitude of strange
and beautiful trinkets. carvings I'm jade
and ivory. splendid rams. inlaid work
as delicate as frost. caskets crusted
with silver hligree and a hundred and
one other things. all attestlng his
taste. position and at least former
wealth. But in spite of these numer-
Gus evidences OF luxurious habits, the
prince was a very business like gen.
tleman. and he proceeded at once to
beguile his exile by obtaining an In
terest i'm the largest shrimpery on
Grand lake. He had the sagacity to
assume charge OF the books. which
he kept with such skill that at the end
of six months they clearly demonstrate
ed that he owned the entire property
and was entitled TO all the profits OF
the season. Edgar NJ. Calm OF the