Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1900-10-18
A few years ago when the smaller sail-

A few years ago " hen the smaller sail-
ing vessels used to make frequent voy-
ages to this port for cotton cargoes the
police authorities had troubles of their
own in trying to stop "shanghai-ing" of
sailors, which was so common at that
time. 1t was not an easy matter to pick
up a crew, and sailor people were not
friendlily disposed toward the slow ships
which came in. Offers of big wages had
to be made, and even this failed some
times to bring the results wanted. Be
sides, the ship people were not inclined to
pay big wages when by little shrewd
and clever work they could shanghai
crew for nothing.
In the little barrooms which flourished
along the water front poor unfortunate
devils were drugged and smuggled aboard
ship at night to wake up with eNcruclat-
ing pains when the ship was rocking ner
way on the deep. That waking was not
q pleasant moment. Negroes were fire.
Quently gathered in the nets, but the cap
tains seemed to prefer white men. The
custom was dropped somewhat after
young preacher had been shanghaied and
carried to st. Petersburg. He managed
to write home months later Of his adven-
ture, when his family and friends had
given him up for dead. The preacher told
of his hard life on the ship and the inves
tigation as to the cause of his being taken
off frightened the shanghai crowd so that
it was less dangerous for strangers to
prowl along the water front.
Once a corpse was shanghaied. There
was a captain of bark who came here
on frequent trips and who was consider
ed the most brutal man that ever sailed
ship. He never hired a crew because
they all knew him too well, and he had tC
change his customs in order to keep
few good men. But the recruits had to
suffer- One night tramp staggered in
to a water front bar and shivered as he
tried to hug the stove. A man who no.
ticed him saw that he was dying. The
poor fellow, killed by drink, staggered in
to the street again and died. Two men
considered the swiftest things known
here in the shanghai-ing line saw the
chance of few dollars, and the body
was quickly stolen. The bad captain
had already offered them good pay fol-
recruits. but they had failed to find any.
The ship was to sail the next morning
At midnight the two experts walked ur
the gangplank with the mutied figure. II
was slowed away. 1--WE gave him big
dose" said the men, "and you must not
wake him for SO hours" They got theil
pay and left the ship.
When the time was up, the captain had
the figure dragged out He kicked il
when it did not rise Other kicks failed
to move it. Then he saw the man was
dead, and the body was tossed overheard
without ceremony. The captain thought
the man had died aboard ship, and moth
ing was said. But when he got back to
Charleston some months later and heard
of the fake he was fighting mad and re
fused to take subjects from Charleston
ever afterward.
The business now is not what it used
to be, and larger vessels with more busi
nesslike methods are sent here for cot
ton. With the disappearance of the
smaller craft there is little or no shang
hai-ing, and the men who made a living
by drugging unfortunates have quit the
feld.-CharIestoD Letter in Atlanta Con
stitution.