New-York tribune., 1902-05-19
THE CRIMES OF THE CRIMPS
oUTRAGEs COMMITTED BY SAILORS
BOARDING HOUSE KEEPERS.
UNEAsINEss IN CHERRYTOWN As a RE
SUIT OF THE CRUSADE PLANNED ~
MISSIONARY ORGANIZATIONS.

when Cherrvtown-that part Of NewYOrk in
which the majority Of the seventy-fNe sailors
boarding houses are situated-learned throngh
The Tribune that war OF eXternlia-
tion was 10 be waEed against her most
influential citizens The keepers of those
houses, there more or less uneasiness Inc
merchants who with the assistance Of the
1crimps.' sell sailors cheap clothes at high
prices were troubled. The keepers Of cigar
stores which in Cherrytown deal in other things
than tobacco. were frightened. Even the board
ing house keepers usually full Of contempt for
the law, 10 whom fear of any sort is supposed
10 be foreign were worried they have not
been since they stopped fighting among them
selves. Only a few Of them would talk. and
these few will be silenced if the wise members
of the Sailor Trust can do it.
These mission people going bit too far,
said one of the Irish-American 'crmps" yester-
day afternoon, IF they make on us We
have not tried to make trouble for their mis-
rions. and interfered with their temperance
boarding houses only when il matter Of
legitimate business. What kick have they got
coming 10 them?"
why, We even let our boarders go TO their
meetings and get a little religion said the mas
ter Of a Cherry-st. house. we don't mine their
preaching. but if they go TO making any more
trouble for us-weIl, we've fought ever since We
was kids, and ] just about guess we can die
fighting"
POLICE MAY BE INVOLVED.
Any general investigation of the Cherry-st-
district will probably bring to light much eVi-
dence Of interest to those who are trying TO
purify the Police Department. A short time ago
a careful investigation conducted by one Of the
associations at work among the sailors showed
that liquor was being sold in more than fifty
places without license, and with utter disregard
OF the other saloon regulations. There are many
disorderly houses in the district. and il is one
Of the few parts of the city in which such places
have been permitted under a cigar store dis
guise. The evidence collected at this time has
been preserved, and VIII he the basis of future
Investigation
There was a time when CherTytoWn would
have laughed at the idea of a successful war
being waged on the boarding houses. The ring.
or association Of keepers. was factor in poll
tics, and every keeper had q pull with Tam
many. and in consequence. more or less protec-
ton from the police and magistrates. There was
4 fund in the bank TO buy off complaining wit
nesses and to pay fines when they were imposed,
which was not often.
In the last two years they have suffered seY-
sral hard blows. New laws have been passed.
and old statutes which had become dead letters
have been enforced. Strenuous effort on the
part of societies which endeavor To protect sail
ors has practically broken up the practice of
boarding ships in the stream and taking off
members of the crew after providing them with
wlliskey. No longer can they collect heavy al
iotments. and their efforts to evade this par
ticular law have resulted in many costly fines. If
sailor gets out of their clutches. they are no
longer successful in holding his clothes for the
extravagant board bills which they have scored
Up against him.
Worse than all the laws that have been passed
was the trouble within the combination. which
resulted in bitter factional war. lasting over
year. They are now working under truce.
but il is a weak one and likely 10 break in case
Of serious trouble
The boarding masters have feared crusade
ever since Albert Childs, runner for the Prot
gstant Episcopal Salers' Home killed Patrick
Malone, who had a reputation among the crimps
Of being the hardest "bruiser' on the water
front. The day of the murder they started to
raise a fund 10 push the prosecution Of Childs
The leaders stopped this movement by pointing
out that it would bring undue publicity. Since
then they have been keeping quiet The runners
for the several mission homes have not been
bothered, in the hope that the threatened attack
from the mission organization would be post
!. poned
n NO LACK OF EVIDENCE.
~ The proposed crusade need not fail. however.
criminal practices until the storm which threat
ems them blows over. There is no lack Of evi-
dence against them for past crimes. Sailors are
continually coming back TO this port with tales
Of robbery, assault and mistreatment commit
ted when they shipped. months before. In
fact, most of the crimes OF the crimps dis
covered in this way or by letters which the sail
ors send back from the first port at which they
touch.
l. ff1a n
British ship westgate, for instance 1t was sent
from Hong Kong, signed by fifteen sailors, and
attracted considerable attention at the time 1t
tells in plain words how the crimps rob their
victims and force them to go to sea- even if the
victims discover the robbery before the ship
sails.
In this particular the boarding house
keepers collected SIS for the first months ad-
vance and an allotment Of $50 besides. The sail
ors discovered that they had been robbed while
the ship was still in the Lower Bay and refused
70 go TO work until they had the British
Consul The captain said he would go ashore
after that official The rest of it is best told in
the words Of the round robin which says:
Between = and ] o'clock while we were eating
our dinner. the captain came on board IN the tug
eight boarding masters ana Cherry-st. puEilists.
And these were the men the captain brought on
board 10 represent the British Consul.
They came TO the forecasue and called US out one
room and sign another paper, saying that the S36
the advance Was 10 be deducted out OF our
wages The men Who refused to sign as
saulfed and they had 10 sign the papers. same as
the rest. Glennons builies compelled turn
10 by force, and told us if tried TO 80 ashore
they would Hex our bloody heads of When our
ship started get unde" way a small steam ferry
came alongside and took Glennon and the Cherry
81. knockers-out ashore During the time this was
going the captain walking the poop with
the pilot and the chief Officer standing on the
main deck. both within sight and hearing. and
neither said nothing
NEARLY KILLED A MISSIONARY.