The southern sentinel. (Winnfield, La.) 1883-1910, 1904-01-15
saANcHA11NG oYsTERMEN.
Tricks ~ which sailors
Dredges ON ChesaPeake nas
Are Obtained.

This * the time of the year "nen
tales OF the shanghaiing OF men
the oyster dredging vessels on ~
cbesaneake bay reach the ears OF 'ne
poltimore police. Formerly the snans
ba;inp was done with violence. No~
II is a kind of confidence game say
a recent account from Baltimore.
..This is the way 1t is done. salu
police Captain League. "A runner ior
one of the shipping firms stroiis aione
the water front and finally sees nlan
who seems to be looking for employ
ment He approaches him in TACT
ful manner and inquiries If he wants "
make a little money. The answer -
generally YES spoken about as qu'N
" nc a man can get the words out VI
| his mouth. .,.
".Wer,' says the shipping agent
| runner. becoming confidential, kno"
Of a way we can turn a couple OF doi-
lars I'm looking for men to snip "
the oyster beds. Well get two doiiars
| for each man. a dollar for me anu
| dollar for you. if you'll help me. Al
we have to do is to find a man wnos
looking for work, take him down ~
the Office and get him shipped aooaru
the vessel. Then we go back 10 sno.e
| and collect the money.
"Just about this time along CONES
the runners confederate. sauntefins
around the wharves with the manner
of an idle man. The runner calls the
attention of the stranger to the second
actor and intimates that he Is POSSIBLY
candidate for berth on an oyster
dredger.
Together the runner and the man
he has picked up approach the conied-
crate. After little conversation the
proposition is made and the conIed-
crate accepts it. The trio have severai
rounds of drinks, paid for by the run
ner, and then they go to the shipping
Office
There the prospective victim is toto
that he must sign for the man ne mas
shipped. He does SO. II he cannon
read or write he makes his mark on
the agreement. He is told that sec
ond paper must be signed aboard the
. oyster boat.
Then the runner and the man who
. is really the victim. but who thinks ne
has ensnared another man. are rowec
out to the oyster dredger. After they
get aboard the victim is decOyed int
the cabin by the captain. the runner
and his confederate jump into theil
boat and row ashore. and after they
, are once away the real victim Is TOLD
j that he has shipped for certain
period.
. IF he kicks, as he always does. D.
is shown the shipping agreement
: which he has signed or marked unde
the impression that he signed for an
other man. When a man gets shang
, hailed in such a manner he is not en-
! titled to sympathy, and as rul
!, doesn't get any more than is coming
s to him.
, Frequently men are decoyed upol
r oyster vessels by being told that the
e are wanted for one trip down the bay
J. and are promised large wages. Ate
5 they get down on the oyster beds the
i are transferred from one vessel to an
/. other, and the trip. instead of lastin
& ten days or two weeks, continues unit
I l the close of the season.
o 1.-THE work Is, of course, hard in tn
8 winter time; but, then, it is not 8
: hard or so dangerous as sailors iii
e aboard a coasting vessel at the sam
!; season of the year. For man in goo
/ physical condition, oyster dredging
not terrible labor.
d OF course, there are brutal captains
r unfit food and filthy sleeping quarter
v on many boats, but there are ais
. many boats on which entirely diffsreT
n conditions prevail"
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