Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-05-13
The Last Haunt
Of Shanghai
By FRANK T. BULLEN.

KTANY people win wonder what the
tNt curious verb converted from noun
Of place which ends the title of this
article may import and why the name OF
the principal treaty port of China should
have passed into verb at ALL AS to the
latter l frankly confess ignorance. unless
II was for the obvious reason that the
labouinable practice known as shanghai
ing there first assumed anything like great
proportions But when we come to the
meaning of the verb 1 am at once on IA
miliar ground and find explanation exceed
ingly easy. In The boldest sense shanghai
ing is to the merchant service what the
press gang used to be to the navy. That Is
in its effect upon the sufferers. But where
as the abominable system of the press-gang
had all the force Of law behind it. and the
pressed man might be seized anywhere, kid
mapped while engaged in his lawful occupa-
lions or indeed wherever he might be found
shanghaiing was always Illegal and only
hourished where law either did not exist
or where, as in America, it's operations
were land are) capricious and entirely UNI
reliable.
The mode of operations of these engaged
In this truly dlabolicaI traffic were SIM
pIicty itself. q say were because although
the practice is still carried on, II is hardly
as crude in its methods as it used to be).
"A so-called boarding master, that is ruff
nan who kept a boarding house for sea-
men, received commission to procure for
an outward bound ship certain number
of sailors. For each one he would demand
a certain sum, but that sum by no means
satisfied his desire for gain. The ostensible
contract with the seaman specified that he
was to receive a certain portion OF his
wages, usually two months. in advance.
Now seamen being proverbially foolish and
easily led, 1t was seldom difficult to lure
them to the boarding house, generally with
the promise OF drink, give them in that
drink a powerful opiate, and then convey
them on board the vessel, receive their adj
vance notes under any pretext or none,
forge their signature or mark te the SHIPS
articles and retire. When the victim re-
turned to consciousness he would be far.
far al sea and compelled to make the best
of his very bad bargain.
This was the simplest form of shanghai
ing as carried on in American ports. Oc-
'casionally, of course, a sober seaman was
encountered who did not desire drink and
who being quite aware of the system was
anxious to have nothing 10 do with either
the boarding master or his myrn1ldons. IN
their righteous anger at such recaicftrancy
these worthless never hesitated ID use such
force as they deemed necessary TO reduce
the seaman to Inconsistencies, secure in
she knowledge that he was power'less to re-
taliate against the overwhelming force they
brought against him. and certain of their
Immunity from legal interference, since as
IDey DOdSlSU, bptH pollCe anu Juu6Co "SlO
in their pay The well-organized shang-
hal boarding house was situated over the
water and when business was brisk it was
no uncommon thing for Jack to be met in
the street and invited inside to have a
drink, be stunned, dropped through a trap
door into boat, and taken off toward
ship, all within the space of half an hour
"A step farther in the business was one
only brought to perfection in such places
as Callao, San Francisco and Portland, Ore.
A ship would arrive from over seas, her
crew having probably several months
wages due to them. No sooner was she at
anchor than she was boarded by gang
OF ruffians who, utterly ignoring the mas
ter and officers, went forward and invited
the crew to leave the ship, telling them OF
course how high the wages were out OF the
port. OF course liquor was freely ten
dered in order that compliance might be
easy. But If poor Jack felt dislneilned 10
leave his, ship, thinking perhaps of his hard
iy earned wages and knowing the unsaV-
DRY reputation of the port, other methods
ssere instantly resorted to. Revolvers were
produced and the hapless crew, terrorized
ipto submission were literally driven over
81 side, their clothes hastily scrabbied
0sether and flung after them and away
Oley went-to find themselves reshipped
probably the same night on board of some
other vessel with two months advanced
wages In the hands OF the boarding master.
The ship they had been stolen from would
be supplied IN the same way. and SO the
merry little game went on.
But it may well be asked, why did not
the crews or at least the officers resist
such Infamous treatment. quite equal to
the worst slave-raiding or even piracy.
Well, principally because in these great
ports of the land of the free and the home
of the brave such uncomfortable rufflans
formed a close corporation and 1t was prac-
tically certain that any such resistance,
especially II any hurt to the pirates re-
suited. would be followed by an organized
raid upon the ship or attack upon the Off
GERS going ashore on business. and murder
would probably result. This Is no fancy