The enterprise. [volume] (Harlem, Mont.) 1899-1926, 1910-06-01

be paid out of the debtors "hide" or his wages
Boarding masters of this class were petty ras-
GALS They dealt in men at retail. The brothers
John and Peter Sherman, of Irvington, on the Pa
cific coast, were of another type. They dealt in
men wholesale, shipped entire crews. Their
boarding houses were licensed by the govern
ment Captains bargained with them openly.
The shipping commissioner of the port winked
at their devious ways. A crowd of thugs,
ners and hangers-on served them and thrived by
their favor. They were men of substance and
owned controlled as part of their business
cry saloon, dance hall and resort in the crooked
streets and dark alleys about the wharves. Upper
lrvington drew deadline about the waterfront
and seldom ventured over it outside of business
hours. Jack and Pete Sherman we're kings of
Irvington's sailortown.
Every autumn big fleet of wind JAM
mers'-shps of 1000 to 5000 tons register-ying
off Irvington The wheat of the new northwest
was in their holds consigned to ports in Europe
or India, by way of the six-months' journey
round the Horn. The wheat feet Irvngton
called it, and when the wheat fleet came, upper
1rvington stirred itself, sailortown reused to
vicious life and the sailortown kings reaped
harvest of blood money.
No captain shipped crew from 1rvington
til he had done business with the kings and paid
their price. Captain Brown, of the bark Carmar-
thaenshire, learned that to his cost. He put into
1rvington for cargo at time when ships were
plenty and men hard to get. He was uncon-
cerncd, for his men had been shipped in England
and would not be discharged until the home port
was reached. Captains of deep-laden vessels ~.
ing in the stream eyed the Carmarthaenshire's
crew enviously. Jack Sherman quietly sent
man or two aboard the "limejuicer' to visit and
smuggle in forbidden whisky. BY twos and
threes Captain Browns crew left him and were
hidden about saortown. The 1rvngton police
were asked to bring them back, but however hard
they looked for deserters they didn't find any.
Then one dark night the rest of the crew van
ished the side, to the last man, after knock
ing the breath out Of Captain Brown and tricng
the mate up to the main fiferail. And before the
astonished captain could recover breath enough
to roar for claw Jack and Pete Sherman had his
men shipped in of the waiting vessels and
away. Next day the captain waited by
the kings, who blandy offered to find him new
crew-at $50 the man. He roared agan-to the
British consul to his shipping agents, to the po-
lice, who sympathetic but helpless. Nobody
could be found to even hint that the kings had
any hand in the affair and the shipping commits
soner's records were clear He had shipped no
deserters that he knew Of
But Captain Brown swore that If he couldn't
get back his men, or get the dogs of justice to
even bark at the kings, he at least would pay
them no blood money for a new crew. So he
went to another port and brought a crew to
Iryington by steamer. His bark was hauled out
into the stream aud her crew kept close in her
forecastle That night she was boarded by
masked men. who swept her new crew over the
bows into the stream Gossip had it that some
Of them were drowned. Captain Brown gave up
and paid the Sherman boys SIS instead of $50
each for crew, and put to sea in hurry.
"Thev're heedin swine. but they're kings Of