Sentence:  "The World Went Very Well Then"—in the high and palmy days of the <WSD>crimp</WSD>, the pirate, the press-gang, and the smuggler—is a case in point. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  An agent who procures seamen, soldiers, etc., especially by seducing, decoying, entrapping, or impressing them.