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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 7, 1900)
this illi;stiati:i) v,:: Men Who Go Down To Sea Some weeks ago n poor, half-starved tail presented himself al tin; American embassy In London ami toll! u Htory of extreme cruelty ami Inhuman treatment wlilcli lie claliiiud to have experienced on board a cattle Hhlp sailing lietween New York and London. Thin Htory rcHiiltcd In the Issuing of a warnlnn by the embassy to American pareiitH to keep their boys auay from cattle HhlpH. That there wim Home truth In the boy'H alienations iio hody who Iiiih hail any extierleme on a cattle Hhlp i an ilouhl 'our HtealiiHhlp Iiiich out of New York two out of II Ht mi and one out of I'hila delplilu Head an average of 1 Olio head ' lallle to Kuri pomi piirtH eai h week Tie IO.MII AKKINC FOIl TIIHIU cattle are cuiillneil In pcim on two dei k of theHc vohhoIh Approximately I ill load coiiiprlHe eaidi Hhipmeut Men mui I" lakcli along l feed and look after the cattle on the voyage. Formerly the cattle shippers Hiipplled the extra men to take caie of Hie cattle, pay -Ink I hem from $S to $11) for the trip. TIichc men are called "HtllfH." llecatlHi) of the Intemperate habllH of the only oIiihh of men who could be induced to Hhlp tills detail of (he IiuhIucss became hiicIi a nulHiince that the shippers decided lo give It up. la lale yeaiH there has grown up In ItH place an arrangement wllh an anon' at the port of Hhipmeut, who agreoH lo furiilHh a ilola of "HtltrH" for each Hhip meut. He Ih called a "Ht I If catcher." Ac cording to IhlH agreement the agent re celveH f- for each man Heciired and for each man short of I he number called for he payH the shippers a line of Ilia. IIchIiIi h recelvliiK $1! a man the "Htll'f calcher" ro talliH the privilege of Hwlndllnn the un furl uuatcH, whiiHe circumstances make traveling In hiicIi a nmiiner neceHsary, out of iih much iih he can. I'IihI flitch l .still." In order to secure IiIh material the "Hlllf catcher" ItiHcrlH advertisements, chlelly In Ihii weHlern papers, rcadlnn: "Wanleil -Men to work the passant' lo Kurope on cnt tlo. steamers; no steamship work." Unhappy Ih the lot of the man who Ih lured by such an advertisement lo cross the ocean in one of these ships. Not only will he be dc rrauded out of all the money he can be In duced lo Klvo up. but Hie baldest and most ilniineroUH kind of work will be his and If he shrlnkH fiom II. or because of Inapti tude or unfamlllarlly does It 111. abuse and brutality, loth veibal mid pliyHlcal. will be his portion. Ills duties are lo look aftei the caltle In every way and his foreman holds him responsible for any harm to them, whether the fault Ih IiIh or not. The larger portion of the men who answer the "HtllT-catcher'H" advert Isemeui are the poorer class of FuropeniiH who de slTe to return homo In an economical way Many of them cannot un lorslntul tho Knnllsh Innnunne. These are the ones upon whom the most ahtise Ih heaped ami to whom th mosl dangerous work Is nlvon. There Is reason In HiIh, for there Ih far Icsh danger of complaints being made by these men whose splrllH have been crushed by early training and whose lack of knowledge of the language makes it almost impossible for tin abuse to have any leactlonary elfect. Oi casloually Yoiiiik America selects thin method of crusHlng Hie ocean. The latter Ih usually treated better than Ihe llrsl named class, for the reason mentioned. When the applicant presents himself in answer to the advertisement the "Htilf catcher" palnlH the delights of voyaging In a cattle Hhlp In roseate hues. According lo him It Ih merely a sort of yachting ocur Hion; no work to speak of. good food tin I plenty of II; line Hlooplng accouimodat ions altogether a life of ease ami plenty. i r confidentially he explains thai Ihe eH,i men are not leally taken along to do an work at all. but merely to fulllll liiHiiram terms which require a certain number of handlers for the cattle Next the agent trios to mill out how much money the pros pcctlvc "Hi Iff" Iiiih. If he Hticceeds he do mauds about "fi per cent of the iimouii The cattle foreman aboard the Hhlp nets in Cattle Ships whatever remains. If he doeHU't It's bo caiiHc he docHii't know bin business. A word about the foreman. From the moment tin; "m t lit" MtepH aboaril the ship Die foreman Ik the arbiter of Ills destiny, iih much Ills iniiKter aH If he were u slave. Indeeil, I believe (hat the cattle foremen an a class are the direct descendants of the Simon I.ereeH of slavery llineH. There tuny be caule foremen who have Instincts of humanity and decency, but 1 have never had the kooiI fortune to nail under one. All the oiiHlderatlon I ever nl from that class was value received for bribe money promptly ami liberally paid down. The nature of the In, mm -h m'ciiih to kill out all kindly qualities) The cattle Inr-fiinii gels a small salary wliPh he usually contllvc to double FlItST (H'li N M)Y (iU In i-hii-i zlnn Hio unforiiin.nc ' suit's," II not, so much Ihe worse for the stiffs, lietliim eiiinliileit villi Hie lllllle. t p to the moment of his boarding the vessel the new lattlcman H well treated, because the st III' -calcher fears he will escape. Coinmiinly his Introduction to his duties and his foreman comes In the form of a torrent of profanity and threats from that worthy, followed by a knockdown blow If he doesn't move Hiuartly. This Is the pioper ami appioved method of Impressing a "hIIII." His work Is all cut out for him, Ihe most trying work of any that he has to do. Itnlich-bied steers ale not blessed with particularly mi bible dispositions at best, and when I hey have Just boon loaded from Unhlers into the ship's pens with much plodding ami Jabbing and thumping they aie more than likely to be somewhat out of temper. Observe, now, Ihe half do.cn "HtllfH," must of whom have nr.ibably never boon within horn's Iciinlh of any cattle be fore, huddled In an alarmed group, gn.lng dismally at tho tossing horns ami laboring backs as the angry animals are driven by tens Into the puns. "(let in tlicie, now. and net them steers (pilot to be Hod up," shouts the foreman, bunding to each of the tyros a small (dub. "(i'wun In! Wot'H the matter wllh you?" Fortunate are tho "still's" If one of their number Is experienced enough to take the lead and hIiow them what lo do. Such In struction oh they may expect from tho foreman will bo mainly kicks and blows. Their duties are to Jump Into the nous and not the steers' heads up to tho head boards, so that Ihe foreman and IiIh as sistants can tie them. To one unacciis t' TTI P. Sllll' lomcd to intile entry into one of tli IH'IIH seems a desperate venture and In deed It Ih dangerous enough. I have seen a new cattleman crushed Into insensibility by the llrst niHh of tho cattle, when he entered the pen and I once helped to drag out a man who was ho badly trampled that he was (rippled for life. Often tho terror (f the "hIIITh" lit the prospect of entering the pens Ih almost ludicrous. I remem ber n gigantic young Kngllshmnn who cast himself upon the deck ami fairly howled with fear when ordered to go In anions the beasts. " 'Ow do hi know they won't bite mo?" he wailed. Once Inside among the Steers he used his club and Ills nrenl strength so vnllnlitly that they were soon subdued nlld before the end of the voyage a position as assist -tint foreman wan offered to him. In the first handling of the cattle the best way, If they are turbulent, Is to vault on the bin k of one of them and resort to clubbing and tall-twisting. It sounds brutal, but It I" the only way. Above all, the (atileinan must keep his seat. Heaven help him if he falls among those sharp hoofs. After Hie Hhlp starts Ihe work becomes easier SViilctlng and feeding and donning tlx pens are the regular duties of the "slilf ' ' attic are much hotter sailors than human beings For a day or so, until Ihey gi ' their seo-lens and learn to accomuiodiiM tin uiselvo', lo tho action of the vessel, tin 'ire liable to sickness, hut usually on Hi oiid (lav out appetite returns and tin v pruw iiadlly fat throughout Ihe trip Tin i iii in mnitiing Is given up to feeding and woiering Mtilil U II Icli inn ll' lull Ilie I'.ll-lest On iih trips as a "stilf' i have nlav wluti I bad the money, bribed the f 'l'i man to make me night watchman, a po.i lion who h exempts one from Ihe oiler dii'ii .. The night watchman makes hourb iiiiii dunlin the nlnht lo see that tie . nimali are all rlnht. Ordinarily tin r iiii t linn h to do, but occasionally Hu Imp of the l'orvorso takes posHi-H-ma of he pens, and then it's bad tlnus fir 'he wall liuinti. Ill sleeping the steers lie down In a most intricate tannic, and m a slonally contrive to not Ihe fasteniiu ropes iiiexi ricahly Interwoven. Then one (I them, becomiun suddenly smitten with a desire lo not up ami see how the ship is hoadiiin. chukes all the other cattle whose ropes cross his, as well as him self. This process causes a wild racket, which summons the watchman. He must no In and solve the insoluble problem of Ihe ropes. If he Is killed, as ho Is quite likely to be, It doesn't much matter, but if any of the live stock choke to death there Is a terrible to-do. i'art of the, "still's" duty Is to keep the scuppers (dear of straw and refuse. I)ur Inn a storm the seas shipped wash throtinh tho pi'iis, sweeplnn everythlnn before them. Tho refuse stops tho scuppers, ami as a result the docks 1111 until cattle and cat tlemen are waist deep In the water. ThU, of course, menaces tho safety of the vessel also. Analn the r "stilt" must work hU way behind the frlnhtelied brutes to a small four by hIx hole, the ran no of which Is In variably ( overed by four or live pairs of hoofs that have been made ell'cctlv" by loan practice and a lack of refinement In the nature of tho hoofs' owners. When Ihe scupper Is reached ho must clear It up, all the time dodnlnn the llylnn hoofs. Dodnltin the hoofs Is the exception; It Is most nenerally tho case that he Is carried out ami laid in his bunk for repairs. If n record of Injuries of a stormy trip across tho ocean on a cattle ship wore to bo had It would compare favorably with the re port of a city oiuorneney hospital. I have heard of oases where men wero actually trampled down ami drowned In the scup pers. Fur away fiom land the cattle are very quiet, hut as soon as they catch a whilf of a land breeze they become restless and e iraordlnary care Is required to prevent a i;eiieral stampede, in which pons are broken, T THK 11 WW tin- loosened i.utle ib.irninn thn-e that ar tied, and when the latter are fr 1 whole mass surnes nil over the ilcks. Tina endanners the safety of tho ship itself Is mm of tho pot bunaboos of tho experi enced cattlemen. In cases of this kind the poor "Htlir" is called upon for tho hazard ous work of restoring order. He must no ainonn tho wild brutes, under fool, over backs, dodnltin klcklnn hoofs and loan, (humorous horns, beatlun wllh his club nml scieatnlnn at the top of his voice In an elfort to force Into submission, one al a time, the nnlmnls, whose only will U to break away from all restraint and to create as much havoc and daiuane uh possible in i!o;nn It. As he forces a horn-protected head near the most convenient headboard, the dannllnn tope around tho brute's horns Is nrabbul and a turn Is taken around the near est stationary object. The pluimlUK Ml't klcklnn animal Is held hero until he makes a move that will permit of his beinn fas tened pi ruuiiiently. Then another one Is (WTTUJMUN ciuinht and fastened In the same way until the stampede Is stopped. This Is another fruitful source of casual lies. More than one death, nlllelally labeled "pneumonia" or "fever," is attributable to what the cattl'mion call tho "land-ho panic " Throtinh all those perils and hardships the cattle "still" supports life on ihe worst of food and sloops In a cabin compared to which, in size, ventilation and cleanliness, a Iloweiy lodninn house compartment would bo palatial. On my llrst voyano I lived for half of tho trip on bread baked on the sly f t oni dotinh stolen from the cook. The "stiff ' must work whether he Is III or well, or be beaten by tho foreman. I have seen a man siilforlnn fiom fever hauled out of his bunk in free.inn weather and swashed with pail ful after pailful of water by the foreman, while the second olllcor of tho ship looked on and launhed. Finally the "stilt" is as likely as not to be put ashore penniless at some port other than that for which he shipped orlnlnally and left to shift for him self. The warnlnn of the American embassy In Loudon will II ml an echo In the heart of every man who has ever been a transatlan tic cattle "still." Short Stories Well Told Treasurer llllss of tho republican national commit tee appears to be nettlnn a tl'illo stinn.v as he nrows older. "Closer than the skin on an enn." Is what he Is called by hume other workers. A few days nno he locelvod a $10,1)110 cheek minus the lovonuo stamp and at once sent a letter asklnn for the necessary stamp; also a postano stamp to cover cost of the letter he i-ent. Tho man who Muit the campalnu contribution tolenraphed to Mr. llllss: "Stamps you a-.k for have been forwnidod." Tho ttois itier had lo pay for this telonrain and Is un able to sec Just whore he came out ahead on the transaction, Tilt) Htltfulo Commercial tolls this anecdote about lionoral (irosvenor; "Some of his hearers at Convention hall tho other nlnht noted with quiet enjoyment the readiness with which he pulled up and saved hlni bolf from one of those little unibarrasslun tliluns one would rather have left unsaid. He benan: '1 realize that It Is now :i o'clock and there Is another dl another ncatloman, a neutlemiin of distinction, who will speak to you later,' etc. Of course, the conven tional pliiiiM', another distinguished ncntle man' was on his tonnue's und, but before tho lust syllable was fairly formed ho 'not to nethor' and nave the other neiitleman the monopoly of distinction, as all distinguished nt'itlenion ale exported to do." When he was commander of the armies of the I'nlted States (ienernl William Te i uniseh Sherman was on a visit to tho West I'oint military academy at nraduatinn time one Juno. Ah was customary, ho accom panied the commandant on Ills Sunday luoi ninn tour of Inspection of the bin racks and on cntirlnn a certain room ho walked over to Ihe mantel piece. Stooplnn down he pi ml up a brick from the middle of tho luarth with his sword scabbard and revealed u hollow space about a. foot square In which vas nicely packed a considerable ouantltv of tobacco ami other contraband articles. Meanwhile the cadets occupying the loom nood by mutely watchlnn ami wonderlnn vsh.it sort of a man the nciieinl mi. to haw lieeli able to discover the only "collar" of October 7, 10(0. km kuel in the barracks. Turnlnn to the (oniiiiandatit, tho noneral remarked: "I have been wonderlnn If that hole was still there. I made it w.ien I was a cadet and lived In this room," K.ito Mastorson, the poet nnd humorist, thus describes the beginulnn of her literary career: "I was ni school In Brooklyn when I llrst setil a poem to Judno, slnnlnn It Kittle K. It was accepted and published with an Il lustration, and my cup of Joy was brim mlnn. When 1 not u check for 2 1 etfor vesred. I then sent some verses to I'lick, which was then edited by II. I'. Ilunnor. They were also sinned Kittle K., but wero written from a masculine point of view, nnd as I wioto a very neutlemanly hand Ilunnor evidently came to the conclusion that I was a boy. He sent me hoiuo very funny letters, and 1 replied, keeplnn up tho Idea I hat I was a very fresh, shinny hoy. lie accepted the versos, 'She Stood on tho Ui:IY l'OK 1)1 TY Stair,' and they wero published In a Christ mas numb r with a picture. As this was oiiiy ih' second p icm I had sold In my life you can nnanlne how wildly anxious I was to hav It appear. I bothered Ilunnor with Inquiries, for, of com ho, that was the only poem on earth to mo Just then. I recollect tlnnlly wrltlnn him, 'Do you think my poem will bo published ditrlnn my life time?' "He wrote me: 'My dear boy, I cannot say If vour poem will ho published during your lifetime, as I do not know when you are nolng to die.' " Mob llurdotte, the humorist, lecturer and preacher, likes a good story, even though he belongs to the clergy nowadays. Ho Is ill love with the Kngllsh method of hand ling the baggage of travelers. In that country, according to Mr. llurdotte, you are forced to look after your trunk, with tho rtsult that you have it at the end. In America you are lelieved of all responsi bility, with the result that you may or may not have your trunk at the end of your Journey. You are supposed to be satlslled because you have tho check for it. Once, on a lecturing tour through tho south, Mr. Ilurdetto arrived in Jacksonville, Fin., mitt his trunk was lost. Holding up his brass check before his evonlnn's audience ho said: "This, ladles and nentlenien, represents a dress suit, but I cannot cash It In." The Jest pleated the alldlolice. but when ho had to use it on audiences for a week he grew tired of It and really wished the railroad company would llnd his trunk. Finally, Mr. Ilurdotto went to Vlcksburg. which ho had not planned to visit, mid there found his t rutik. A few days later, telegram from tho dent. "Have just Jackson, Miss." T replied promptly: ' in Texas, ho received a railroad's suporliiton found your trunk in o which Mr. Ilurdetto 'Thanks. Found It my self a week ago In Vicksburn." Iletwein Jacksonville mid Vicksburn Hi" lecturer had to have somethinn to wear, so ho bought himself a suit of clothes and each oay went out and secured a shirt, and so forth. Hut he wont to ready-made cloth inn stores ami hounlit only Sl.r.O shirts. Tho bill came presented it to was only when to fii.l altonother and h" the railroad company, It It was paid promptly and without a murmur, says Mr. llurdotte, that he realized what a fool he had been to miss tho chance of nettlnn a nood outllt. A Huchelor's Reflections New York Tress: Half of the quarrels be tween n man and his wife start when she Is doliin up her hair. We could stand hiivlnn our enoinioH hate us If our friends would only love us, but they don't. After a nlrl nets married she tries to look at an old maid as if she was some kind of a curiosity. No man could ever live for very loan with the kind of woman that always means more than she says. Half the gltls you meet are either pretty or (lover. The other half are ones who would make good wives. No woman's feet fool really comfortable unless she has got them In a pair of shoos that are too small for them.