James Kelly, better known as "Shanghai" Kelly, was an American crimp of the 19th century who kidnapped men and forced them to work on

ships A ship is a large vessel that travels the world's oceans and other navigable waterways, carrying cargo or passengers, or in support of specialized missions, such as defense, research and fishing. Ships are generally distinguished from boats, ...

. The terms " crimping" and "

shanghaiing Shanghaiing or crimping is the practice of kidnapping people to serve as sailors by coercive techniques such as trickery, intimidation, or violence. Those engaged in this form of kidnapping were known as ''crimps''. The related term '' press gang' ...

" are used to describe this type of work. Kelly wore a red beard and had a fiery temper to match. A legendary figure in

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

history, Kelly was known for his gift of supplying or

men to understaffed ships. Kelly kept a boarding house in San Francisco, variously reported to be on Pacific or

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...

. He also ran a number of bars including the Boston House, at the corner of Davis and Chambers streets near the waterfront.Smith, 2007. He also ran a saloon and

boarding house A boarding house is a house (frequently a family home) in which lodging, lodgers renting, rent one or more rooms on a nightly basis and sometimes for extended periods of weeks, months, or years. The common parts of the house are maintained, and ...

at No. 33 Pacific between Drumm and Davis streets. These businesses provided Kelly with a steady supply of victims. In the early 1870s, Kelly was reported to have shanghaied 100 men for three understaffed ships in a single evening. Renting the

paddle steamer A paddle steamer is a steamship or steamboat powered by a steam engine driving paddle wheels to propel the craft through the water. In antiquity, paddle wheelers followed the development of poles, oars and sails, whereby the first uses were wh ...

''Goliath'', he announced that he was hosting a free

booze cruise In British slang, a booze cruise is a brief trip from Britain to France or Belgium with the intent of taking advantage of lower prices, and buying personal supplies of (especially) Alcoholic beverage, alcohol or tobacco in bulk quantities. This ...

to celebrate his "birthday", and to say "thank you" to his fellow crimps and runners who had helped him through the years. After leaving port, his bartenders served

opium Opium (also known as poppy tears, or Lachryma papaveris) is the dried latex obtained from the seed Capsule (fruit), capsules of the opium poppy ''Papaver somniferum''. Approximately 12 percent of opium is made up of the analgesic alkaloid mor ...

-laced whiskey to his guests, who were then offloaded to the waiting ships. His greatest concern – returning from a well-publicized event with a boat devoid of revelers – was alleviated by a stroke of luck, when he learned that the ''Yankee Blade'' had struck a rock and was sinking. After rescuing everyone on board, he simply resumed the celebration, and those on the waterfront were none the wiser upon his return.

Actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

Robert Taylor played Kelly in the 1967 episode "Shanghai Kelly's Birthday Party" of the syndicated

television series A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, and cable, or distributed digitally on streaming plat ...

Death Valley Days ''Death Valley Days'' is an American Western (genre), Western anthology series featuring true accounts of the American Old West, particularly the Death Valley country of southeastern California. Created in 1930 by Ruth Woodman, the program was ...

'', which Taylor also hosted. The Irish music band

Gaelic Storm Gaelic Storm is an American Celtic music, Celtic band founded in Santa Monica, California, Santa Monica, California, in 1996. Their musical output includes pieces from traditional Music of Ireland, Irish music, Scottish music, and original tune ...

released a song about Kelly, entitled "Shanghai Kelly", on the 2017 album ''

Go Climb a Tree ''Go Climb a Tree'' is the thirteenth album by Celtic music, Celtic band Gaelic Storm. It was released on July 28, 2017. Track listing All arrangements by Gaelic Storm. # "The Beer Song" - 3:23 # "Shanghai Kelley" - 2:46 # "Green, White and O ...

''.

References

Sources

* Samuel Dickson, "Shanghai Kelly", '' Tales of San Francisco'' Stanford: University Press, 1957. * Bill Pickelhaupt, "Shanghaied in San Francisco," San Francisco: Flyblister Press, 1996. * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kelly, James 19th-century pirates United States Merchant Mariners Drinking establishment owners History of labor relations in the United States American kidnappers American sailors People from San Francisco American pirates

See also

References

Sources