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. 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 (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

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 Stree ...

. 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 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 that drives paddle wheels to propel the craft through the water. In antiquity, paddle wheelers followed the development of poles, oars and sails, where the first uses we ...

''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) alcohol or tobacco in bulk quantities. This is a legally allowe ...

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-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 or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

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

television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed be ...

Death Valley Days ''Death Valley Days'' is an American old-time radio and television 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 ...

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

Gaelic Storm Gaelic Storm is a Celtic band founded in Santa Monica, California in 1996. Their musical output includes pieces from traditional Irish music, Scottish music, and original tunes in both the Celtic and Celtic rock genres. The band had its first ...

released a song about Kelly, entitled "Shanghai Kelly", on the 2017 album '' Go Climb a Tree''.

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