687 - Larry Sullivan - Live

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Dollop with Dave Anthony and Gareth Reynolds

Episode: 687 - Larry Sullivan - Live
Release Date: June 10, 2025

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Introduction

In this episode of The Dollop, comedians Dave Anthony and Gareth Reynolds delve into the intriguing and tumultuous life of Larry Sullivan, a notorious figure from American history. From humble beginnings in St. Louis to becoming a pivotal player in Portland’s underworld and beyond, Sullivan's story is a blend of ambition, criminal ingenuity, and eventual downfall.

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Early Life and Boxing Career

Larry Sullivan's early life remains largely undocumented, primarily due to his impoverished background in St. Louis. At the age of 20, seeking a fresh start, Sullivan relocates to Oregon. Initially settling in the tough, working-class port town of Astoria, Sullivan channels his physical prowess into boxing.

Dave Anthony [02:04]: "Larry was very tough himself and he had no skills. So he decided to become a boxer."

Under the brutal London rules of the time—characterized by bare-knuckle fighting and no time limits—Sullivan quickly rises to prominence, becoming Astoria’s top prizefighter. His undefeated streak, though exaggerated in local lore, cements his reputation as a formidable force in the ring.

Gareth Reynolds [06:25]: "72 rounds, everyone's like, well, that's crazy."

Despite his success in Astoria, Sullivan faces challenges when he steps onto the bigger stage in Portland, where his fighting skills are put to the ultimate test, resulting in his eventual decline in the boxing world.

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Transition to Shanghaiing and Crimping

Unable to sustain his boxing career in Portland, Sullivan turns to shanghaiing—the practice of kidnapping individuals to serve as sailors on ships under false pretenses. Leveraging his connections with the local sailor's boarding house owners, Sullivan masters the art of coercing unsuspecting bar patrons into forced labor.

Dave Anthony [12:31]: "Shanghaiing means kidnapping or coercing a random guy into forced labor on his ship."

Sullivan's strategic approach involves various deceptive methods, including drugging victims or using physical force, ensuring a steady supply of labor for maritime ventures. His boarding house becomes a hub for recruiting sailors, solidifying his status in Portland's underworld.

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Sullivan's Political Influence

Recognizing the power of political manipulation, Sullivan utilizes his boarding house to influence local elections. By importing transient sailors who can vote multiple times without detection, he sways electoral outcomes to favor his interests. This savvy move integrates him into the political machinery of Portland, granting him protection and expansion opportunities.

Dave Anthony [28:01]: "Larry was the first crimp to figure out the true value of owning a sailor's boarding house."

Sullivan’s alliances extend to local law enforcement and other powerful crimps, creating a cartel-like structure that dominates Portland’s criminal landscape. His influence ensures minimal legal repercussions for his activities and establishes a robust network for his illicit operations.

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Robbing the Robbers Scheme

Sullivan devises an ingenious scheme known as "robbing the robbers," where he manipulates ship captains into hiring new, more expensive crews. By orchestrating petty crimes among sailors, he ensures a constant flow of crew members who are entangled in legal troubles. When captains inevitably face crew shortages due to these distractions, Sullivan forces them to pay exorbitant fees for replacement sailors.

Dave Anthony [31:07]: "Instead, Larry and his gang forced the captains to hire a brand new crew at a higher cost."

This method not only maximizes Sullivan’s profits but also ensures that ship captains remain dependent on his services, further entrenching his control over Portland’s maritime industry.

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Legal Challenges and Downfall in Portland

Sullivan's operations eventually draw legal scrutiny. A pivotal lawsuit, Robertson vs. Baldwin, challenges the legality of shanghaiing under the 13th Amendment's prohibition of slavery. Despite the apparent link, the Supreme Court rules in favor of the captains, as sailors are not exempt from the amendment's reach.

Dave Anthony [25:03]: "Nor should we. But at 20 years old, he ventured off."

This setback, coupled with increased public outcry and international condemnation—particularly from British and German consulates—forces Sullivan to reassess his position in Portland. The impending Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition further complicates his efforts to maintain control, as an influx of tourists disrupts his established networks.

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Move to Goldfield, Nevada and Partnership with George Graham Rice

Seeking new opportunities, Sullivan relocates to Goldfield, Nevada, a burgeoning boomtown characterized by lawlessness and rapid economic growth. There, he partners with George Graham Rice, a charismatic gambler and advertising genius, to launch the Sullivan Trust Company. Their venture focuses on mining stock fraud, leveraging Rice's expertise in crafting compelling human interest stories to entice investors.

Dave Anthony [51:06]: "They all featured George's clients as heroes."

Their collaboration epitomizes the speculative bubbles of the early 20th century, where misinformation and deception drive financial gains. By salting mines—planting valuable minerals to fake productivity—Sullivan and Rice mislead investors into believing in the profitability of their mining ventures.

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The Sullivan Trust Company and Mining Fraud

The Sullivan Trust Company experiences rapid growth, fueled by deceptive advertising and speculative investments. Sullivan's political savvy and Rice's persuasive campaigns create a facade of legitimacy, allowing them to amass significant wealth. However, the lack of actual mining productivity means that their success is built on shaky foundations.

Dave Anthony [52:12]: "And split it into a million shares."

Their fraudulent activities go unchecked until financial discrepancies and growing skepticism lead to the company's collapse in 1907. The fallout includes international scandals, further damaging their reputations and contributing to the eventual demise of their schemes.

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Final Years and Death

Following the collapse of his ventures, Sullivan's influence wanes. He attempts to diversify his criminal activities, including private detective work in Los Angeles, where he collaborates with renowned lawyer Clarence Darrow. However, legal troubles persist, and Sullivan becomes increasingly entangled with law enforcement allegations, such as the unproven bribery in the McNamara brothers' case.

By the onset of World War I, Sullivan secures a more mundane position as a security man at a shipyard, reflecting the decline of his once-dominant criminal empire. His life concludes in 1918 due to kidney disease, likely exacerbated by years of hard living and substance abuse.

Dave Anthony [66:23]: "Larry died in 1918 of kidney disease, probably from drinking."

Larry Sullivan's legacy is a testament to the complexities of American underworld history, illustrating how ambition and cunning can both build and destroy a man.

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Conclusion

Larry Sullivan's story, as recounted in this episode of The Dollop, offers a fascinating glimpse into the darker aspects of American history. From his rise as a celebrated boxer to his role as a master manipulator in Portland and Nevada, Sullivan embodies the relentless pursuit of power and wealth. His eventual downfall serves as a cautionary tale about the limits of criminal ingenuity and the inevitable consequences of unchecked ambition.

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Notable Quotes:

• Dave Anthony [06:33]: "So back then it's like eight."

• Gareth Reynolds [35:20]: "Yeah, he's got the piece of shit collector's kit."

• Gareth Reynolds [44:35]: "Wake up on a ship. Ah, well, I heard you liked exploring."

• Dave Anthony [58:44]: "No, what we love about podcasting is it's a space where you can talk."

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Sources:

• Sullivan, Larry Boxer Connor Shanghai baller Riverboat party turned out to be the shanghaiing trick.
• Portland's seeding Seafaring past by Dale Bays and tunnels get to underbelly of Portland's Lava's pass by Joseph Fraser.
• My adventures with your money by George Graham Rice.
• The Evening Star and the Tillamook Headlight Herald.

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Transcript

[Dave Anthony]

The Dollop is going on tour in June 2025. We will be in Sacramento on June 3rd. We'll be in Boise, Idaho on June 4th, Spokane on June 5th, Seattle on June 6th, Portland on June 7th, Bend, Oregon on June 8th, and San Francisco on June 10th. Go to the dollop podcast.com to get all our tour links for tickets. You're listening to the Dollop. This is an American history podcast where each week I, Dave Anthony, read a story from American history to a guy with TikTok hair.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Gareth Reynolds, who has no idea what the topic is going to be about.

[Dave Anthony]

1863, year of our Lord. Listen to all the followers we've created. This podcast is spreading the message of Christ.

[Gareth Reynolds]

No, this is a doll related podcast. I'm not gonna argue. This is a show about doll heads.

[Dave Anthony]

You know who was a doll?

[Gareth Reynolds]

No.

[Dave Anthony]

Jesus Christ. Or J Tizzle. We can call him J. Tizzle.

[Gareth Reynolds]

That's a new low.

[Dave Anthony]

Lawrence McColla Sullivan, also known as Larry, was born in St. Louis. Now no one's. No one knows anything about his childhood at all because he's poor.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Nor should we.

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah, but at 20 years old, he ventured off.

[Gareth Reynolds]

So nobody knows about his adolescence either.

[Dave Anthony]

The whole way.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Okay, so 20. We start to get some ideas.

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Okay.

[Dave Anthony]

Well, that's when he came to Oregon.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Little city called Bend. We back.

[Dave Anthony]

Nobody knows why, but there's a pretty good chance it's because he was escaping something. He was getting out.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Sure.

[Dave Anthony]

Because this is where you came. Oregon, really? The closest you could get to the wild frontier while still living in a city.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Okay. Or state City. It was a city.

[Dave Anthony]

Oregon was a city. Trust me.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Sure did spread.

[Dave Anthony]

Trust me.

[Gareth Reynolds]

The city of Oregon.

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah. Well, it was a place you could hide out but still have all the city stuff.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Sure.

[Dave Anthony]

That you wanted. Okay, so Larry landed in Astoria. Is that part of Portland or is that nearby?

[Gareth Reynolds]

The woman who cheered was like, oh, it's the coast.

[Dave Anthony]

That way. That way. I don't know where I am in the theater right now.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Run outside and then just figure it out.

[Dave Anthony]

Okay, so it's where all. Yeah, you guys are up the river, Right? So it's down the river. All I know is the Oregon surfers are fucking dicks. Oregon surfers, terrible reputation. You can all look for yourself.

[Gareth Reynolds]

All right, all right. Dave, come on, buddy. We were rocking and rolling. David, put your goddamn finger down. Put it down. The other one was better, I guess. Honestly, I don't know why. You really are the bad boy.

[Dave Anthony]

Astoria is a very tough, working class port town. Badass. That Looks perfect, murders all the time.

[Gareth Reynolds]

So what?

[Dave Anthony]

But Larry was very tough himself and he had no skills. So he decided to become a boxer.

[Gareth Reynolds]

A boxer?

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah. Okay, now most boxing back then was.

[Gareth Reynolds]

That's like now. But it's podcasts. I got nothing. Start a podcast. That's a good idea.

[Dave Anthony]

Worked for Rogan. You know what, that's not fair because he was a comedian.

[Gareth Reynolds]

What happened to you? Just what's your deal today? You just came to burn any bridge near you.

[Dave Anthony]

Oh no, I'm not going to burn a Rogan bridge. Oh my God, you're in.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Oh, it's just.

[Dave Anthony]

I burned the Rogan bridge.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Well, you've also, you've also come here and complained about it five different times at the beginning where we are. I'm just saying it's. I didn't complain about you're drinking haterade today. You hate their surfers.

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah, the surfers are a problem.

[Gareth Reynolds]

That's what we're talking about. Yeah. No, no, no, I don't want to. I'm not. You're right, we should, we should go ahead.

[Dave Anthony]

Oh, so you're for the people who beat people up on the beach?

[Gareth Reynolds]

If you're the people on the beach, yeah, I'm for that.

[Dave Anthony]

No, no, just a nature photographer.

[Gareth Reynolds]

A what? A nature. Yeah, get em outta here. I don't need it because.

[Dave Anthony]

What the fuck? All right, so now you're burning bridges?

[Gareth Reynolds]

We got enough nature pictures. Go home, loser. Oh look, a tree. Yeah, we got it. We got Google Maps that. We'll redo it in five years. Fuck off.

[Dave Anthony]

Now most boxing back then was done under what's known as London rules, which was basically two things. Bare knuckles and a round goes as long as it takes for one of the guys to get knocked on their ass. So Larry beat his way up the totem pole until he became the top prize fighter in Astoria, which like, I don't know how big it is, but how many fucking people in Astoria? It's like he, he beat how many?

[Gareth Reynolds]

10,000 she back then.

[Dave Anthony]

Okay, so back then it's like eight.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah, she's. She's here to defend Astoria's honor.

[Dave Anthony]

No, you can defend HISTORIA every step of the way. Look, in every audience there's people who are wrong. No, I don't. I honestly don't know anything about it.

[Gareth Reynolds]

And we found it's normally the Astoria people in this area.

[Dave Anthony]

If I know that's why they call.

[Gareth Reynolds]

It Astoria because you believe a line of bullshit that's a fairy tale. It's a big Astoria for you to Believe.

[Dave Anthony]

If I could imagine Astoria, It's a poor town that over the years was working class, and now it's been gentrified, and it's very expensive.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Okay, you got a target. You got a target. Brewery.

[Dave Anthony]

All right. So, yeah, it's classic. Poor people go live inland. So back in the late 1800s, Oregon prize fighters were the biggest celebrities in town.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Nice.

[Dave Anthony]

And Larry enjoyed all the fame that came with it in Astoria. He was like a big man, top of his game. So now there's only one place to go try his luck in the big city. Portland.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Nice.

[Dave Anthony]

That's much bigger. Yeah, it's much bigger.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah, it's bigger. Yep.

[Dave Anthony]

So things did not go as he planned. Larry got the shit beat out of him regularly, with his best showing reportedly being a loss after 72 rounds.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Oh, my God. Legit rounds.

[Dave Anthony]

It was an undercard.

[Gareth Reynolds]

That's when the feature runs the light.

[Dave Anthony]

Imagine watching a 70. You're just like, okay, guys, like, seriously, I'm here to watch Big Philip, not whatever the fuck you guys are doing.

[Gareth Reynolds]

72 rounds.

[Dave Anthony]

72 rounds.

[Gareth Reynolds]

All right, lunch. Gotta take a lunch break. It's crazy.

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah, that's a long time.

[Gareth Reynolds]

That's where the comedy's coming from.

[Dave Anthony]

Apparently, after 72 rounds, quote, Larry threw up the sponge. I guess that's how you ended the fight.

[Gareth Reynolds]

You were. Dude, I was picturing something completely different. Yeah, I was picturing, like. All right, that's it. Larry just barfed a sponge. Larry, you were eating sponges. I didn't know what else to eat. Larry, what are you doing? I got so hungry. You don't ate sponges. I ate some of my teeth too. Jesus Christ. You doing. I ate a dish rag. What the hell are you doing? Is that a fork in your puke? I had a dish.

[Dave Anthony]

Eventually I became a towel.

[Gareth Reynolds]

What?

[Dave Anthony]

Well, when you.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah, towel. Yeah, right.

[Dave Anthony]

But it's just a sponge is. You should still be a sponge.

[Gareth Reynolds]

I. I mean, I. I guess you're right. But I also imagine. I mean, they do have sponges sometimes, don't they?

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah, well, I've seen.

[Gareth Reynolds]

It's. The whole thing's weird in the corner, whatever's happening in the corner, you're always like, what is he doing? Like, the guy's concussed. And this guy's like, all right, remember, keep trying to beat the shit out of him. It's really. He's. He's beating the shit out of you a lot. Try to beat the shit out of him. We're gonna put Vaseline and water on your face. You gotta go back in. Well, what was this goodbye did that even. Just.

[Dave Anthony]

So it was reported.

[Gareth Reynolds]

I ate a bunch of mud, Larry.

[Dave Anthony]

I mean, I literally read it in papers across the country. Like it's. It was written up. Even though it's not really a big fight. It's an undercard in Portland, right?

[Gareth Reynolds]

72 rounds, but.

[Dave Anthony]

72 rounds, everyone's like, well, that's. Fuck. That's crazy.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah.

[Dave Anthony]

The Evening Star of Washington D.C. had the headline, quote, Larry Sullivan whipped in 72 rounds with bare knuckles.

[Gareth Reynolds]

I don't know if you could say anything to those. 72 rounds is whipped like he lost. But 70 whipped is like three rounds or something. 72 rounds. He barely lasted out there. Weak willed, Larry. It was so focused on towel munching.

[Dave Anthony]

I mean, their faces must have been coming off.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Off completely.

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah.

[Gareth Reynolds]

He probably didn't eat the sponge and throw it up. It probably just went in through a wound. It was like, Christ, Larry's eye just ate the sponge. How am I doing? You got to go back out there. What? I. Yeah. My watch, Larry. Christ, he's jingling like treasure. That's why he's a prize fighter. He's full of goodies.

[Dave Anthony]

That's how pinatas were created. So because he sucked at boxing against actual boxers, not just guys, in Astoria, he had to actually find work. Luckily for Larry, he had made friends with two brothers while at Astoria whose dad owned a sailor's boarding house. And he had been a pioneer in the art of shanghaiing.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Oh, no. Oh, no. Oh, no, Larry. No, Larry, no.

[Dave Anthony]

Shanghaiing means kidnapping or coercing a random guy into forced labor on his ship. It was usually done by preying on an unsuspecting bar patron or slipping knockout drugs like chlorhydrate or doses of opium or laudanum into their drinks. There are even stories of putting opiates in cigars.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Oh, that one you wouldn't see coming. Keep your hands on your drinks, boys. Good work, Yarn. Ha.

[Dave Anthony]

Sometimes the shanghaiers would knock them out with a blackjack, like in a cartoon. Or drop them through a trapdoor.

[Gareth Reynolds]

I mean, I already. We've already done a trapdoor rant this week, so I'm not gonna get back into it. I was pro, very pro seeing this. I'm not anti. But I do wish people would only use trapdoors for good.

[Dave Anthony]

Yep.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Also I would imagine it would be back then. Pretty easy to spot the trapdoor.

[Dave Anthony]

Yep.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Hey, wasn't there a guy standing here? Not anymore. Why don't you stand there? Cigar.

[Dave Anthony]

So the Poor guys would wake up with a nasty headache on a ship in the middle of the ocean, pressed into work as a sailor, and they wouldn't come back home for years.

[Gareth Reynolds]

I've woken up hungover in some bad zones.

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah.

[Gareth Reynolds]

But they've all. I've always been like, I just got to get out of here. Figure it out a little bit to just be like, what, you're a sailor, huh? Now you work on this ship for not much too. So there you go. What, like with a hangover? Oh, my God.

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah, that's. Yeah, you're hungover.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Here, have some lemon.

[Dave Anthony]

Is there a poo rope?

[Gareth Reynolds]

Learning about that hungover. Time to teach you the poo rope.

[Dave Anthony]

So there are plenty of stories of Shanghai going wrong, even the shanghaiers being scammed themselves.

[Gareth Reynolds]

The Shanghai. Oh, okay. Why don't you smoke the cigar first? Don't mind the first. What? What the fuck? Oh, no.

[Dave Anthony]

Ah. Like, once a guy desperate to fill his crew quota wrapped a wooden cigar store Indian statue in blankets and managed to get it on board a ship with a skipper being none the wiser.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Or another guy none the why I had. The skipper's got problems.

[Dave Anthony]

Well, they think it's a. A knocked out guy, and he's probably just wrapped in a blanket.

[Gareth Reynolds]

So all the guys came unwrapped. That's good. That's a stiff, tiny one, but all right.

[Dave Anthony]

Another Guy found that 22 men who accidentally consumed embalming fluid, thinking it was a party drug and sold them, mostly corpses, to an unsuspecting captain.

[Gareth Reynolds]

So there's a captain who took 22 dead guys on the ship? Yeah, it was just like, this is the laziest group of shits we've ever bought. Wake up, losers. Hey, Captain. All these guys are dead. Oh. Oh, God.

[Dave Anthony]

This one's missing a head.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah, that one looked off to me the whole time. All right, well, get that wooden Native American up here. You get your arm.

[Dave Anthony]

He's made of wood, sir.

[Gareth Reynolds]

We got really ripped off back there.

[Dave Anthony]

Sometimes the poor victims would be tricked into it. Larry is responsible for perhaps the most legendary example of tricking a teenager named Aquia. Ernest Clark left the farm where he worked in Scapoose.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Mm, Scapoose. I don't know if you do the question mark ending Scapoose.

[Dave Anthony]

I think that's just how you say it in general. Welcome to Scoopoopoose. Ready to enjoy his off time in Portland.

[Gareth Reynolds]

This is such a horrible setup. Finally, a little downtime in Portland. This will be nice.

[Dave Anthony]

I'm gonna have A fun time.

[Gareth Reynolds]

I've been working hard on the farm all week.

[Dave Anthony]

Just a few days in Portland. And he went to the waterfront where the action was happening. And he got to drinking. And he met a nice guy who suggested he stayed a particular sailor's boarding house because, quote, it's the best place to stay in Portland.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Fuck me. Couldn't have a conversation.

[Dave Anthony]

The fella told Clark that the owner, Larry, was throwing a huge party on a riverboat cruise.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Oh yeah.

[Dave Anthony]

To Astoria and back.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Whoa, I gotta be the luckiest guy to walk into a huge party. I was just fixing to do something fun. I love boat parties.

[Dave Anthony]

So Clark and 10 of the guys were like, yeah, we'll go on your boat. Party. Party has everything. Beautiful women, a live band, food. And booze. Especially booze. So from Clark, quote, we all had a few snorts of hard liquor, so they don't know what they're doing. Line em up, boys.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Now let's drink a little cocaine.

[Dave Anthony]

And also one each of the justly celebrated Peach Blow cocktail.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Peach blow cocktail.

[Dave Anthony]

Which was the invention of HC Malcolm, manager of the Portland hotel bar. Okay, I came up with a peach drink. Sure, there was steak if you wanted it. Or there was pork. Or you might order oysters, crabs or fried salmon. Along with the midday dinner, they served rye whiskey, rum, and three kinds of wine.

[Gareth Reynolds]

So it was a Sizzler. It was a Sizzler.

[Dave Anthony]

It's a Sizzler.

[Gareth Reynolds]

It was a. It was a boat Sizzler.

[Dave Anthony]

Where else are you going to get fried salmon?

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah, it was the SS Sizzler. Fried Salmon. Just how we like it.

[Dave Anthony]

I mean, it's literally the only thing I think we don't fry in America.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Oh, we fry it.

[Dave Anthony]

Do we fry salmon?

[Gareth Reynolds]

Oh, you're goddamn right we do. Better than anybody too. You're on notice.

[Dave Anthony]

So before they went ashore in Astoria, all fucked up from the tons of free booze, the friendly man who brought them on the boat requested that they sign their name on a passenger list just to make sure they had a headcount of everyone before they went back to Portland.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Wait, you want to get a headcount before we go back? Wouldn't you want to do that before we left in the first place?

[Dave Anthony]

No, we're doing it now. Don't worry about it.

[Gareth Reynolds]

It just seems a little strange.

[Dave Anthony]

Here, have more.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Oh, sweet peach. Weird thing.

[Dave Anthony]

No, that was a clam.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Oh, sweet clam. Oh, man, I'll tell you what, I gotta go. Some very good time of drunk out here today.

[Dave Anthony]

Here, sign this.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Ah. Who should I Make it out to.

[Dave Anthony]

No, Just. Just go ahead. Sign your name. It's just a list.

[Gareth Reynolds]

You guys are my best. My best friends. Today I left the farm.

[Dave Anthony]

I took it away.

[Gareth Reynolds]

A boy. And I. I didn't know what to expect.

[Dave Anthony]

Ama.

[Gareth Reynolds]

What's ama? 15 of 15 pals that I plan on keeping in touch with forever.

[Dave Anthony]

Hey, man, what's going on over there?

[Gareth Reynolds]

Even though I will not know you by name, what's by spirit, we shall forever be bound, my best friends. May I pitch a name for our group?

[Dave Anthony]

Okay.

[Gareth Reynolds]

The Glossy Posse. Cause we got a nice sheen. I don't even remember what. How did I sort of write it to this love. Whatever. My name was.

[Dave Anthony]

Great. Okay. Don't.

[Gareth Reynolds]

I have a confession. I threw up a sponge.

[Dave Anthony]

I know, I know.

[Gareth Reynolds]

I put it in. Oh, go ahead.

[Dave Anthony]

So what they did know is that the paper they just signed was an agreement to become sailors on an English grain ship.

[Gareth Reynolds]

So it was like their itunes Agreement.

[Dave Anthony]

Yes.

[Gareth Reynolds]

It was just like, yeah, yeah, I was here.

[Dave Anthony]

Or like, I won't sue Disney. I just want to watch. Andor like, what?

[Gareth Reynolds]

Whoopsie poopsie.

[Dave Anthony]

They were on the ship. The TF Oaks.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Nice. Wow. Yeah, it's big. Looks like it's got horns, too, which is never a good sign.

[Dave Anthony]

Don't worry about that.

[Gareth Reynolds]

So did they just get loaded up?

[Dave Anthony]

That. That's. That's the. When it first was. That's the. What do you call it? Christening. Yeah.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Oh, that's.

[Dave Anthony]

It's the first time it's gone.

[Gareth Reynolds]

But that's.

[Dave Anthony]

But.

[Gareth Reynolds]

So they just go from the party boat to this boat.

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Okay.

[Dave Anthony]

And it's clearly very large, so.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Whoa. We're about to hit an even bigger party. Oh, boys. I can't believe we hit a bigger jackpot after a gin rummy.

[Dave Anthony]

So back then, anyone who bailed on an agreement was hunted down by the police, so they're now indentured servants. The party sucked.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Wow. It says a lot about. You'd rather go work four years on a ship than deal with the cops. Imagine.

[Dave Anthony]

So they were tricked to get on the. They were convinced that they were going to take a tour of the TF Oats. So then things start to dawn on them. They're like, wait a minute. And right when they started to realize it, four cops jumped out, each holding two Colt.45s. So eight guns pointed at him to make sure that this happened. And the skipper approached them, quote, now, young men, you are sailors on the TF Oaks, and you're going to France just to make sure you're going. I'm going to sort of tie you together for a while. That happens.

[Gareth Reynolds]

That happens, does it?

[Dave Anthony]

You ever been on a boat?

[Gareth Reynolds]

Tied them together. Three Stooges.

[Dave Anthony]

It's like that. Well, then they can't run away because they're all.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Well, you already had all those Colt.45s you had like.

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah, but the cops aren't going to stay there. They were just making sure they actually got.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Doesn't the ocean work for that? Isn't the ocean like nature's rope?

[Dave Anthony]

They're still not on the boat. They're still, they're trying to.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Oh, they're still getting them on the boat. Okay.

[Dave Anthony]

But yes, the ocean.

[Gareth Reynolds]

I feel like the guns would just be. Go up that ramp. I have notes.

[Dave Anthony]

Look, they got it down. It doesn't need to be questioned. These guys know what they're doing.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Oh, well, look who's on the side of the police again. Very interesting, David. Very interesting. Yeah, I know. And this guy. Everywhere we go, right?

[Dave Anthony]

Boo him. Absolutely. Absolutely.

[Gareth Reynolds]

You back the. Boo you.

[Dave Anthony]

So Clark wouldn't step foot back in Oregon for seven years.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Oh my God.

[Dave Anthony]

It's all totally legal. This is all completely legal.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Well, I mean, no, no, I, I'm, I, I just, I know it's legal. Obviously it's legal as it should be. It's just a shame for him. He really fucked up by getting drunk once.

[Dave Anthony]

In 1895, four sailors tried to get off a ship in Astoria and were arrested. So they filed a lawsuit, which everyone just assumed it would be a slam dunk because it's slavery to force men to work on a ship. But the Supreme Court ruled in Robertson vs. Baldwin that the 13th Amendment, with its prohibition.

[Gareth Reynolds]

13Th, okay.

[Dave Anthony]

With its prohibition of slavery in all forms, mostly applied to Americans, no matter their race, as long as they weren't sailors.

[Gareth Reynolds]

I'm surprised they didn't loophole that harder back into regular slavery. Like, you know, in them they'd be like, uh huh. We call it the boat plantation.

[Dave Anthony]

Now. A lot of podcasts have done cruises. We could do it. I'm just, I'm just coming up with ideas. Yeah, no, to increase our profits.

[Gareth Reynolds]

I don't. And that's our main goal. I don't hate the idea. So pitch it. Just cleanly.

[Dave Anthony]

Shark Tank me. We have like a three day cruise. The Dollop Cruise. Invite our fans. Couple thousand fans come on board.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Sure.

[Dave Anthony]

Then we make them slaves.

[Gareth Reynolds]

It's pretty good. Portland's out because we just revealed the plan, but other places are right.

[Dave Anthony]

But it's fun It's a good time.

[Gareth Reynolds]

We could get her. We'd be like, well, this boat's going to Astoria. She'd be like, finally, a shortcut. We don't even bother with any activities, people. This is pretty scant. Quiet. You make those J Town shirts, you hear? What? Get back to work.

[Dave Anthony]

Where's my Hillary Clinton research?

[Gareth Reynolds]

Dave? I misunderstood. I'm a centrist. You do it. Oh, no.

[Dave Anthony]

You were a centrist.

[Gareth Reynolds]

I'm mixed among them. Wait. What the fuck? Shut up. I want 50 bad puns by four. But I'm part of the plot. I fucked up.

[Dave Anthony]

So Larry. Larry is the perfect Shanghai, or Crimp, as it was known. Crimp, crimp, crimp. He was the best of the crimps. And the best. The best Crimps were. Were ex boxers, since the people they were trading were unenthusiastic about the process.

[Gareth Reynolds]

I like how you don't want to get sued by the Crips. How do I put this? Carefully.

[Dave Anthony]

But it wasn't just Larry's fighting skills that made him the number one in the game. It was his political savvy. Larry was the first crimp to figure out the true value of owning a sailor's boarding house. So it's just a bunch of transitory men with no local ties. And they could be used for one really important thing. That's voting. So they'd go from ballot box to ballot box across town, voting as many times as they'd like to, because as complete unknowns, they were impossible to trace.

[Gareth Reynolds]

This completely. Sounds like something from Trump's speech. They're going door to door. Okay.

[Dave Anthony]

Soon, Larry was part of the local political machine because he was using his boarding house. And now he had political cover and the backing of local law enforcement. And around 1897, Larry has it all. He's got the full support of the powers that be in the city, a tacit but working arrangement with the other powerful crimps, and an alliance with the district attorney.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Plus, he has it all.

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah, it's all.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah, he's got the piece of shit collector's kit. Okay.

[Dave Anthony]

Plus, he'd also just beat the shit out of anybody who got in his way until they gave up.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Right. That's an important part of all of this.

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah. In the 19th century Portland, you could pretty much get whatever you wanted if you punch someone enough.

[Gareth Reynolds]

I like the early woo woo. Oh.

[Dave Anthony]

The captain of the German ship Ostrofer.

[Gareth Reynolds]

That's right, the ostraffer.

[Dave Anthony]

So in December 1900, the captain wrote, quote, you Cannot believe how these fellows are working. It almost seems as though they hold the whole law authorities in their hands. Larry Sullivan himself said to the German consul, I am the law in Portland.

[Gareth Reynolds]

It's fucking not good when the Germans are like this. Feels very illegal and immoral. Feels like you've removed the rights from a lot of people. Any. Who's it be? My home.

[Dave Anthony]

So now Larry starts to organize and discipline all the crimps in Portland into what was basically a cartel.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Oh, man, I really thought it was gonna be a crimp union with people, too. Okay, a cartel.

[Dave Anthony]

Well, he's at the top, obviously.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Sure.

[Dave Anthony]

Any crimp refused to get on board would get knocked around until they agreed.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Okay. Similar tactics.

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah, they set the prices to make sure nobody's undercutting the group. And they work in unison for Larry's next plan, which is robbing the robbers.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Robbing the robbers.

[Dave Anthony]

So the crimps work hand in hand with the ship's captains to kidnap men to replace deserters or dead crew members. Well, there's an opening.

[Gareth Reynolds]

So fucking dark.

[Dave Anthony]

Okay, so the boarding houses would let men stay on credit, rack up a big tab, and then the only way they could afford to clear their debt was by signing up on a ship.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Sure.

[Dave Anthony]

So the captains would reimburse the room and board and pay a headhunter fee to the boarding house, which was known as blood money.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Okay.

[Dave Anthony]

So Larry realized the treasure wasn't the crew's wages. If a crew member deserts, the captain keeps their pay. That means if a few of them split, that could add up to hundreds of thousands in today's money. So Larry and his fellow crimps began teaching sailors how to commit petty crimes like public drunkenness. That would get them sent to jail, but just for a little bit of time.

[Gareth Reynolds]

But wait, walk me through that one more time. Okay, so you. So the captain's on the hook if. For the fine, if people.

[Dave Anthony]

If people split or die, the captain keeps their money right for their right, so. So now Larry starts getting sailors to commit petty crimes. So they get put in jail.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Right?

[Dave Anthony]

Then when it was time for their ship to set sail, the captains would realize that all their men are in jail for 30 days. And this is a disaster because technically it's not desertion if a sailor's in jail. And if the ship leaves without the crew, the captain would have to pay them their wages right then and there.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Gotcha. Okay.

[Dave Anthony]

But the skippers couldn't wait a month to leave because then they're losing thousands of dollars every day. So they're fucked either way.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Right.

[Dave Anthony]

Instead, Larry and his gang forced the captains to hire a brand new crew.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Right.

[Dave Anthony]

At a higher cost.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Well, we actually just stumbled upon a full crew ourselves. These men are dead. Oh, well, I could see you've got a good eye. These men are dead.

[Dave Anthony]

Being picky again, aren't we? Yeah. So they hire a brand new crew at. At higher cost and they have to release a sailor's wages, often six figures. So instead of the captain stealing it for themselves, now they're having to give.

[Gareth Reynolds]

And it's a shitload. Right?

[Dave Anthony]

It's a shitload of money. Yeah. So this new arrangement was way better for the workers because unlike before, they were now actually getting at least some of the money that was owed to them.

[Gareth Reynolds]

They're just like jail. Yes.

[Dave Anthony]

Yes.

[Gareth Reynolds]

What a dream jail is.

[Dave Anthony]

And then Larry would get his cut. So everybody's fucking happy except the captain.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah.

[Dave Anthony]

Right. So one captain sues Larry for this and he wins. And Larry had to pony up $200. But when the skipper was ready to sail, suddenly his entire crew is staying at Larry's boarding house. And the new fee for each man was $117. So he ended up losing a lot with Larry. Yeah. Don't fuck with Larry. Yeah. So this, this thing where he lost the suit and then. And then made the captain pay $117 for every guy. Causes an international scandal.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Really?

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah. All the. So the British consulate blacklists Portland as a shipping destination. The French and German embassies formally protest.

[Gareth Reynolds]

No. So French and the embassies, but they're.

[Dave Anthony]

Not asking for better treatment for their countrymen? No, no, they.

[Gareth Reynolds]

They want the money.

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah. They don't care about the sailors. They just want the commerce. They want the. They want the crooked captains to keep the racket. Because the captains are all from, you know.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah.

[Dave Anthony]

Higher up.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Right.

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah.

[Gareth Reynolds]

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[C]

Oh, the Sherpa is carrying a lot of the weight and it is Nice.

[Gareth Reynolds]

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[C]

Get ready to feel the strong, steady hands of a.

[Gareth Reynolds]

We're at the end of the ad. We're at the end of the ad. Right where you need it. The ad's over. We that the dollop are brought to you by hydro. I am on record. I love hydro. It really is kind of just this way to get a full body workout. Hydro hits 86%. That's what, that's what they tell me percentage wise. But I'll say physically, I feel like it's 94% of of your body. It's muscle as far as the arms, the legs, the core, all of it. The butt, the butt looks good. Luke, has my butt ever look better? Sorry Dave, your butt is the top.

[C]

Of its game and I'm saying something.

[Gareth Reynolds]

And that's Dave.

[C]

This is Dave.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Thank you very much. So look, you really want to like get good form. Hydro not only teaches you how to get good, they set it up for you. They make it super easy. You have a monitor where you have hundreds of classes. Cannot recommend it enough. I really think if you're going to get one piece of cardio equipment in your house, it should be the hydro. So look, if you're, if you're sitting there and you're on the fence or on the water fence, I don't, I'm sorry. There's free shipping, it's a 30 day risk free trial and hydro offers a full year warranty. So honestly there's no pressure and just try it, see how it feels. Can't again say enough good stuff about it. I love the hydro. I use it all the time. Just as convenient as it gets. So skip the gym, not the workout. Stay on track with hydro. For a limited time, go to hydro.com and use code dollop to save $475 off your hydro. That's eight. Oh, my gosh. That's H Y D R O W.com code dollop. Please use the code to save up to $475 hydro.com code dollop. And we are also brought to you by Chubby's Look. Chubby's is having a huge sale. We love Chubbies. But you know who really loves chubbies is the dollops. Luke. Dave. Anthony Simmons. You are a big Chubby's fan, Luke.

[C]

That's right, it's me, Dave. You've known me and you may not know that I have glorious gams. When you got legs like these, you don't hide them, you show them off. That's why I love the original stretch shorts. Get these legs breathing. Get the eyeballs popping. They're seeing me walk.

[Gareth Reynolds]

You wear these a lot. You love Chubbies. When I mentioned chubbies, you freaked out.

[C]

They're the greatest shorts on the planet Earth. They really let the legs do what they need to. You can high kick, what is that.

[Gareth Reynolds]

That they need to do and anything.

[C]

The situation calls for. And see.

[Gareth Reynolds]

What does that mean? That seems a bit.

[C]

You have the freedom of movement in chubbies and that's what the people need. That's what their legs need, and that's what a lot of these other tight, constrictive shorts are not getting.

[Gareth Reynolds]

And as swim trunks you like the swim trunks are absolutely necessary because they basically took everything that's super annoying about old swim trunks like the mesh liner and they kind of replaced it with the boxer brief liner that keeps you dry, comfortable, chafe free. Is that what you're saying?

[C]

That's exactly what I'm saying. The war is not only waged on land with the Chubbies, but on the sea.

[Gareth Reynolds]

You ever napped in your Chubbies?

[C]

I've woken up more comfortable than I fell asleep.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Doesn't even make any sense. So don't wait. For a limited time, shop Chubby's biggest sale of the year for $45 shorts. I love my Chubbies too. I got to tell you. Got a couple pairs. Truly love them. The swim trunks are the best. So like I said, biggest sale of the year for $45 shorts and up to six, 65% off. Select gear, hit up Chubbyshorts.com and grab your favorites before they're gone. Miss the sale. Well, don't sweat it. Use exclusive code that we have, which is dollop for 20% off. Use that code, port the show, let them know that we sent you when the survey asks, and get ready to turn some heads. Summer's here. Dress like it in chubbies. And we are brought to you by Cash App. Look, the Cash app, it makes sending money easier. I end up paying a lot of people in my line of work. And sending. Receiving any way you want to send money just becomes very difficult. Sometimes you're waiting days for money to show up. Sometimes you think the money's been sent. Check your bank account, you think it's fine. It's not fine. Someone hasn't cashed it. It really has just become so difficult. And sometimes you get hit with fees or you sent the money to the wrong person, you can't get it back. We all know what that's like. We've been through that. But with Cash App, it just makes it way easier. It is a safe, easy and fast way to send and receive and transfer money to family and friends. You get a very quick setup, but you know, put your email in, set up your password, you get a code, blah. You know what it's like. It's that version. It's that easy version. And your money shows up right away. There's no waiting around for days. It's your money. You shouldn't be waiting. Luke, I pay you through Cash App quite a lot. You agree to this?

[C]

Yes, you definitely do. I'm power of money right there.

[Gareth Reynolds]

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[Dave Anthony]

So Larry's hustle couldn't last forever, and new progressive reformers were elected to clean up the town. And it. It didn't help that the Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition was coming to town.

[Gareth Reynolds]

What?

[Dave Anthony]

What?

[Gareth Reynolds]

What in the cosplaying horseshit is this?

[Dave Anthony]

Everybody came down to the docks and they gave indigenous people syphilis. Actually, that is the other way around. But whatever that.

[Gareth Reynolds]

What?

[Dave Anthony]

It's the other way around.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Oh, right. What?

[Dave Anthony]

Indigenous people gave the syphilis to the. And they brought that Back to Italy. Yeah, yeah.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Spread it around. Nature's weapon, syphilis, the naughty revenge.

[Dave Anthony]

So, yeah, it seemed like a really fun time.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah, it sure does. A couple people got real upset at that crack.

[Dave Anthony]

Okay.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah, who wouldn't want to go back in time in this time?

[Dave Anthony]

See you, Sia. Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition. Hit the trail.

[Gareth Reynolds]

But by the way, as we've talked about before, had to probably was probably the most exciting shit in the world. Yeah.

[Dave Anthony]

Oh, yeah.

[Gareth Reynolds]

They're like, oh, fuck, this is awesome.

[Dave Anthony]

God, I hope they walk backwards.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Oh my God. Stop, stop, stop, stop. Come on, don't get your hopes up. Let's just enjoy it. Let's just enjoy it this time. So everyone got their compasses?

[Dave Anthony]

So it doesn't help that this exposition is coming to town. And the tourists who came would exit the railroad station right into Larry's like rough and tough area that he's got control of.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Oh, the greatest. Excuse me, gentlemen. I'm looking for the Lewis and Clark reenactment. Have you seen. Oh.

[Dave Anthony]

Oh. What?

[Gareth Reynolds]

Wake up on a ship. Ah, well, I heard you liked exploring. What is this? Go downstairs, explore where all the diarrhea is and clean it. What? Sir, this is not on my map at all.

[Dave Anthony]

Well, it's. It's the worst part of town. There's junks peeking on the sidewalk and sex workers on second floor balconies and. And fighters throwing fists at each other in the street. Like, it's just a horrible. It's a horrible.

[Gareth Reynolds]

So great to be looking for the. Lois Clark. The Lewis and Clark Exposition. Excuse me, I'm a bit lost and I'm supposed to be Clark and part of me. You just knocked my friend Clark over. I'm a fake Lewis now. Just a pile of fake Lewis and Clarks.

[Dave Anthony]

I didn't even think of that. There would be a ton of guys dressed up like Lewis and Clark.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah, and just like I'm a little confused. It seems like your downtown has changed since the last exposition. Now, pardon me, sir. You've hit a number of Lewis's and five Clarks. Now hold on there, sir. We're just trying to have a little fun as Lewis and Clark. We've lost 100,000 Lewis and Clark reenactors. I'm gonna go. Ha. All waking up on ships.

[Dave Anthony]

So Larry reaches out to his buddies on the east coast, the mafia basically. And asked them how they are going legit. And they told him it was very simple. Get a monopoly on the garbage hauling service.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Sure.

[Dave Anthony]

So Larry cashed in the last of his chips and went for it. But the papers got a whiff of it and they. And they blasted it out to the public.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Okay.

[Dave Anthony]

And there was a huge outcry and Larry's plan fell apart. And so he realizes it's time to leave Portland.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Damn. Did he go to Astoria.

[Dave Anthony]

Bend, Oregon?

[Gareth Reynolds]

Now.

[Dave Anthony]

While reading a newspaper, Larry saw a story about a new mining company, Astoria. A story?

[Gareth Reynolds]

No, say everything you just said.

[Dave Anthony]

A story. Ah, no. About a new boom town in Nevada called Goldfield.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Okay.

[Dave Anthony]

With its new money, Old west lawlessness and really filthy clientele. Larry knew it was the spot for him.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Nice.

[Dave Anthony]

Together with the brothers who helped him start up his boarding house, he opened a casino, the Palace.

[Gareth Reynolds]

There. The idea of being like this place needs a harrah's.

[Dave Anthony]

But look, Nevada is awful. So you can't make it look good.

[Gareth Reynolds]

What are you talking about, sir? It's our gorgeous state. We have the luxury of driving through it quite often. Yeah. And it is fantastic.

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah.

[Gareth Reynolds]

It's like imagine if Arizona died.

[Dave Anthony]

So the big fanciness of the palace impressed the miners. The gaming is better, the girls are prettier. It's a hit immediately. People love was at the palace that Larry met a man who looked like he hadn't told the truth in years.

[Gareth Reynolds]

What does that even look like? He's got fib, wrinkles.

[Dave Anthony]

The kind of guy you can sell your. Who sell you your own coat and leave you thinking. Thanking him for the bargain. George Graham Rice. George is a gambler. When he was down to his last seven bucks, he got a hot tip on a horse that was sure to win and pay out 10 to 1. But instead of betting, he used the money to place it on an ad in the paper telling other people to bet on the horse and subscribe to his tip sheet. And it worked like a charm.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Jesus Christ. Interesting. Yeah.

[Dave Anthony]

So he's on top of the world. He's a high roller. But within three years it was shut down for mail fraud.

[Gareth Reynolds]

What a run though.

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah. So George blew all the money, but came out of the experience with the skills to be an excellent copywriter. Quote, by the end, by the end of the run, he was maybe America's best writer of swindley ad copy.

[Gareth Reynolds]

It's like if pop ups were a guy, good for him.

[Dave Anthony]

So he tried to break his gambling habit by moving to the west coast where he heard about Goldfield and his friend convinced him to come out.

[Gareth Reynolds]

And then Larry opens a casino. Oh man. Oh boy. I think God's trying to tell me to get back in on this fucking Game.

[Dave Anthony]

His friend convinced him to come out and be the press agent for a mining property and make a ton of money by suckering rubes into investing in the claim.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Nice. Cool.

[Dave Anthony]

By the time George met Larry at the Palace, George had built up his own ad agency and innovated a new way to generate excitement and investment. The human interest story.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Oh, no. We've been doing it ever since.

[Dave Anthony]

Yes. It's really terrible. He placed tall tales of the Old west as if. There it was. The truth into east and west coast papers. Gunfights, striking gold, rescuing the damsel on the railroad tracks. Every stupid one.

[Gareth Reynolds]

That one was still playing.

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah. Every like stupid trope you could.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Was there an era where damsels were really on railroad tracks all the time? It was an epidemic.

[Dave Anthony]

Yes. Constant.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Oh, my God.

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Crazy. Yeah.

[Dave Anthony]

They all featured George's clients as heroes. And it worked. Larry realized these stories were the ones that he had read in Portland and the ones that convinced him to come out to Goldfield in the first place.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Oh. So he fell for the bullshit.

[Dave Anthony]

These myths created a parasocial relationship between the audience and the mine owners, which made the readers even more eager to invest. And Larry knew he had to go into business with this bold young genius. So Larry and George partner up.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Good. This is a good duo.

[Dave Anthony]

And they invested a mine for 1.7 million in today's money.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Okay.

[Dave Anthony]

And they created a corporation called the Sullivan Trust Company.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Nice.

[Dave Anthony]

And split it into a million shares.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Jesus.

[Dave Anthony]

George got to work on the ad game, drumming up interest. But things started to smell a little fishy.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Sizzler. Boat.

[Dave Anthony]

And then fried salmon.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Fried salmon here at Sizzler. The new steak fish. You're a Sizzler.

[Dave Anthony]

Did you say steak? Fish.

[Gareth Reynolds]

The steak. Fish. Fresh caught steak from the ocean. What the fuck is Sizzler doing? Shrimp fingers. What? Sizzler. Is anyone listening?

[Dave Anthony]

Past your fish. Pasture fish grown in the mountains of Montana.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Pig. Lobster. We don't even know. Every Tuesday, maybe. What the. Sizzler.

[Dave Anthony]

Sizzler. We don't know what we're doing. My God. Sizzler.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Help us. Sizzler. When we fire an employee, you eat them. Sizzler. Sizzler. Sizzler. There are literally no rules. Sizzler. Sizzler. Sizzler.

[Dave Anthony]

If you go to the bathroom, we kill you and cook you.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah. And whatever you flush goes on a plate. Sizzler.

[Dave Anthony]

Are there? Are there?

[Gareth Reynolds]

Hi. I'm Tom Sizzler. Some of our ads got a bit aggressive recently, which is why the people who wrote them will now be served to you at Sizzler? Hi, it's I, Satan. When I became a majority owner of Sizzler, a lot of people wondered what direction I would take it in. But like we always say, in hell, if it ain't broke, don't fix her. Which is why all the souls of the damned will now be served at the buffet at Sizzler. Plus, we've removed the sneeze guards. We're encouraging sneezing and coughing and ejaculating for some of the men. Sizzler, please take this company away from Earth. Sizzler.

[Dave Anthony]

Are there still Sizzlers?

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yes, there are. I could say with great confidence, some are hanging in there.

[Dave Anthony]

Well, they. It seems like they do go bankrupt a lot.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yep. That's a part of their business model is.

[Dave Anthony]

I remember one once.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Somehow they stay afloat.

[Dave Anthony]

One tour we were doing, I stayed at the airport lax and I stayed overnight because we had to get up at, like, 6am for a flight. And I went down the street to eat and I looked in the Sizzler and it was just packed. Like.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Those are prisoners. Those are prisoners. Help. Help. Ah.

[Dave Anthony]

No.

[Gareth Reynolds]

We're making salmon. Release the pink spray.

[Dave Anthony]

And then it rotates and there's a new Sizzler.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah. You didn't see anything, did you, sir? Did you, sir?

[Dave Anthony]

Welcome to Sizzler. Do you like your food?

[Gareth Reynolds]

That's the end of it. Fucking Red Lobster went out of business before Sizzler. How the fuck is that possible? Cheddar Bay biscuits couldn't. Sizzler was like, we literally don't have shit. And we're still doing it. Sizzler. Now for dogs. Bring it.

[Dave Anthony]

Just the Sizzler truck. Driving on the road, grabbing roadkill.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah.

[Dave Anthony]

Yes. It's steak. Sizzler.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Shut up. Eat your sand. We have guns. What?

[Dave Anthony]

It's all you can eat until you can't. Sizzler.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Sizzler. All you. We say when it's all you can eat. You can fit more. What? Eat more.

[Dave Anthony]

You're not done yet, Jim. Sizzler. Are you crying? Does it hurt?

[Gareth Reynolds]

Sizzler, do a line of breadcrumbs. Pick yourself up off the goddamn mat. Your dad fucking hates your guts, you little bitch. Sizzler. Sizzler. Sorry. Sorry. Sizzler. Sorry. Sorry about that.

[Dave Anthony]

Apologies.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Sizzler. Sizzler, my love. Language is aggression, and I got it. Sizzler. Sizzler. Sizzler. I've been drinking. Sizzler. I shouldn't have drove Sizzler. Anyway.

[Dave Anthony]

I feel like we just lost one of our sponsors.

[Gareth Reynolds]

The great that's what we should do. Every time we lose a sponsor, we should just rip them.

[Dave Anthony]

I did that and I got in trouble.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah, I remember. What? No, it was. We've never worked with better help, but it was like a better help.

[Dave Anthony]

No, we love better help. They're great.

[Gareth Reynolds]

No, what we love about podcasting is it's a space where you can talk.

[Dave Anthony]

What the fuck? What is the story?

[Gareth Reynolds]

Hey, buddy. Yeah. Oh, there was one.

[Dave Anthony]

So they. They started. Larry and George partner up, and they vested in a mine for over 1.7 million.

[Gareth Reynolds]

I don't think we need to keep going. I think we're good. I think we can. Honestly, I think it's over. It just sounds so complicated now that we're, like, coming back to it.

[Dave Anthony]

They created a corporation called the Sullivan Trust Company. Split into a million shares. And then George got to work on the ad game, drumming up interest.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Right.

[Dave Anthony]

But things began to smell a little fishy. That's where.

[Gareth Reynolds]

There it was.

[Dave Anthony]

That's where we went off target. I just got a text from Finn. Are you doing a show? Yes. If you're hungry, go to Sizzler.

[Gareth Reynolds]

You know we're not.

[Dave Anthony]

It's time to eat. Your grandpa.

[Gareth Reynolds]

No, can't go back.

[Dave Anthony]

Then Larry gets his first telegraph bill. It was almost $50,000.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Holy shit.

[Dave Anthony]

Quote. When Sullivan learned of its size, he nearly collapsed. And then George swindled him out of another $10,000 for ads he had placed in papers. And Larry is very worried that he was the rube.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Oh, that's. Finally, I got shanghaied.

[Dave Anthony]

But 10 days later, the orders start coming in. Okay, almost 1.3 million at 25 cents a share. $13 million in today's cash.

[Gareth Reynolds]

So what the fuck?

[Dave Anthony]

They cleaned up.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yep.

[Dave Anthony]

And they went on a buying spree from George. Quote that week and the next. Sullivan gave me carte blanche to speculate in local mining stock stocks with partnership money. And within a fortnight, we had made another small fortune from securities. These were advancing in price on the San Francisco Stock Exchange by leaps and bounds. So they're just fucking rolling in.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah. Now that they have money, they can actually make money.

[Dave Anthony]

And the mines don't need to be productive because everyone's just throwing money at them and everyone knows it's speculative. So when most of it didn't work out, nobody told the law enforcement. Everyone just like, yeah, okay, I got fucked again.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Right.

[Dave Anthony]

And they got away scot free. Of course, some of their big time investors did have to be convinced that they weren't getting screwed. So when VIPs from back east would come to check out their investments. Larry and George would salt the mine.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Uh huh.

[Dave Anthony]

So they put gold and other whatever gems inside the mines to make them.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Why the fuck would you announce that you're going to go for your mine? It's like be like, I'll be there two weeks.

[Dave Anthony]

Let's. I guess we'll put gold all over the floor.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah, you got a bar, rescue the m. You just show up like, oh fuck, this is fucking barren. What the fuck you guys talking about? I'll be there soon. I'm excited to see gold.

[Dave Anthony]

I don't know if you could. I don't know if you could because anybody rich coming, they would, once they got off the train, they would know and they would just salt the mine.

[Gareth Reynolds]

How fast can you salt a mine?

[Dave Anthony]

Throw fucking diamonds and whatever.

[Gareth Reynolds]

I mean, this makes the case that the rich should not exist more than anything I've ever heard.

[Dave Anthony]

Yes.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Just eat Gads. It sure is sparkly down there.

[Dave Anthony]

Oh, we haven't looked in that one yet.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Oh well boys, you sure should have. I think I found a humdigger. What the fuck?

[Dave Anthony]

But George and Larry had legitimate productive minds as well. What it was though, was a speculative bubble. So other mining stock investments contributed to it. But Goldfield was like the main place. Yeah. Sullivan Trust Company collapsed in 1907 and George went on to try and swindle other investors even though he's fucking a just a crazy millionaire.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah, well that's the problem though. It's not.

[Dave Anthony]

They can't stop.

[Gareth Reynolds]

It's not security. Yeah, it's a compulsion. Yeah, it's a disease.

[Dave Anthony]

He tried it with copper mining where he was caught and arrested for mail fraud.

[Gareth Reynolds]

So why the.

[Dave Anthony]

What the fuck? Why would you do it? Because it's the thrill.

[Gareth Reynolds]

I already answered it. Yeah, exactly.

[Dave Anthony]

Larry tried to do the same in Mexico, but the mine he bought was a dud and he just didn't have that.

[Gareth Reynolds]

So funny to imagine the Mexicans just like, quick, throw diamonds. This is a winner, boys.

[Dave Anthony]

And he didn't have that magnetism or flair like George did for pr. In the end he went to la.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah. Hey. No, it's a great town. The prick capital of the world. Smogsville. Actorland.

[Dave Anthony]

You heard of Tom Cruise?

[Gareth Reynolds]

That's right. Well he lives there.

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah.

[Gareth Reynolds]

And he's got a bunch of religious McDonald's places opened up everywhere. And guess what going Pretty good. Pretty good. Pretty good. A lot of people are listening. Okay, sorry. Portland and neighboring areas.

[Dave Anthony]

You know, my favorite Tom Cruise thing is have you seen Go? Have you seen the show Reacher on? Yeah, it's great show. The guy is like.

[Gareth Reynolds]

He's. He's too big.

[Dave Anthony]

He's the size of a house.

[Gareth Reynolds]

He's too big. What I like is a little Reacher.

[Dave Anthony]

Well, so Reacher in the comic is a huge person. And a friend of mine was writing a screenplay for the first Reacher movie years ago, and then Tom Cruise read it and he was like, I'll be Reacher.

[Gareth Reynolds]

I'd like to try. Give me a shout.

[Dave Anthony]

The whole thing about Reacher is he's big. And then they're like, well, Tom wants to do it. So then Reacher was tiny.

[Gareth Reynolds]

But that's why I'm reaching so much I can't get to.

[Dave Anthony]

Became a different kind of Reacher.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Could you help me get the soup? Hey, give me that little ladder so I can reach the cookie jar.

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah. All right. So Larry ends up in la, and he works as a private detective because. Yeah, yeah. And he works with perhaps the greatest lawyer of the 20th century, Clarence Darrow.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Whoa.

[Dave Anthony]

Who defended the. Defended evolution and the Scopes Monkey trial and countless unions against tyrannical bosses. And Eugene Debs during the Pullman strike. So Larry was suspected of trying to bribe the jury in the famous case of the McNamara brothers who blew up the LA Times building. But it was never proven that could happen again. I wouldn't care. So he then. Larry then got involved in Mexican lotteries around Southern California. But they. Local authorities put the kibosh on that. So then he came back to Portland. But the only three things he was good.

[Gareth Reynolds]

That you're proud of him. Have you been listening? That's right. LA Second. You were too moral for this prick Sizzler.

[Dave Anthony]

The only three things he was good at, Running casinos, rigging boxing matches, and serving liquor were all illegal now in Portland.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Well, did he not know that? He came back and he was fine.

[Dave Anthony]

Came back to his peeps rich though, so whatever. It didn't stop him from trying, though. So he's in and out of jail for years. And when World War I erupted across the globe, Larry got a job as a security man at his shipyard. Perhaps the very same one he used to run with an iron fist. And Larry died in 1918 of kidney disease, probably from drinking. You know, having lived more in his 55 years than most would in his lifetime. So that's it. That's Larry Silver. That's me.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Jesus Christ. We lost the real one. We lost the real one. So that's how Sizzler started crazy.

[Dave Anthony]

The research is done by Josh Androwski. Sources. Larry Sullivan Boxer Connor Shanghai baller Riverboat party turned out to be the shanghaiing trick. Larry Sullivan, notorious P Town shanghaiing cartel boss Shanghai Sullivan's mind Stock fraud career. These are all four by Finn, J.D. john and Shanghai. A rogues to rich rags Story of Portland's seeding Seafaring past by Dale Bays and tunnels get to underbelly of Portland's Lava's pass by Joseph Fraser My adventures with your money by George Graham Rice.

[Gareth Reynolds]

I don't know if we've ever had a source giggle.

[Dave Anthony]

The Evening Star and the Tillamook Headlight Herald. Yeah. So that's it.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Wow. It is so. It's almost. I mean, it's so stupid at this point to even talk about, like how money is the ultimate corrupt. It never ends. And then we're at like peak austerity again now.

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah.

[Gareth Reynolds]

And then we're just totally. Again. Yeah. Thanks for coming out, everybody. Appreciate it. Thank you. Hey, what's up there, Gear Force and Doll Heads? This is Gareth. Listen, I'm gonna be on the road doing some stand up comedy and boy howdy, would I love for you to come see me. Go to garethreynolds.com for tickets and information. I just added shows. Batavia or Batavia, Illinois, May 22, May 23, May 24. Then I will be in Nashville on August 5. I will be in Lexington, Kentucky, August 6, Chattanooga, August 8, August 9. Then I will be in Fort Collins at the Comedy Fort. August 22, August 23. Then to Sweet Bozeman, Montana, September 5, September 6. Then I'll be in Kansas City at the Comedy Club of Kansas. September 26, September 27, October 4, Chicago. A couple shows there, then Sunnyvale. November 6, November 7, November 8. Go to GarethReynolds.com for tickets and information. You are my Gear Force. You are Doll heads. I love you Gear thrills dot com.