The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1882-03-30
DREAD OF THE DREDCERs.
The oyrcrmcn Caught BY Governor Cameron
Brought to the Penitenfiary-A Miserable
Body or sIen-Their Personal Appearance,
&c.-Names OF the Prisoners.

/
| in their time OF three quarters Of a century
haze closed upon many unhappy mortals,
Yesterday evening opened TO receive the
| forty-six p,cn recently convicted OF dredg-
ing for oysters in defiance OF the laws Of
the Commonwealth. These men were ap-
| pretended by Governor Cameron's expedi-
ton on February 18th. They were
promptly tried: one crew was convicted
on the evidence produced by the Common
wealth, and the others thereupon came into
court, confessed their guilt, and were each
and all sentenced to one years imprison-
ment i'm the penitcntiary. Then they
pleaded for Executive clemency, but Gov
ernor Cameron, i'm view OF the constant
and irreparablc
DEPREDATIOSs Upon THE 0YsTER-BHDs
Of the Commonwealth. declined TO interfere
with the sentence Of the CouP.
Tuesday morning the prisoners were
marched from Mathews Courthouse to Will
liams's wharf, OH East river. There they
were placed on board the steamer
Northampton, and. under the guard OF
Sheriff Sands Smith and his seventeen
deputies or guards, were conveyed to Nor
folk. In that city some fifteen Of them
were lodged for the night at q hotel; the
tcrday morning they were started for Rich
mond on a special car attached to the regu-
lar train. The department of the entire
party, captains and crews, white and black,
was entirely uneXceptionable. The sheriff
declared yesterday that he believed that he
could have brought them on without a
guard, and that as to the captains and most
Of the men, it would have been safe TO
have paroled them to appear at The penitcn-
tiary. Guard and prisoners
ARRIVED AT MANCHESTER
Yesterday at A:3G =. VI. \ squad Of about
a dozen police. under command OF Sergeant
Parater. met them at Manchester. and the
whole party marched across the Free
bridge and by the nearest route 10 the
penitentiary. They were followed out TO
the pentcntiary by n crowd Of men and
boys.
At the penitcntiary there was q small
number OF persons assembled to see the
unfortunate fellows pass in. There was
no ceremony at all.
When prisoners arrive, one by one they
are conducted into the office Of the Super
intcndent, where personal description Is
taken: then they are washed, clothed in
stripes, shaved Of all beard, and assigned
TO cells. Owing to the late hour OF arrival
(about 500, these. prisoners were taken
straight into the yard, where they were
counted, and mean while Sheriff Smith
made his report to Captain Williams, and
took his receipt. The penitcntiary WAS al
ready oyercrowded, but Captain Williams
had made vacant
sCFFiC-EXT NUMBER or CELLS
70 accommodate these oystermen by send
ing five and six men to a cell.
Standing waiting for orders 10 20 TO their
cells the men were watched with curious
but sympathetic interest by the officials
and visitors present.
Nearly all are young; most OF them are
rather below the medium size, and all have
the appearance OF seafaring men, and are
honest, brave-looking fellows. While thus
waiting some OF the prisoners talked freely
with gentlemen who gathered about lhem.
They said that the Maryland men had been
dredging off the Mathews county shore all
the winter; that they saw oil the oysters
being carried away by those outsiders, and
they thought they were as much
ENTITLED TO TIE OYSTERS
as anybody else. and they had been at
work only about three days when the Gov
ern0r's feet Swooped down upon them.
Many OF them talked with tears in their
eyes Of wives and children, OF mothers and
sisters at home. and seemed 10 feel koenly
the disgrace Of their situation. They had
opportunity To see the whole six hundred
OF the prisoners come into the yard from
the workshops and enter the cells. The
oystcrmen are altogether ditlerent-looking
fellows from the murdercrs and thieves
4 a Il ~I.r.f tnA
by them. Even the black oystermen
looked 20 lie men OF 4 different species
from the black conyicts.
Looking upon the iron gates, the massive
walls, the stolid-ooking conycts, and all
the sad paraphernalla OF penitentiary life,
many Of the white men could not restrain
their tears. Some sObbed aloud.
II being too late In the evening to robe
in the regulation suit, they were sent
TO their cells in their citizens clothes, and
to-day will be brought down, put in
stripes, and
ASSIGNED TO SUCH WORK
rs Is there for them 10 do. The cOl0rcd
convicts can be sent right of to work on
railroads, but contractors do not care 10
have whites. Neither do the contractors
I'M the workshops want to bother with white
men OF black men who have only one year
10 serve. Before they can learn any trade
their time will be out. Besides, hope is
entertained that after a few months the
Governor will find il compatible with his
sense OF duty to pardon all the hired men
OF the crews, at least.
The following j. the
LIST OF THE VESSELS
captured and conlscated, with the cap
tains. all Of whom are now in the peniten-
tiary:
George W. Crockett, captain Of schooner
Philip kirkwood.
George W. Johnson, OF schooner Alice
and Anna.
William r. Kelum, Of schooner George
W. Croswcll.
S. j. Lucas, Of schooner |. c.
William {. Evans, Of sloop Hamburg.
T.. O. Kellum, OF schooner Mary Lawton.
Edward u. Chandler, OF schooner Fash
ion.
An the vessels were owned in Accomac
except one schooner, owned by o. ;. Mallo-
ry, in Norfolk.
The following Is Il full list OF the con-
yicts, with mention Of the families they
have:
Wh;ies.-Ed. W. Chandler, single; VIII
liam T. Kellum. wife and three children;
Frank Crosley, wife and two children;
William Turner, unmarried; William Lar
kins, unmarried; Charles Brllner, unmar-
ried; Joseph Dalton, unmarried; Daniel
Petstring. unmarried; John Winkier, Iln-
married; :. j. Lucas. unmarried; a. Wat
son Byrd, wife and three children, u. W.
Crockett, wife and one child; Frank Pow
ell. unmarried; T.. o. Kellum, unmarried;
T.. W. IIutson, unmarried, aged mother;
4, NJ t.I..,, .,;to au1 five children