Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1888-12-20

had, they being without coats or hats,
! and some of them shoeless. They say
they did not have time to recoysr
anything in the way of apparel. bu.
GaIeiy escaped with their lives. All
claim that they were below deck at
the time of the engagement, having
been ordered there by their captains,
aud solemniy affirm that they took %
part in the engagement. The tdsn in
Jail give accounts of the fight that
make it appear as the heaviest that
has ever occurred since they have been
dredging. Unfortunately the captain
of neither vessel sunk was captured,
they Lsing in the centre OF the fleet,
! ifogstLsr with the captains Of the ether
vessels directing the firing. A colored
man named Gus Coleman and a white
man named Bramble, of the crew of
/ the Mahoney, are believed to have
been drowned, as they were rot seen
after the vessels were struck.
/ The McLane presents a dilapidated
appearance, being thoroughly riddled
. from stem to stern with bullets aud
buckshot. Every window in the
1 pilot-hou.e is shot out, the smoke
stack is perforated, and the hull psp-
pered from the upper deck to the
water-line. There is but one tin pan
in the cooks gallery that has not a
rifle ball through it. Mate Frazier
was the only one aboard the McLane
who was hurt, and bis wound, which
was dressed by DR.. J. NJ. Corkran on
his arrival at Centreville, while not
serious, is very painful. Mr.. Frazier >
stomach was also grazed by a bullet
CAPTAIN HowARp's BLOOD Is UP.
/ The McLane left Centreville at 4
o'clock this afternoon for the scene OF
the late battle, and Captain Howard
says that he proposes to keep the
/ dredgers off Swami Point bar and He'll
Point as long as his vessel keeps above
water. There is a large fleet OF
dredgers in the river at this writing,
AID ano her engagement is expected
before morning.
TINS being public day here, a
laTgs number of citizens from al! over
The county Were in town, and they
were all loud in their praises of tie
bravery of Captain Howard aud hi.
crew, the tongmen being especially
deligh ed that the pirates have been
knocked out for once.
The following are the names given
by tie imprisoned dredgers: Schooner
J. G. Mahoaey-Augustus NJ. Breu-
IAN, Z. P. Winston, A. L. Pickett,
William Coleman, Joe Marshall, Tom
/ CJ"hors, John Hart. Schooner Julia
\ j,nes-Peter Mullen. A hearing
wall be given them upon the return
# he McLane, which will probably
.e tomorrow. The vessels had about
so bushels of oysters each in their
loids.
PIRATICAL PLOT.
y dispatch from Chestertown con
.~.'iug the engagement at the mouth
=! ne Chester river states that there
ayge from 40 to 80 vessels on the
wtars of the Chester river between
Crrrsutrrs island and Queenstow II
,g.' kiwhen sighted BY Captain How ard
.aoat $50 o'clock z. NJ. The dredgers
1ri not hoist all sail and prepare
p fly, but drew up to give battle.
The oystermen swore allegiance to
each other and defiance to the law.
i many Of their vessels as could be
handled, commanded by the most des-
!.r.te Of the captains, formed a line
d battle, claiming their boats tc-
gslLer. The McLane approached, hut
tLs dredgers at word of command
/ .uaie desperate attempt to surround
ih" "oiics boat. They were unsuc-
ce-siuI. They opened ti.e upon Cap,
t,ia Howard and his men, who re-
;nrned the fire. Volley after vo!ley
wt> sent from the fleet OF oyster boats,
which we're sailed in way to sur
rou' the steamer. They wanted to
: cap ure the boat. Two vessels were
headed for the McLane. One ap-
,:oa hid from the starboard side and
tie o.Lsr from the port side 1t was
desperate game, but Captain Howard
E,;aued his steamer into the oyster
ia,;s AID sank til III both. The crew
II 5-e q the boats was picked up, and
Ji-L Tie McLans va headed for other
b,tf-. They fled. Captain Howard,
!. "eyer, succeeded in capturing Cap,
tain Wrightson Jones and bis boat
Then the McLAne was headed for
C=at.zyile Captain Jones exposed
the plot of the dredssrs, aud says