Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1888-11-30
CHESAPEAKE BAY PIRATES.
Federal Cannon TO Aid the Maryland
Authorities- Cruel Treatment of GER
man Dredgers.

Authoritarian Treatment Of Ger
man Dredgcrs.
BALTIMORE. Nov. 30-The United
States authorities will probably take
hand in abolishing the Kidnapping and
cruel treatment of unfortunate men who
become the dupes of the heartless oyster
dredging captains. United States Mar
shall Cairnes in an interview with a com
mittee from the German Aid Society,
expressed his willingness to do all he
could to pat an end to the Cruelty, but
said that he must have an armed vessel at
his disposal ms he would have
desperate set of men to deal with A
committee from the German society and
the Prisoners Aid Society accordingly
went to Washington to-day 10 request
that an armed revenue cutter be placed
at the disposal Of tine United States
Marshal This inhuman treatment OF
poor Germans and colored men who in
nocently become the victims Of these
Chesapeake bay robbers, is greater evil
than the Illegal dredging Only the Fed
eral authorities can act in the matter
One who has been investigating the mat
ter says
Escape from one Of these boats is al
most as impossible as from the Maryland
Penitentiary The boats are a good dis
lance from the shore The yawl boats
are kept chained When the captain
goes ashore al night he will simply put
his men under lock below deck At night
the men sleep without covering. If the
police sloops are seen cruising around.
the captain will keep carefully out Of the
way, so that the men whom he holds in
ffsrff
reach These vessels do not even land
at any wharf for the purpose
Of sending their oysters up,
but another vessel known as the supply
boat will come alongside at certain inter
walls, out in the stream, and take off the
cargo Of oysters. If the vessels are pur-
sued by the police boat or by the United
States marshal and it is known that an
attempt win be made to release par
ticular man, they will Illustrate every
attempt by transferring the man from
one vessel to another They will even
change the number Of the versel or the
name. The commanders Of these vessels
say there is no law upon the Chesa-
peake.
The mother Of Orndorff Karn, boy Of
sixteen, has appealed to the German
society TO save her SON who was entioed
aboard dredger and who, She fears,
will be killed. John Howard, another
victim. who made his escape from the
captivity of the dredge, brought news of
the poor German woman's boy Howard
says that he and the boy Karn were both
duped into signing with a dredging
vessel
I'VE were short handed, says he, and
because we could not get up the dredges
! the captain and mate would swear at us
in the most brutal way | saw the cook
choke the boy while he was winding and
! then knock him down. The boy was still
on the boat when escaped. We were
compelled to sleep in the forepeak on
rough boards, and the boat would leak
and, of course, we would get wet
Our food was very poor-corn bread,
soda bread and cabbage made the
bill of fare. Sometimes we got meat.
but that was seldom We started 70
work at daylight and worked until night,
sometimes as late as 10 o'clock One
week before my month was up told the
captain | wanted to 20 home. He laughed
at me and asked what was the matter
told him | was sick and could not work
The other men also complained about
being sick. The captain paid no atten
tion to me- On November 20 escaped
The captain went home, and the mate and
cook went ashore in the yawl boat. Upon re
turning they left the boat in the water,
forgetting to pull it ON deck About 4
o'clock in the morning / crept into the
boat, cut her loose, and made for shore
| landed on a sandy reef and after walk
ing seven miles came to a stream 200 feet
wide. | had to swim this, and then /
| struck the main shore. | was ten miles
from the road that leads to Washington.
had $1.25, and with this purchased
something to eat After a tramp Of five
days l reached Washington, and then
came to Baltimore.
The state authorities. with the aid OF
Federal cannon, will deal with the pirates
in the matter Of illegal dredging aud the
United States authorities will compel the
rascals to stop the inhuman treatment OF
their employees.