Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1888-12-12
THE OYSTER WAR.
The Pirates Fire Upon State Vessels
With Fatal Effect.
Only One Man Out of a Crew of Eleven that
Escaped-Unexempled Audacity-The
Police Determined

ANNAPOLIS, MD, Dec. II The spirit
of meekness manifested by the state navy
has emboldened the oyster pirates of the
Chesapeake to the point of recklessness
and audacity. They so forgot themselves
recently as to turn their guns on pas
senger steamer. As the steamer Corsica
of the Chester River Steamboat com
pany, was coming out of Ches-
ter river on her way to Baltimore, she
passed large fleet of dredgers at anchor.
When the steamer passed them the
pirates began to yell. One of the passen-
gers of the steamer answered with Il
whoop. Then the dredgers opened fire
and riddled the sides of the Corsica with
bullets and buckshOt. There were thirty
passengers aboard the steamer, but they
were all in their cabins except the one
one who dared to yell at the pirates.
ANNAPOLIS, Md, Dee, l1.-Charles
G. Ford, deputy postmaster at Winches-
ter, Queen Anne county, says he counted
thirty-nine reports of cannon besides IA
hundred or more rifle shots this morning
The steamers B. S. Ford and Gratitude
from Chester river met the steamer Me
Lean and the schooner Baughman con-
veying the captured dredger Maggie
SOIDtlU W NtuItTNllle 1Of 1Tlal.
just off He'll Point two sunken
dredgers were past. The schooner's sails
were still up and were riddled with shot.
A man dressed in Il blue uniform was seen
on the McLean's deck, leading to the
suppOsition that an expert gunner had
been borrowed from the naval academy.
A schooner was seen ashore on Carpen-
tiers Island, another on Walnut Tree bar,
another in Burdens creek and a fourth
on Kent Island.
CONSIDERABLE LOSS OF LIFE
BALTIMORE, Md, Dec. ll-Last
nights fight at the mouth of Chester
river may have resulted in considerable
loss of life, rs Peter Mullen, cook on
board the schooner Julia A . Jones, saws
he was the only man out of crew of
eleven that escaped. The state vessels
were hotly attacked hlS.the dredgers, who
were heavily ss4hed with repeat
the fire until cbapeled to- The steamer
McLane was thoroughly riddled with bul
lets, and Captain Howard determined to
resort to extreme ineasures. Backing
the steamer off Som tIis feet of dredgers
which were tied togethca.. he singled out
1he Julia A. .JoneSAand Putting pn full
head of steam -n!ade rapidly for her STern,
striking fairly the bow of the McLAne,
penetrating clear.to the sGhooner's corr
panion way, and the latter sank almost
Instantly. Mullen escaped by climbing
to the steamers anchor chain. but SAYS
the rest of the crew were III the fore deck
and could not have gotten out. As soon
as the McLane got clear from the :;
wreck she was again backed off and
again'headed for the fleet, striking the
C.. Maloney on the stern. She
at once commenced to sink, and the re-,
mainder of the fieet got of as fast as pos-S
sibfe. Some of the crew of the Maloney
escaped by. climbing on board
the McLanes As each one came
aboard he was put in the hold.
The captain was not on board at the time
The rescued men were locked up at Gen.
treviIle. They all say they took no part
in the fight. A man named Coleman of
the crew of the Maloney is believed TO
have been drowned, as he has not been
seen since the vessel was struck.
The dred-ers are reported to be on I'M
lawful ground Tonight, and it is not
likely there will be another fight before |
morning. Police boats have gone back
To the scene of last night 5 fight, and de-
clare they Will drive the pirates off.