Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1889-10-31
A Malone Dodger Exposed.

MAIHt0h y. He 'A's VN'N~N- ~ 1850
To he Editor Of he Dispatch:
Nv attention has been called to a cam
/ paicn document issued by Malone under
/ tho heading of The Democratic Lawyers
/ Grab.
are the following
! ISS3-February qtn. J. Christian. legal ser
vices in prosecuting crim insl cases, go, -.
! IS,3-Februaiy l0th' y. Bland legH' ser
/ vices IN prosecuting criminal cases, = -
1886 February 18th, T. J. Christian legal ser
vices In prosecuting a large number Of persons
for violation Of TIE oyster Law, $50
Issj-Aprl lat. h. T. Blsod. legal services N
/ prosecuting a large number Of persons LOT No-
| lation of oyster law. t25J.
As lam fully cOgmzant Of most of the
/ facts in relation to this matter. nope you
will allow me through your columns 10
/ give 20 the public the following
| In March. 1850. the Mahone Legislature
] enacted. d" II any person shall take or eaten
oysters with dredges or instruments other
/ than ordinary ovster-tongs within the wa
1 ters of tins State he shall he deemed
guilty Of a felony. and upon conviction
/ snail he confined in the penltentlary not
/ less than one nor more than three years,
/ and shall forfeit 10 the Commonwealth the
/ vessel or boat so employed, winch shall
| be sold nj public auction by the sherlh
within ten days after sad cOnhscauoh,
| DC.
In February. 1882. William +. Cameron,
| thcthen Malone Governor OF Virginia, went
to Norfolk. called two military companies
into the service of the State. and IN com
maud Of two steamers went up the bay aud
caDtured seven vessels of Gwynn island,
in this county. The newspapers were filled
with accounts of his exploits and galiantTY,
and some people were made 10 believe that
the rich suOils OF his "ovster war would
suffice to pay the State debt.
The vessels and Their crows. upwards or
sixty in number. were brought into tins
county. and Messrs. Christian and Bland
EMPLOYED by the Malone Governor TO al
in their prosecution. The crews, except q
few. were. az great expense TO the State,
convicted and sent TO the penltentlary.
They were pardoued in a few days, except
the captains. whose sentences were com
muted to "a short CONTINENT IN Accomack
jail 10y the then Malone Governor
The owners of the vessels, except one
who had been captured, petitioned TO have
their property restored TO them. But their
petitions were denied by l.. c. Brstow,
the Malone Judge Of the County Court,
and the vessels ordered 20 be sold.
On writs Of error TO the Circuit Court
the judgments OF the County Court or
dering the sale Of the vessels were affirmed
bv Benjamin ". Lacy, the then Malone
0
the most of them by their owners, and the
money deposited IN bank.
On writs of error TO the supreme Court
Of Appeals eight judgments OF the Nahone
Circuit COcrt were reversed and the pro-
cccds OF sale OF the vessels and tine oyster
in them ordered to Doe paid over To the
I owners except ono who had been convict
! ed. The judgments we're rev rSed because
| of the defective Malone legislation IN pro-
vidng no means for the forfeiture OF the
property The hcnchmen of Malone, the
| foster father Jf readjustment, hsd not the
J brains TO frame law IN the case that
would stand the test of the Constitution.
| See Boggs d dh as. Tho Commonwealth, ]
/ Hansborough, 9S9: McCaudhsh rs. The
/ Commonwealth, al. 1902. Tie cases We're
! remauded 10 the Circuit Court, where, upon
| proof of their property, orders were made
! authorizing the owners to withdraw their
J money from the bank. The Malone au-
| thorities again took several of the cases to
| the Court of Appeals, where the judgments
were affirmed. thus involving additional
and needless expense. see Commonwealth
| Is Mister II ais. I marlborough, D.
Thus terminated this Malone fdsco, IN
volvlng immense expense TO the state, OF
which the thousand dollars paid TO Messrs.
| Christian and Bland constituted ONLY a
small part. The two last amounts of two
] hundred and fifty dollars each We're paid
/ 10y authority of an act OF the General As
semhly which recited their employment by
his Excellency William f. Cameron, Gov
ernor of the Commonwealth, and doubt
less the act was passed at his instance. 1t
| was approved bv him February 8, 1851
See Acts lSS3-lSsl, page l25.
Until saw the campaign document IN
question was not aware Of the fact that
Edgar Allan, TO whom five hundred dol
lars was paid IN 1884 for services III coupon
cases. and John Lyon, who received one
hundred dollars the same year, for legal
services in cases of Fouse, Hamilton, and
others at request ofGOvernor," were Demo-
cratic lawyers.
Did Malone know these facts, "a he
should have done. when he penned this
campaign document. or has he attempted
hy suppression Of the truth to prostitute
the public records to his base political pur-
| poses! JOHN Is. DONOVAN.