Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1892-03-27
THE WAR IN THE BAY
SEVENTY TANoiER ISLANDERS AND
TIE pReDGeRS IN COURT.
Boud Given By Both tho Combatanss-
They Glare ssvsgeiy ~ Each osnsr-
A Collision Imminent.
.s...l., ,.l.eram % ,he pi.pstch.l

T.s1yy. Va, March 26.--Jnstice lay
Tor, of Pungoteague, and Constaoie Gus
lis. of Onancock. returned yesterday rom
Tanpier Island, bringing with them aoou'
seventy of tho islanders charged WITH
being engaged in the recent hight Win
the dredgors. in which young Archer Dies
was killed. Later IN the afternoon Gap
,oip A. ]. Read. OF the Virginia oyster
Police. and the captains OF the dredgihg-
| boats who we're engaged in the NIGHTS, ar
rived from Hofman's wharf, on unso -
| .aa,,,,o c~.er magistrates court was
| .rg,nized consisting of Justices nelson,
| ~ Onancock: TAYLOR. OF Pungoteague'
and Cooper, of Tangier Island.
| UNDER BONDS.
| Slxty.foiir islanders. who were charged
with being IN the fight, waived an eAainl-
| nation and were put under bond toeppear
before the grand Jury of Accomac County
! Court. which meets on Monday, Inc
| CHARGES against Captain Manard Read, son
| of Gaptaiu Read. OF the Virginia OYSTER
police. and Captain Asburv Middleton, Tor
| illegal dredging IN Iangier sounu, were
dismissed, both the accused proving an
Gii6i. in the cases OF Captains EnIan
| Marsh. Edward Crockett. benjamin helso;
| James Crockett. Thomas ID. Dies, EInanuei
Helyerson. and Alfred j. Read. charged
f, with illegal dredging, their attorney
waived an examination. ana tneT were
| placed under bond To appear before the
grand jury.
Alfred ]. Read. of the oyster-police. and
Ali ,he dredgers swore that the first gun IN
the fight was fred by Major Parks. of
Tangier Island. and they all swore tnat
| they thought this WAS the shot that Killed
Archer Dies. All the islanders. however,
swore that the first shot was fired by Cap
| tain Alfred j. Read. The bonds OF all the
dredgers and islanders were fixed at $50,
except that of Major Parks. who being
| charged with firing the shot that killed
Dies, was required to give bond OF tloo.
Captain Alfred Read. commander or the
Virginia ovster-police boat Tangier, who
took part IN the fight in Taugler Sound
last Tuesday. gave his version of the difii-
Guilty before the magistrates court.
CAPTAIN READS STATEMENTS.
According 20 his statement. when the
two sloops from Tangler approached him
he heard one OF the islanders saw; on
der IS that - AL Head let us
kill HIM" Captain Read replied: You
- islanders - = =, you are TOO
cowardlv 10 shoot. Shoot If you dare"
Thereupon Major Parks, on the Tangier,
threw up his double barreiled gun and
fred the first shot, which the dredgers
claim killed Archer Dies.
OWED Ike DUCKS.
CAPTAIN Read then drew his pistol and
fired whereupon. according to his state
ment. all the ISLANDERS Owed like ducks
head-foremost into the holds 0f their yes
sells. where most of them lay fiat on the
bottom of the boats. Several of them
poked their guns out Of the hatchway and
fred. but the bullets went over the heads
of the dredgers, among the masts and
spars of their boats.
COLLISION FEARED.
The testimony OF the dredgers and the
islanders contacted on nearly every point,
and as they stood IN the courtroom. the
islanders on one side aud the dredgers on
the other, they glared savagely az each
other. and many persons feared that a
collision might take place between them
before they left Onancock. Ii was late at
night before the court finished the cases.
Captain Read says that collision would
have been avoided If the 1angier island
ers had informed him that they had come
TO arrest the dredgers on warrant for
illegal dredging.
AUTHORITY PROM TIE GOVERNOR.
He saws that islanders demanded to
know on what authority the dredgers were
taking oysters from natural oyster rock
III Tangier Sound. he told them that they
had authority from the Governor of Vir-
einia They demanded that he show this
authority, and when he failed to do 1t the
islanders precipitated the conflict. The
islanders, however, gave tar different
version of the affair.