Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-06-15
A RAID ON THE RIVER
Arresting Violators Of the Fish Protection
Laws.
Police Take to Small Boats and Make
Quite Il Haul-In Court
Today.

waters or the Potomac In the District
limits. and are successful enough to catch
shad or herring. do so in violation of two
laws. now that 1t is later than June 10.
Not only do they violate the 1O-years law
for the protection Of the fish in the Poto-
mac, but they also violate the act of 1892,
which provides a penalty of s. for each
sfad or herring found in possession. or ex-
posed for sale. fresh, after June 10. Ever
since the re-enactment of the law for the
protection of fish in the river. the members
of the crew of the police boat Joe Black
burn have exerted themselves in an effort
to break up the unlawful fishing at night,
for they were certain that q number of
fishermen were violating the law. The
enactment of the law did not cause any
OF the fishermen to dispose Of their nets,
and 1t was known that they were of no
value unless they could be used In the
river. Many mornings wet nets were seen
hanging along the river bank to dry. and
IL was natural for the officers to suppose
that they had been in use.
Previous to last night the arrests for vio
lating this law had been few and far be-
tween. and the last man arrested. an Alex
ar drian, was so poor that the court could
net, with any degree Of conscience, send
the offender to Jail. His plea of poverty
was substantiated by others who knew him,
and with warning the court released him.
Night after night the officers went out in
search OF offenders. With police boat they
found II impossible to get near enough to
the violators of the law to app-ebend them.
The marine laws will not permit even the
police boat to 90 out at night without the
required lights and an attempt to get near
the small boats in the darkness and with
out the aid of a search light was impossi-
BILE
For several nights the officers have kept
out of the way. and yesterday Harbor
master Sutton laid plans for a general raid.
1t was about 10 o'clock when Policemen
Perry and Lewis. members of the crew.
took charge of small boats and started out
on the raid Each officer had two good
oarsmen. and the first trip was made in the
direction of Giesboro' Point. short dis
upon small boat, In which they found
two men. Chas Devine and Frederick Jack
son. In the boat these men had nine shad
and net The net was wet and covered
with fish scales. showing, to the satisfac-
ton of the officers, that 1t had just been
taken from the river.
In another boat Geo. Wood and Carroll
Wood had thirty-siN shad and a net, and
they were also arrested.
Then the officers signaled the Joe Black
burn, and the boats and prisoners were
taken to the wharf. Having been sue
cessful in this raid the officers next headed
for Georgetown. There in the channel they
saw Il net. and not far off was a small
boat, In which two men We're seated. At
first the officers went toward the net, and
the men In the boat acted as though they
imagined the officers were pirates. and they
made move as though they intended to
protect the net from being robbed. But
before reaching the net they became sus-
picious and made start for the shore.
Then there was lively chase, and VIM.
Cumberland and Chas. Smith, occupants OF
the boat. were made prisoners. A few min
utes later Augustus Grimes and Joseph
Hurdle were found. They had eleven shad
in their boat, and a net was In the water
not far from them
The Joe Blackburn met this quartet Of al
illegal ASharDAn ut ha hrtdOa
and gave them a free ride to the It'll street
wharf. The eight men arrested were then
taken to the police station. where charges
were preferred against them.
In Court To-day.
The cases were called IN the Police Court
this morning. The first case called was the
one in which the defendants Cumberland
and Smith were interested. The officers
were unable to prove that they owned the
net in the water. They mad a net in their
boat. In explanation Of their presence on
the river they claimed tina, they were .g-
norant of the law, ana said they saw a
man haul his net, but he did not get
anything they did not put their nets out.
They said they went out on the river about
o O'Clock, and staysd out there talking 70 q
man whom they all not know for about
four hours.
The result was they had to be discharged.
Devine and Jackson live in Alexandra
several hours before they were arrested.
although the officers said that one of the
fish was alive when the arrest was made.
They were fined s. for each shad, making
the fine S45
Defendant Grimes made a statement to
show that the law had deprived him of his
means of supporting his family. He said
he went out to get some fish for his fam
lily and took his friend Hurdle out with
him to show him how the fishing is done.
Grimes. but he had knowingly violated the
law and he would have to pay the penalty.
Grimes was fined $40 and his boat and net
Confiscated in one case. while in the case
of having the eleven shad sentence was
suspended. Hurdle was released on his per-
sCnal bonds.
Carroll Wood and his son next appeared.
They live In Alexandria and their pitiable
condition aroused the sympathy of every
one in court. The father Is blind and his
young son led him to the prisoners rail.
An Alexandria policeman was in court.
who told of the Strengthened circumstances
of the family. He promised that the man
would never again violate the law and the
court released him on his personal bonds
Harbormaster Sutton wanted to know
what to do with the fish and the judge
jCkingiy remarked: Send them to Coxey's
army" H.
They will be sent to the poor house.