Bridgeton pioneer. (Bridgeton, N.J.) 1884-1919, 1895-05-30
THE FIRST BLOODSHED.
Riparian Men Fire Upon the Association
Men, and as Result One Man is i'll
Hospital in Philadelphia.


The first blood has been shed in the
oyster war down off Fortescue, and as
result of Mondays sharp battle, one
man is lying in the German hospital,
Philadelphia, with chances of amputation
Of leg, if not death.
1t is the elimination of the long strug-
gle that has been dragging on for more
than year, and the end is not yet.
AS announced in the PIONEER Mon
day, oliver Candy and his brother Harry
went down on the Bay shore, determined
to protect their riparian grounds, which
have been raided recently by about eight
or ten boats. They went to their fortress,
which had been thrown up by their dead
father, heavily armed, and gave it out
that they would fire if boats come upon
what they claim as their property.
On the other hand down at the river
had been threatenings of retaliation, and
oystermen declared that if the Gandys
fired upon them they would go upon
shore and capture them and carry them
off to their boats and to Bivalve.
The battle began early in the morning,
WIGI SIN SlOoDS dIlNt pWo oShOOhOio w
gan dredging on the Fortescue natural
growth beds, which extend north, west
and south from the Fortescue House.
The boats which defied the threats of
the riparian owners by daring to gather
oysters from this bed were the schooners
"Volunteer'' and "Cottingham," and
sloop "George M. Ackley," of Maurice
ID +lo ELyronoic T
bell" "J.F.Armstrong," Emily Smith,"
s'Hunter'' and "Ward B. Smith," ofSom-
ers' Point.
The oysters were plentiful, the dredg
ers coming up full and running over at
every haul The boats were 200 or 300
yards Off shore, lacking here and there
and filling up fast. Suddenly the crack
of a rifle and a bullet hole through the
mainsail of the Francis j. Campbell told
the oystermen that they were attacked.
Another shot followed, and then another
and each time the cold lead evidence of
the accuracy of the aim appeared on one
Of the boats.
Captain Oliver Sneed, OF the schooner
"Volunteer," promptly got out his re-
lJcdllIIS lIllC dliNt IClttIllCI lllC,
in as near as he could Judge at the spot
where the shore shots came from. 1t
soon became evident that there were two
men ambuscaded and that they had
breech-loading rifles. The shots came
thick and fast, and the oystermen all
sought safety behind the cabins and in
the holds of their boats. Captain Sneed
fired seven shots all told at the hidden
enemy on shore, and two shots were
fired from the George H. Ackley."
Then the oystermen decided to go upon
shore and run the attacking party from
their ambuscade, accordingly they
brought their boats as near the shore as
they could and then came on in yawl
boats
1t is claimed that the Gandys were
firing all the WHILE but as yet no one was
hurt. Then the determined oystermen
started for the fort. The Gandys evil
IDENTIFY became frightened and started to
retreat, going toward what is known as
Lone Tree in the marsh The persuers
kept on, keeping about three hundred
yards behind.
Then there was an exchange of shots.
Some say the Gandys fired first, while
others declare it was the oystermen. FL
nally the Gandy's stopped and facing up
on their prisoners opened fire. Capt.
Sneed was shot through the sleeve of his
coat, but they kept on. Then came an
other volley; and Captain Joseph Hilton,
of the sloop 81. F. Armstrong;" of
Somers' Point, fell ON the beach, badly
wounded, bullet having gone through
the fieshy part Of the leg above the knee.
That took all the spunk out of the pur-
suers, and they gathered up the fallen
man and retreated to their boats. Captain
Hilton was taken aboard the sloop Gran
els J. Campbell" commanded by his
brother, Martin Hilton, and sail was set
for Long Beach, fifteen miles away. The
tug "West jersey" gave the sloop a tow
when it was learned that she had a
wounded man aboard.
DR.. Day, of Port Norris, found that Hill
toms thigh bone was splintered and that
the bullet was lodged in it, so he advised
sending the patient to the German Hos
pital, Philadelphia. and he was started on
the 4.3O p. IN. train, accompanied by Mar
tin Hilton and A. IT, Borden.
Capt Oliver Sneed, and John Wesley
Adams, together with other members of
the crews came to Bridgeton yesterday
afternoon. Captain Sneed, says that his
boat was sailing up the Bay in manner
peaceably and no dredges were out. The
attacking party upon the shore fired upon
his boat which was carrying the Ameri-
can flag, and the sails We're riddled.
The party then followed Captain Sneed
to shore to learn who were the men who
We're then using fire arms.
Capt. Hilton had been fishing for
oysters, claiming that these grounds were
natural beds, and his privilege to catch
the hivalves there.