Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1896-02-15
RepIy 10 cancers of s1nte Navy.


lent James H. Coxtin, has proven to
be a stir instead of ''slur.n We
think that we ought to have slurred
long before February LIST. If Captain
Costin was doing his utmost to look
after violators of the oyster law in
the past, why has he been SO active
here of late? He REMINDS us of Uncle
Ephraims mule: This animal in ques
ton was exceedingly slow and hard
to move, so to help Ephraim out of
the difficulty, one day a bystander
suggested that little benzine be APP
piled to the back of the mule. The
bystander was requested to make the
experiment, which he did. The effect
was magical. The mule started oil
ut such rapid pace that Uncle
Ephraim was unable to overtake him.
Iu almost hopeless despair the old
'ngger' turned to the stranger and
said, "Mister eff you put some of dat
4ufr on my back I'll never ketch dat
mule The police boats have been
so active of late, that we oysternen
will be obliged to get Capt. G. to slur
us, in order that we may keep up
with his movements.
capt. Costin calls us "sore heads, '
and says that we "have nothing else
better to do" We agree with him
that we can find nothing better to do
than to oversee the men we hire and
to see that our money is not thrown
away and our oysters not carried Off
by non residents.
We must confess that we are at
loss to conjecture what he means by
the term ''sore- heads If he alludes
to certain parties arrested by him on
September 18th, 1895, he has done
those parties an unprovoked injus
tice. Not one of them had anything
to Go with the article published Feb
ruary LIST.
He admits that there have been
violations of the oyster law this sea-
son in Pocomoke Sound, and nearly
all were from Sykes Island, and they
were arrested, tried and convicted.
We are glad that the public can see
that the infallible Costin errs again.
How about the Weaver brothers?
Capt. Costin did you have them con
victed as you claim? You certainly
caused them trip to the county
seat.
Capt. Costin claims that the Acco.
mac has repeatedly gone up the
sound, and when Sykes Island boats
would see her coming-they would
put sail on and 60 into Maryland,
they knew they were violating the
law, and to keep from being arrested
would flee into Maryland waters for
II place of refuge.
Capt. Costin, did you ever arrest
Sykes Island man that was trying to
flee from your immaculate justice? We
are obliged to infer, taking your own
statement as basis, that the real
violators escaped into Maryland wa
tiers and you did not follow them. We
find then, the public must take your
guess work for facts, or else clear the
fleeing parties upon the ground of
insufficient evidence.
Captain Costin, did you not say
while at Byrd's rock, on the morning
of the 18th of September, 1895. in the
hearing of oystermen that you in
tended to go up the sound to examine
oysters, and that you intended to ar
rest every man you found with one
shell or one oyster under p inches IN
length: 1t can be proven that you
did make the above statement. Now
every man who knows anything
about the oyster industry, knows
that every oysterman was subject to
an arrest, though he was honestly
endeavoring TO carry out the Gull
law.
Since Capt c. has denounced
Sykes Island men as a set of viola
tors and convicts, the controversy
may develop some unpleasant things
on the part of the Accomac's "ef-
fcient' captain.
Now to dates: How does your in
fallibe log correspond with the date
of September Goth, 1895, Capt. Cos
tin? On that day sixteen non-resi-
dent boats, every boat manned by
two oystermen tonged on the Ledge
rocks, some of them all day and all
of them until late in the afternoon,
and one of the first to quit the rocks
had not less than IL bushels i'll,
12X16-192 bushels at 40 cents-S76 so.
This little sum was the loss to the
State by non resident tongmen on
the above date from single rock. On
October 18th, 1895, on the Dog fish
rock there were a sClll greater NUN
Der of depredators. When it is nee
essary our aflidavits will be cheer
fully forthcoming. Capt. Costin
claims that on January 9TH, 1896,
every creek was frozen over. The
creeks to windward were open and
boats dredged on the above date
metioned.
Capt. Costin denies that there was
dredging in the sound on January
9Th, 1896, and claims that he cruised
up as far as the sand bar and there
encountered heavy ice, and that
there was no boat of any description
in tho sound on that day There