Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1906-02-16

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but the practice of acquiring additional
acres of valuable property by such
means has become widespread. Go
where you viii, you hear the complaint
that the planters are holding more acres
than they pay for. In nearly every in
stance where the State Board of FISH
cries have had the lines of the Baylor
Survey relocated it has found that
the planters have encroached upon
the public oyster grounds, and in some
cases have for years enjoyed privileges
for which they paid nothing to the State.
Whenever any person, official or
otherwise, appropriates to his own use
the funds of the State, it is called en-
bezzlement or theft, and the offender
goes to the penitentiary for long term
OF years; but when the citizen leases one
hundred acres of oyster bottom from
the State for an hundred dollars per
annum, and that citizen, by the simple
expedient of moving a few stakes,
takes possession of another hundred
acres for which he pays nothing, what
shall 1t be called? He hasrppropriated
that hundred acres of the States as
sets to his own personal use and is de-
priving the State of an hundred dollars
annual revenue from the same.
What happens when such a one is
caught with the goods?
Look over the records of the Board of
Fisheries, and it will be seen that in
most instances instead of being punish
ed the depredator is allowed a number
of months to remove the oysters he
claims to have planted on the bottom
to which he had not right and for
which he pays nothing, after having
had the benefit of it for years, in some
cases.
Suppose the same party had been de-
tected in appropriating an hundred dol
lars in cash eachyea from the revenues
of the State?
The Legislature of two years ago
passed bill providing a way for re-
locating the lines of the Baylor Survey
when in dispute. Upon the petition of
ten or more persons re-survey may be
had and the lines marked permanently,
provided the said petitioners give suffi-
cient bond to cover all the costs of sur
vey, if in the opinion of the Board of
Fisheries the said survey was unneces-
sary. In case the Board considered the
re-survey necessary, the expenses are
to be paid by the State.
1t would seem reasonable that in case
the planter be guilty Of encroaching
upon and appropriating the public
oyster grounds that he should be COM
PEELED to pay the costs of the re-
survey at least, not TO say anything
about being punished for his misdeeds.
AS the case stands at present, the
planter can in few hours, by merely
pushing a few stakes into the bottom,
acquire hundreds of acres, in some
cases, and free of all cost, and if he is
charged with it he need only to refer
the kickers to the Board of Fisheries,
knowing that if in the opinion of that
body he has taken more than he is en-
titled to, that the said Board will cheer
fully allow him from six to eighteen
months to scrape the bottom bare, and
he furthermore know that it will not
cost him copper.
A rigorous law, thoroughly enforced,
will show a system of graft in the
oyster planting business without a
parallel in the State, and would open
the eyes of the public to the thousands
of dollars that go into private pockets,
instead of the treasury of the Common
wealth.
(Extract from Allen Potts, special reporter
for Times Dispatch.l
On Friday afternoon United States
Marshal Treat, accompanied by his dep
uty, Samuel Bendit, made a raid on
the gster boats in Maddox Creek,
where a number of oyster boats had
run to escape the storm. Vessel after
vessel was boarded and the crew ques-
toned. Not man either native or
foreign had aught to say against his
skipper until Marshal Treat boarded
the Daniel" Captain Justice already
under suspicion.
Capt. William E. Justice was served
with a warrant charging him with
cruelty to an Austrian, who was for
merly a sailor on his vessel. While the
skipper was preparing to accompany
the officers, Marshal Treat went to the
forward hatch and called out to the
crew below, care you kindly treated
and have you any complaint to make. -
There were heard muttered growls and
curses from the darkness of the hold,
and finally four decrepit white men
slowly emerged. They complained bit
terly of the food they were receiving
and their quarters. The hold was not
fit for a dog to live in. 1t was black
as night, damp, filthy, evil smelling,
and SO small that it seemed miracle
that four men could get into it. There
were no beds, no mattresses, no bed
clothes, absolutely nothing except the
dirty, bare boards ON which the sad
looking, friendless men slept. One had
piece of cord wood for pillow, and
that was all the furniture" in the
forecastle. The men claim to have been
shanghaied by a shipping master of Bal
timore, Charles Doherty by name, and
put on the Daniel while under the
influence of drink furnished them by
Doherty. Captain Justice says that
there is no money due the men, as he
paid all that is now due to Doherty,
the shipping master, who claimed to