The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-02-10
White SLAVES
IN VIRGINIA.
r
Will the State Long er
Submit to Such Cruel
Peonage?
THE WORK OF THE
CUTTER WINDOW
Finds Men Huddled Like Pigs in
the Deepest Misery-Arests
Captain Justice and Re-
leases Men-Vir-
ginia Navy
By-Word.

Especial From STAFF correspondent)
UNITED STATES CUTTER WINDOW.
COLONIAL BEACH, VA, February o.
Late this afternoon United States Mar
shal Treat. accompanied by his deputy,
Samuel Bcndit, made raid on the
oyster boats In Maddox Creek. about
three miles below Colonial Beach. where
the "windomH is at anchor. Informs
ton was received that a number oil
oyster boats had run into the creek
TO escape the storm. and Captain Nc
cuniiell. of the "Windom," ordered out
a steam launch with Lieutenant Blake
In command to convey the government
officials to Maddox Creek. After
rough passage the launch reached the
vessels. having pioughed through two
inches OF ice TO accomplish the purpose
Vessel after vessel was boarded and the
crew questioned Mit it was not until the
.Daniei," owned by Captain William e.
Justice, was reached that complaint was
heard.
IL MAY be that the other crews were
under subsection and we're afraid to COM
plain. for certain 1t is that the accom-
inodations were fearful. but not man
either native or foreign had aught to say
against his skipper until MARSHALL Treat
boarded the Daniel" already under
suspicion.
Captain Arrested.
Captain William L. Justice was served
with warrant charging him with
cruelty TO an Austrian. who was former
IL a EaIlor on his vessel tWhile the
skipper was preparing to accompany th
officers. Marsha! Treat went to the for
ward hatch aud called out to the crew
below, Are you kindly treated and have
you any complaint TO make. There
we're heard muttered growls and curses
from the darkness OF the hold. ana
finally four decrepit white men slowly
emerged They complained bitterly OF
the food they were receiving and their
quarters. a representative OF The Times
Dispatch crawled into the hold and saw
the place in which the men were forced
10 sleep and live.
he hold WAS not fit for dog 10 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 mattress. no
bed cIothes absolutely nothing except
the dirty, bare boards on which the sad
looking. friendless men slept
One had Il piece of cord wood for
pillow, and that was all the furniture
in the forecastle.
Wee Shanghaied.
The men claim to have been clIanghaied
by shipping master of Baltimore.
Charles Doherty by name, and put on the
Daniel while under the influence OF
drink furnished them by Doherty.
They claim that they signed a shipping
contract in blank, with an agreement
TO be sent to Maryland at pay of SIS n
month. and not 10 Virginia at sl3. The
contract, which is written in pencil and
is not certified, places the value of the
mems services at sl3.
Captain Justice says that there Is no
money due the men. as he paid all that
is now due to Doherty, the shipping mas
ter, who claimed to have made advances
to the men.
The men are Thomas Fitzgerald. of
Philadelphia; John Collins. of Philadel-
pbia: Thomas Cunningham, of Baltimore;
William Jones. of Baltimore.
Marshal Treat determined after an eN-
animation to take one of the men on
board the .'Wndom" and allow him to
appear before United States Commissioner
Percy S. Stephenson, who is making the
lnspection trip in the interest of the
government.
Thomas Cunningham, a man racked
with a cough and twisted with rheuma-
tsm, was selected by his companions to
represent them before the commissioners.
Trial On Board.
Tonight at a hearing held on board
the United States revenue cutter win
DOM" before United States Commissioner
Percy S. Stephenson. Captain William Il.
Justice was bailed in the sum of $500 for
his appearance at the May term of tho
United States District Court, which meets
at Norfolk, to answer charges of cruelty
brought by an Austrian sailor, with Mr..
Roy y. White, attorney at law, as his
surety.
Thomas Cunningham then swore out
warrant against Captain Justice of
the Daniel" charging him with failure
tn furnish him with proper food and
nourishment. Commissioner Stephenson
went into a preliminary hearing and
sent the case on to the United States
grand i,rry, which will meet In May IN
Norfolk. Cunningham testified before tho
commissioner that the vessel leaked so
that he was forced to sleep in the water.
Community Excited.
Tho whole seafaring community Of
Chesapeake Bay is wildly excited, over
tho strenuous action that is being taken
by the government in the cases of cruel-'
ty to seanien ON oyster boats,
There is every probability that there
will be a great change for the better
on these boats In the future. &
sit.'L would sooner go to jail than ro-
main on the Daniel the oyster boat Of
Captain William u, Justice" was the
hranIv of rrhomns C,unninphn,1l IN N 4 Dues