The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-02-10
OUTRAGEOUS DISGRACE
The Virginia Oyster Navy De-
clared to Be a Ioke.

5 ~ Sloi VI w Lie q .JOhSs
Especial by Staff Correspondent
BALTIMORE, Md February 9.--United
States cutter Windom.-Ther are few
residents OF the state of Virginia who are
not gratified that slavery has been aboi-
ished and yet the ugly fact remains that
within the borders of the State, in the
waters Of Chesapeake Bay. touching the
most thrifty and productive counties OF
the Commonwealth. there exists Il white
slavery that 10 n crying and outrageous
disgrace to the Virginia people, and to the
whole country at large.
Il 1t Is. no new story that the sailors en-
gaged In the oyster Industry carried on
in the chesapeake Bay lead no life OF
case and comfort, but the horrible truth
that In many cases these white men are
changhaicd and held as slaves on small
vessels. without proper food. without hui
name shelter, and treated like animals
rather than human beings. is not known
beyond this locality.
A Living Shame.
That the people on Chesapeake hay
knew and have for years known Of this
state OF affairs is beyond dispute. for at
every port mt which the "Windom" has
touched trustworthy citizens have come
forward and condemned the peonage sys-
TEN, assailing the practice and excusing
1t only as the outcome of long custom.
An officer. holding position OF resbon-
sibility on the Potomac River, stated
publicly in the presence of the officers
OF tho Window and to United States
Marshal Morgan Treat that the sailors
OF the oyster boats were treated like
dogs" worked like slaves, and finally
put ashore at the end of the season with
out pay and frequently without suffi-
cient clothing to protect them from the
cold
Virginia Navy Worthless.
He said. In answer to the question
Why does not the Virginia oyster navy
take UP the matter? that the Virginia
navy had not been In Potomac waters
for a year. and that wir6n 1t did come,
1t absolutely did nothing
He said. that on the other hand tho
MARYLAND oyster navy gave excellent pro-
teetion to the Maryland people and that
In many cases. 1t had come to the as
sistance Of vlrsinans. This is the state
nlsnt of Sergeant Blllingsly chief OF
police OF Colonial Beach. who lives IN
the thick of the dredging district.
When United States Marshal Treat and
his deputies visited the oyster boats In
Maddox Creek, below Colonial Beach.
where perhaps half a hundred of them
were at anchor. Sergeant Billingsly said
that there was hardly a crew on any
boat that would not escape II chance
was given.
White Slaves.
These sailors are for the most part
shanghaied in Baltimore and turned over
while drunk to the captains of the various
oyster boats. When the men recover from
their debauch, they find themselves far
down the bay without money, held by
master whose word Is law on the ship.
and who demands work and insists upor
having IT, who has bought them body
end soul and whose aim "a m secure for
himself the uttermost fartNine while
given as little as possible In return
The shanghaied men find themselves.
in n position of absolute slavery fur
nished with food that barely serves 10
keep them alive and crowded in dark
ting cock nit. compared to which the
meanest cell in the meanest iail in the
State would seem an ,hod, e -amtort.
Begged to Go to Jail.
Times-Dispatch man asked man.
Thomas Fitzgerald by name. who was
serving on the Daniel why he had
not left the ship. II could not get away"
said he, "the captain never took us near
shore. and never allowed anyone to come
near the boat he was one Of those who
begged to be sent to jail az witness.
saying he would be happy In Jail after
having lived on the Daniel"
At Reedville. on the Great Wicomico
River, seven captains OF crafts came on
board the ''Windom" to pay their re-
spects to Captain Mcconnell. and all these
men stated that the Virginia oyster navy
was no protection to the people of that
section. and that 1t was a Joke amongst
them that the navy was kept only for
James River.
Not Fit for a Dog.
On the Daniel. which is the counter
part of hundred other oyster boats in
the bay, the accommodations for the
crew are about two and half feet high
by seven feet long and six feet wide. in
which four men lived and slept. There
were no hunks and no bed clothes, tho
men sleeping on the naked. wet boards.
A small broken stove instead of givin;
warmth, only added to the misery of the
surroundings.
The question that is being asked is:
"Will Virginia allow this state OF slavery
and oppression to continued"
John Cunningham and William Jones,
the men who We're removed from tho
Daniel" are on board the 'Windom,'
will appear as witnesses against Captain
William e. Justice when his case is
called.
Men Released.
John Collins and Thomas Fitzgerald
were released and put ashore at Colonial
Beach.
Captain Justice, when asked to explain
his treatment of his crew, said: II have
been engaged In the oyster dredging bus
mess for nine years. and I've always
treated my men just as l have treated
those. I can't afford to give them any
better food or any better quarters
That is the story that every skipper
tells. They ney that other captains treat
their crews in this way, and that they
intende to do the same. It is a case Of
custom, without a thought of humanity
or the obligation that civilization de-
mands.
This state of affairs is not the excop-
ton, but is largely the rule. and wit