The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-09-15

\. Mo. LEE AVERTs
SERIOUS TROUBLE
Diplomacy paeifcs Mad Oyster
Tongers Who Would Violate
Law.
CROWD HEAVILY ARMED
Rifles and Rcvolvers Figure in
Meeting With Authorities in
James River.
CROWD HEAVILY ARMED

Especial to The Richmond Virginian.t
NEWPORT NEWS, VA, Sept H.
That the oyster situation fs far from
permanent adjustment Is now known
Of all men.
State authorities even are not adj
sised how close at this time Eastern
Virginia tengers are To fnsurrection.
the tongers recently perfected an
organization which has lodges in all
Of the western shore oyster heids. and
il Is not believed that these men, feel
Ing that they are backed by con-
siderable public sentiment in their
own communities and having num-
bar Of members TO draw on, Will hesi-
tate when IL comes ito the piach.
In fs.t. it Ii believed by those Nho
age clnse 10 the situation that IL is
the object OF the osstetmens organi-
xations TO aispcssess ali planters VI
et afmis IL net @ssary where the hold
ings OF the planters, even In the most
remote degree. may he considered
detrimental to the interests of the
tongeTs.
Would Pull Up Stakes.
As an Illustration Gf the tact that
the tongers have determined not to
be bound by the law. 1t II now known
that IL was their intention before thc
arrival OF Commodore Lee TO pull up
every stake In James River, Ii not
naeing been question, II seems whe-
ther the planters whose interests
would be affected had in any way vio-
lated the law CIR had been even sus-
pected Of such violation.
wednesday 1t was reported through
cut this section that there would be
q general stake-puling, not only in
the James river. but In every other
river of the State
Disturbance in James River.
However the center of the disturb
ance was on the James river. grounds
and when the Commodore Maury ar
rived at Battery Park she was sur
rounded by five hundred irate tong.
ers.
Commissioner Lee. who returned te
Newport News at late hour in the
afternoon en- route for the York river
4 told a representative of the yirginiar
& that Ii was the hottest place ne hae
ever been in In some way they heare
Z OF the coming of the Commodor,
Maury. which arrived on the seen,
with n force Of twenty men armet
with Krag-Jorgenson rifles. beside,
which the one-pounder aboard tn.
Maurv was loaded for business a,
the Maury came mn she was greeted
with cries of "Fira,'' Fire. from
b the throats of the ovsterman Com
Ynodore Lee endeayored IA nacifv III.
mob as much as possible. as he dt,
not feel disposed TO inaururate an
era OF carnage.
Probably had Coumoaora Il.
known al the time as he later fount
out that a, least three hunaraa ~ IN,
men were armed with rayolyers an,
that they expected 10 ffre n ft,sillad
upon him at his first war-lfke NOV
he would have been more careful /,
exposing his person.
However. for three hours he talked
with the men and their taaaars ,,si,,s
All the tact that he had accumulated
in the art of inducing country foIk :,
Subscribe 10 his newensner The nae
twenty years. Finally ne got the con
sent of the leaders 10 call n .neetins
on shore at Battery park in order ina
he might make a speech to the men,
About two hundred Of tha men Jef