The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-07-21
GUNS FACED BY RICH
SHORE RESIDENTS
Armed Patrols Will Resent
Renewed Attempts to Usurp
Bayville Beach.
PUBLIC'S CLAIM UPHELD
Oyster Bay Stirred by Case in
Which Mysterious Women
Figure.
PUBLIC'S CLAIM UPHELD

Watchmen armed with loaded shot
guns will patrol the bathing place at
Bayville Beach to-day bent upon pro-
tecting It from wealthy summer resi-
dents of the vicinity. And thereby hangs
a tale.
The sandy strip over which the armed
guards will tramp was for years taboo
to the general public. It was used by
number of wealthy New Workers. whose
estates either border upon 1t or are In
the immediate vicinity of Oyster Bay.
These persons with their families and
guests had used 1t so long that they
thought, as did the town. that it was
their exclusive property.
search of the town records recently
gave the authorities the idea that this
superstition might be erroneous. but Emil
]. Stehli. owner of a large estate at
Bayville Beach. took the matter into the
courts and succeeded temporarily in
tying the hands of the local authorities,
Courts Uphold Towns Case.
week the crushing news that the Court
of Appeals had decided that the beach
belonged to the town. Scarcely had the
news reached them when William II.
Seaman. Supervisor; Edward r. Sum-
mers, a highway expert. and gang of
workmen were down there In front OF
those handsome estates, fencing the hith-
erto forbidden beach off from the ad-
Joining private property in order that
the public might know its own when 1t
should see 1t. They carefully marked
out a quarter of mile OF the boundary
with poles and left for home.
The next day, however. when the pub
lie went to look at its own 1t didn't know
1t. The poles had all been pulled up by
mysterious hands in the dead of night
and carried away to a nearby wood, and
the beach once more had all the appear
ance of being but a part of the neigh
boring estates.
Back went the poles in short order, and
to Illustrate further nocturnal Interior
ence with the law. Mr. Summers spent
an entire night patrolling the sandy
strip with Charles Weekes. Town Clerk.
each armed with a loaded revolver. Thus
the laugh was turned on the wealthy
summer residents the next day when the
gang came around and did some work on
the fencing arrangement.
Three Mysterious Women Appear.
On Friday the women in the mystery
appeared. There were three of them,
and according to Messrs Summers and
Weekes they showed up In an automo-
bile with one man and proceeded to
sass" them while they were working on
the fence. The women said that 1t was
IAN outrage to allow the general public
TO use the beach, law or no law
Mr. Summers says that as they got
back into the car ne saw one woman
pick up a. shotgun from the bottom OF
the machine and he thought II we'll TO
put a large tree between himself and
their party. They drove away without
the number of their car being ascer-
tained, and as yet have not been iden-,
tilted.
After a couple more nights OF guard
duty Summers and Weekes tired of their
task. which is the reason they were re-
lieved yesterday by a detail of youths
with orders TO dose with buckshot any
wealthy summer residents who may try
to interfere with the work of restoring
the beach to the town.
To add to the worries OF the wealthy
residents some of the town officials
the beach will be rented out for bunga-
low sites in the near future. They saw
that hundred small houses can be
erected there without interfering with
the ba thing rights of the public.