Evening star., 1926-08-08
FIGHTING CRABBERS.
CALL SHORT TRUCE.
Desperate War Between Men
Of Virginia and Maryland
Expected to Go On.
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Continued from First Page)
ing depends, is sufficient cause fol
war to death among the fishermen.
Tangier islanders, armed with Vir
Gnia fishing licenses, can hunt crabs
about where they please. AS a mat
ter of fact, they seldom go more thar
two miles off the island, for crab fish
ing In deep water is not a very profit
able occupation.
Smiths Islanders, on the other
hand, are restricted literally to their
own front yards, for the State line
cuts across Tylers Greek SO that II
barely nipe a bit of marsh off the
town of Tylerton.
Maryland Waters Exhausted.
The Tyierton people have only
Maryland licenses. They are tres
passing once they cross the line. Vir-
Ginia positively refuses to grant crab
hing licenses to non-residents.
The Tylerton people say that the
best Grabbing waters lie just over the
line that their own waters have been
fished almost to exhaustion, and that
II is absolutely necessary for them to
go over the line in order to make
sufficiently large catches to insure
u livelihood. What right has Vir-
einia. they ask, to draw a line across
a. part Of Chesapeake Bay and forbid
, treSpassing. Tangier Sound. they
claim, is nothing more than an arm
Of the bay and should be open water.
Rut Virginia legal rights are un-
questionable. The line was drawn
Ev boundary commissions of the two
States 40 years ago. and the agree
ment solemnly ratified. The greater
part of Tangier Sound belongs to Vir-
Sinia.
The Smiths islanders treat this
line as If it didn't exist. Almost their
entire grabbing fleet can be found any
morning beyond the line--that is, if
capt. Tommy and his patrol boat are
not in sight. Annerton has a large
stretch of coastline to look after. He
rant spend all his time in Tylers
Creek but every now and then he
drops anchor there just as a warning
to the Maryland crab hunters.
Crabbers Driven Back.
Two weeks ago he appeared sud
denly and drove the fishermen back
of the line. Annerton and his crew
are armed with rifles. SO are the
crab fishers. The Marguerite is a
slow boat. Most of the crabbers have
speed boats which can run away from
the patrol boat like so many rabbits.
They can dash away from Annerton' 5
fire. run up any of the little inlets
through the marshes, and return the
fire.
Just who started the shooting is
d controversial question. The Tyler
ton fishers say that Annerton opened
fire on them without warning, that
one of their boats was pierced with
his bullets and that shots fell aCtu-
ally in the village of Tylerton. en-
dangering the lives of their women
and children.
Annerton, however. contends that
he had to fire when he WAS fired
upon. that he wouldn't willingly
harm a hair of anybody's head on
Smiths Island, that the present duty
is the most disagreeable he has
ever performed and that with rifles
only his task is hopeless. The crab
fishers have only to hide in the
marshes. walt until he runs out of
ammunition and then dash out again
and laugh at him.
He has appealed for either ma
chine gun or q One-pounder to
mount on the patrol boat. Doubtless
1t would be difficult to use either
without some danger to Tylerton it
self. and 1t is this which has turned
the island into a hornets nest.
Bloody War Threatened.
They have been very patient. the
islanders claim. and have shot only
IN defense of their homes, but If
. machine gun or cannon is used
against them it will mean War
which only the United States Gov
eminent can stop.
The anger of the Smiths Island
crab fishers is not directed against
Capt. Annerton, commander of the
Virginia patrol boat, in person so
much as against the Tangier Is
landers and the State of Virginia
Capt. Tommy, in fact, has many
good friends among the older Mary
tanders. He has known most of them
from childhood. They are simply
sorry that he happens to be the man
who must carry out a hated law
There are lots of men they had
rather shoot at than the bluff, honest
Erizzled Eirginian who understands,
rs do few others, the hard, colorless
lives of the crab fishers
Tangier islanders admit that the,
themselves don't fish the disputed
waters. 1t is too far away and there
hlc bClteI CIdDDlHS E1OunOS right
off their own shores. But crabs mi
CRATE across the sound. Now the
Maryland law allows crabs to be
caught which measure anywhere
over three inches. The limit for Vir
-inians is three and half inches
This. they say. is taking an unfair
advantage OF them. and they don't
propose to let the Smiths Islanders
get away with it. 1t reduces greatly
their own available crab supply. Ii
Capt. Tommy can't handle the situa
fion--that is, if he isn't given ap-
propriate armS--they themselves
they say. will take a hand.
Have Same Strength.
Their boats are as speedy as those
pf the Smiths Islanders. the supply
Of Army rifles Is not restricted TO the
maryland crabhers. and the vengeance
of Tangier is traditional
Many of the people on both islands
are good friends-especially the
elders. There have been some inter.
marriages. They have hunted crabs
side by side
II Is all due to the hot -headedness
OF youth. according to Fishing In.
fpeCtor Jesse W. Crockett on Tansier.
This weather beaten veteran of CheS.
epeake storms. who has grown up
with the crabberS and is an influence
for peace among them, inspires the
game confidence as Capt. Tommy him.
self
We don't want any trouble with
Smiths Island" he said. but they've
got to leave our crabs alone. This