Dispatch, February 23, 1889

Untitled

Infrastructure -- Public - Government : Life-saving serviceTourists and sportsmen -- Field sports - Hunting : Waterfowl and shorebirdSea -- Shellfish - Oystering : BaysideSea -- Shellfish - Oystering : PackingMoral -- MurderSea -- Shellfish - Oystering : Law enforcementMoral -- Property crime

Onancock.

During the recent stormy weather immense numbers of sea-birds of all kinds were driven ashore on the islands and marshes on the seaside of Accomack county. It is said that as many as 520 wild ducks and brants were killed in one day by the men in the life-saving station on Smith's Island.

Captain Orris A. Browne, manager of Hon. William L. Scott's valuable property at Cape Charles City, has leased a large oyster-house there to the International Packing Company, who will conduct operations there on a large scale.

The case of Mrs. Virginia Taylor, charged with killing her husband by giving him strychnine, will come up for trial in Accomack county early next week and will attract more attention than any case tried here for many years. The relatives of the dead man have retained State Senator John W. G. Blackstone to assist Commonwealth's Attorney Fletcher in the prosecution. Mrs. Taylor will be defended by Hon. John Neely, formerly of Accomack but now residing in Norfolk, and Thomas W. Russell, a prominent young lawyer of the Accomack bar. The small court-room in which the trial will be held will hardly hold one half the people that will probably come to witness the trial.

The arrival here of two detectives from Baltimore yesterday morning created much speculation among our people as to the object of their mission. They remained in Onancock only a short while, and told no one why they came here. Some suppose they have come down with a requisition on the Sheriff for one Thomas Mister, who is known to be in Hack's Neck, and who is wanted in Maryland as a witness against some of the dredgers who recently attacked the oyster police-boats of that State.

Judge Gunter is holding a special term of the Circuit Court for Accomack to hear argument on the appeal of Eugene Barnes for a new trial from the County Court, in which he was twice convicted of embezzlement.