Deposition of John Saunders., this 13th day of June, A. D. 1878

Deposition of John Saunders.

The examination of John Saunders, of Tickle Beach, Long Harbor, taken upon oath, and who saith:

In January last there were a great number, close on one hundred, schooners and boats fishing for herring, both American and Newfoundlanders. The Americans were employing the English to haul their seines for them. There were some English schooners who had seines also. One Sunday, I do not know the date, John Hickey laid out a seine and was told by the English or Newfoundlanders to take it up, as it was Sunday, which he did. The Americans laid out their seines, assisted by the English employed by them. The Newfoundlanders told them to take them up, as it was not legal, their fishing on that day, being Sunday. J. McDonald took his up. Jacobs upset his net into Farrel’s seine, who was employed by him. Farrel was barring for the Americans, and was not allowed by Jacobs to haul his seine until the hard weather came. After Jacobs had upset his seine into Farrel’s he took it up to shoot again, and threatened with the revolver any one who interfered. Then they told McCauley to take his up, but he didn’t, so the people hauled it in and tore it up.

I don’t know any man concerned in the destruction of the net that I could swear to but one, John Pitman, a servant to Samuel Pardy, who was at “Jack Fountain.”

There was no other reason that I know of destroying nets but for fishing on Sunday, and because they would not take them up when they were told. The Americans never hauled a seine before that day; they always employed the English to use their seines and bought fish from the English. The only reason that the Americans laid their seines out on that day was because there were plenty of herrings, and no Englishman would haul them, being Sunday, excepting Hickey, who had been compelled to take his seine up.

Question. Where does Philip Farrel live?—Answer. In Bay-de-North, and so does Thomas Farrel.

Q. Was any obstruction or hinderance placed in the way of the Americans before or after that Sunday?—A. No.

Q. Did they remain in the harbor until the close of the season; until the herrings slacked away were any Americans compelled to leave the coast after this circumstance?—A. No; there was nothing to prevent their remaining, and they remained for some days, until the weather become soft, and there were no more herrings in the bay. Most of them left, but one American schooner remained about three weeks after that, when another lot of herrings came into the bay, and he filled up and went away the next fair wind. Jim Boy was the captain’s name.

Q. Do you know any American of the name of Dago?—A. Yes; he has part in this seine. The Americans hauled their seine on the beach immediately in front of my property.

Q. Do you know the names of the schooners?—A. No.

Q. Do you know the names of the owners of the seine?—A. Yes; Captain Dago and McCauley.

Q. Do you know anything the Americans did by way of revenge?—A. The Americans, in revenge for the destruction of the net, afterwards drifted their vessels all about the bay or river with their anchors hanging, and so hooked and destroyed many nets, about fifty or sixty, I should think. The name of one of these captains was Smith—but I don’t know the name of his vessel—and the other was Pool. We all believe that this was done in revenge. They were pretending to be at anchor, where there was about fifty fathoms of water, but were drifting all over the bay and hooking the nets; there was no weather to cause them to drift. Our small boats were anchored off the beach. We had never any difficulty with the Americans before this, but were always on good terms with them.