The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-07-14

was quick work with four OF them. Ihey
were sent to the bottom one after another,
and as we came up with the fifth we ran
her down. Our stem struck her full on the
starboard broadside and cut her almost In
two. She had at least thirty men aboard,
and there was one long, despairing shrek
as they went down to watery graves. A
few came up to clutch at the wreckage and
beg to be taken aboard, but not one of them
would the captain lend hand to. Such as
the sharks did not get hold of drifted out to
sea with the tide 1t was fearful retribu-
ton, but these men were monsters. Inside
of thirty minutes from the time we opened
fire the fleet was at the bottom and at least
hundred pirates had paid the penalty of
their crimes.
Our captain was lamenting the fact that
he had not picked up one or two in order TO
secure information, when there was a row
forward and it was announced that a pirate
had been found hanging to the chains
When brought aft he was ready to do any
thing to save his life. His name was Mung
Hang, and he had good cause to believe that
we would reverse it. He was the captain
of the junk we had run down and was
ready to tell us all about old Climbing.
The bay was his rendezvous, but his plum
der was hidden on the coast near Foo Chow.
There were barracks for the men up the
bay, and thirty or forty men there at that
moment. They had captureda French brig
several days before, and she was then at
anchor in the bay waiting for Chin
Lungs return. He was then up among the
Lioo Kioo islands with four junks to cap
ture a large ship which had drifted into
shoal water, but was not abandoned. If we
would spare his life he would pilot us any
where and prove his gratitude in any way.
Shin-Lee took him in hand for few min
utes, and then announced that we could de-
pend upon him. We ran into the bay,
brought up alongside the brig. and sent
forty men ashore to clean out the place.
Not pirate was to be seen, all having
bolted for the woods. Everything which
would burn was set on fire, and prize crew
was put aboard the brig to navigate her to
Hong Kong. She reached that port safely,
and our salvage money went far to relm-
burse the company for its outlay.
When we sailed out of the bay it was to
look for the boss pirate. He was nearer
than we thought for. At o'clock next
morning we saw his feet dead ahead, on
its way back to Formosa empty handed,
and by 10 o'clock we had the junks under
fire. These were a drawer lot Of men.
Knowing that they could not outsail us,
and seeming to suspect that we were an
enemy, they closed right in for fight. 1t
did not last long. however We had one
man killed by the fall of block from aloft,
and three or four wounded by the bullets
from their ancient firearms, and in return
not a man of them escaped. In less
! than an hours fighting altogether we sent
| nine junks and 200 men to destruction.
Butchery was it, Well call it so; but re-
member that in the previous twelve months
the feet of this old pirate had captured no
less than ten foreign craft and six traders,
and that every man, woman and child
| aboard had been murdered. There was no
sentiment about Chin-Lung. He thought Of
nothing but blood and plumber, and he
would cut child's throat with smile on
his face.
We were now ready to sail In search of
Shung- Wong, who had less power, but was
| lust as great a villain. These two leaders
had divided up the territory, and compelled
all lesser pirates to join them, and come
under their control. So, then, we had only
| two men to strike at to down the whole lot.
| At the close of the third day after heading
| for the south we came upon the track of the
| piratical fleet. A trader in woods and
| dyestuffs had been overhauled about hun
| dred miles north of the northern group of
| Philippines, called the Little Philippines.
| The crew consisted of three men and boy,
and the vessel had only part of a cargo.
| Shung- Wong had boarded her himself, and
! although the crew were native Chine e, he
| could not restrain his bloody hand. He de-
manded sum equal to $500 in American
money. There was only about 500 aboard,
and he personally cut the captains throat,
had the others logged, and went on his
! to the Bay of Luzon, which is on the west
side of the island of that name. We spoke
! the trader and received from her terrified
| crew the incidents above narrated, and then
| shaped our course for the bay As luck would
! have it, an American ship called the Joseph
| TAYLOR was ahead of us, and as she passed
! down the coast was attacked by the fleet
! about seven miles off shore. We heard the
| rum pus about an hour before daylight
! There was little breeze, and though greatly
! outnumbered, the crew of the Taylor beat
! the pirates off At daylight the wind fresh
! ened. and we slid in between the junks and
! the shore Just as they were preparing for a
| second attack We were no sooner within
| range than we opened on them, and, seeing
| escape cut Off, the fellows tried hard to lay
! us aboard. In thirty minutes from the
opening of the fight we had sunk or run
| down every junk and disposed of every
! pirate, and only had four men wounded in
! doing it.
! Our work had been done 80 promptly
! and well that it struck terror to the
| hearts of all evil doors in those seas, and
! it was several years before another act OF
! piracy was committed. The Chinese gov
| eminent returned its thanks to the asso-
| citation, ship owners sent in contributions
| of money to express their gratitude, and
| when VIC came to sell the schooner TO the
| Chinese government as a cruiser, the com
pany was financ ally ahead. 1t was proba-
| blv the brefest cruise and attended with
the greatest results recorded OF an armed
vessel.