Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-09-27
CLEARING OUT PIRATES.

had been the cruising ground of pirates
for score of years previously, but [
mention these two years for particular
reasons. One was that [ was engaged in
vigorous warfare against them, and the
other that the close Of 1854 witnessed the
death OF the leading spirits and broke up
piracy as trade.
IN those far back days com paratiyely
nothing ives known Of China outside of q
few seaports. Treaties were of little &C
count, and consUis were few and far be
tween. Every merchant ship was expect
ed to defend herself, and the captain of
every man of war had autority to bonn
bard any town which refused to renew his
water and provisions. All nations were
trading with China, but, aside from few
seaports, all China hated all other people.
At the docks at Hong Kong l could drink
tea with Chinese merchants. Half mile
away the people would have cut me to
pieces. While the country wanted to sell
its products, it hated the men who bought
them. While it wanted the goods of
other countries, it dispised the makers
and shippers. There is no doubt that the
Chinese government tacitly encouraged
piracy, and, could the great mass of the
population have had its say, not a single
foreigner would have ever been allowed
to land on the coast.
In the wear "a there was an association
at Canton called "The Foreign Traders"
1t was composed of Americans, English
men, Germans, Frenchmen, Spaniards
and Russians, numbering over sixty rep
resentatives. The capital represented
amounted to millions, and the object was
threefoId. We had more power with the
Chinese governments than any foreign
IT, L,I ,T,r la%5e
regarding the tea trade. We could carry
point by protests and threats. Every
poupd of tea from district 500 miles
square had to pass through our hands.
We filed many protests against the
pirates and the laxity of the government
III hunting them down, and were finally
officially Informed that we were at liberty
to take any steps we deemed best in the
matter. That meant We could fit out a
craft and go for the rascaIs right and left
handed. We had been antici pating this,
and had a craft ready at Hong Kong.
She was an American schooner Of excel
lent model and large spread of sail, and
we knew that she could Outsail anything,
native or foreign, we had ever seen in
those waters. We armed her with long
Tom and four "a Founders, having bough
the guns from the sale of the salvage of
a French man ofwar. Then we picked
crew Of fifty men, all foreigners and
sailors, and when we went out of Hong
Kong we were prepared to give the pi-
rates Hail Columbia. / was purser of the
schooner, which was called the Revenge,
and her captain was an Englishman
named Weatherbee, who had served as a
commissioned officer in the regular SER
vice. The first lieutenant was an Ameri-
~ I,
amoug ether nationalities. We flew the
association fag, and while we had liberty
to 90 fer pirates, we were warned that
any mistake, would be made TO cost Us
dearly.
The two boss pirates of that date were
Shung-WOng and Climbing. The first
had fleet of seven or eight crafts, and
haunted the sea from Singapore north to
the TongKin Islands. The second
cruised from thence as far north as
Shanghai, having his headquarters at
Formosa Island He was reported TO
have fleet of nine craft. That both were
monsters we had q hundred proofs, and
that both had grown rich and powerful it
was easy to show by the long list of miss
ing vessels hanging in the headquarters
Office. While we had kept our movements
as secret as possible, we had no doubt
that government officials had given US
away, and that the pirates would be on
the watch for US. To deceive them as far
as possible, we ran to the south for three
days, and spoke and reported TO four
ships bound for Canton. Then we ran
over toward the Philippe Islands until we
had a good offing, when we headed up for
Formosa 70 get acquainted with Old Chin
Lung.
During the next three days we did not
sight a sail OF any sort. Then early one
morning we fell in with a lot OF wreckage
which showed Us that trader had been
everhauled and burned. we were now TO
the east of FormosR, and fifty miles of
the coast. Men were set work to give the
schooner the appearance of a vessel in
distress, and under light breeze we made
slow Roadway towards the island. 1t was
about O'Clock in the afternoon before
anything approached Us, although we saw
a number of native CART at distance
Then a small junk came out from a bay
about five miles off, and headed directly
for us. Everything aboard of US seemed
to be at skies and seyens. A man was
dashed to the mainnast, TO represent the
captain, everything aloft was askew, and
the seven or eight men on deck were
seemingly drunk and having high ole
time. We had a man aloft TO play part
knowing that we should be hailed in
English. Both OF these boss pirates ha6
Americans and Englishmen with them
rascals who had deserted their ships anC
voluntarily adopted the life of pirate
and one of them was always put forward
to hail q ship. The junk came steadily
forward to within hailing distance befort
she came up into the wind. This was
proof, whether she was honest Or not
that our appearance had deceived her
The men on deck yelled and shook thei1
fists, as drunken men might do. but at the
first opportunity a voice hailed us.
SCHOONER ahoy What schooner i;
thatr
'sThe Revenge, Capt. Thatcher, bount
to Shanghai" answered the man aloft.
''Whats the matter aboard"
Screw in g state of mutiny for the las
three days. They have dashed the cap
tain to the mast and driven me aloft.
''What's your oargo?"
Genera merchandise"
"Any arms aboard?"
8 "Only few muskets."
There were a dozen men aboard til
Junk, but they dared not attempt t.
board. They chartered away amony
themselves for while and then tn
spokesman cried out:
every well: we viii bring you help"
With that the Junk headed back for tn
bay, accompanied by the yells and curse
of the apparently drunken crew. W
had a native aboard called Shin Lee. ID