Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1888-08-10
CLEARING OUT PIRATES.

! UlJuulllltu OO I'LL G'J'
From the year 1852 to 1854 the
| Chinese sea, from Shanghai in the
north to Singapore in the south,
was infested with pirate craft. AS
| for that matter, this sea had been
the cruising ground of pirates for a
score of years previously, but l
mention these two years for partic-
ular reasons. One was that [ was
engaged in a vigorous warfare
against them, and the other that
the close of 1854 witnessed the
death of the leading spirits and
broke up piracy as a trade.
In those far back days compare
lively nothing was known of China
outside of few seaports. Treaties
were of little account, and cOnsuls
were few and far between. Every
merchant ship was expected to de-
fend herself, and the captain OF
every man of war had authority to
lombard any town which refused
to renew his water and provisions.
All nations we're trading with Chi
ma, but, aside from few seaports,
all China hated all other people,
At the docks at Hong Kong | could
drink tea with the Chinese mer.
chants. Half a mile away the peo-
pie would have cut me to pieces
While the country wanted to sell
It's products, it hated the men who
bought them. While it wanted the
goods of other countries, it despised
the makers and shippers. There IS
no doubt that the Chinese govern
ment tacitIy 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 year "a there was an as
sociation at Canton called "The
Foreign Traders" 1t was compos-
ed of Americans, Englishmen, Ger
mans, Frenchmen, Spaniards and
Russians, and numbered over sixty
representatives. The capital rep
resented amounted to millions, and
the object was threefold. We had
more power with the Chinese gov
ernment than any foreign minister
We had rules and regulations re-
garding the tea trade. We could
carry a point by protests and
threats. Every pound OF tea from
a district 500 miles square had TO
pass through our hands. We filed
many protests against the pirates
and the laxity of the government
in 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 ont craft
and 20 for the rascals right and
left handed. We had been antIcl.
pating this, and had a craft ready
at Hong Kong. She was an Amer
lean schooner of excellent model
and large spread of sail, and we
knew that she could Outsail any
thing, native or foreign, we had
ever seen in those waters. We
armed her with a Long Tom and
fOnr twenty-fOur Founders, having
bought the guns from the sale OF
the salvage of a French man Of
war. Then we picked up a crew Of
fifty men, all foreigners and sailors,
and when we went out Of Hong
Kong We we're prepared TO give the
pirates Hail Columbia. | was pur.
ser of the schooner, which was call
ed the Revenge, and her captain
was an Englishman named Weth
erbee who had served as a commits
} stoned officer in the regular ser
vice. The first lieutenant was al
j American, and the other offices
we're divided up among the Othel
nationalities. We flew the assO
citation flag, aud while we had lib
erty to go for pirates, we wer'
warned that any mistakes woulC
be made to cost as dearly.
The two boss pirates OF that dat
we're Shung.Wong and Chin.Lung
The 6rst had a feet of seven o
eight craft, and haunted the Sc
from Singapore north of the Tong
Kin Islands. The second cruise'
from thence as far north as Shane
hal, having his headquarters a
, Formosa Island. lie was reporte
to have a feet OF nine craft. Tha
both we're monsters we had a hui
dred proofs, and that both ha
grown rich and powerful it wa
easy to show by the long list
vessels hanging in the headqua
r ters Office. While we had kept OF
movements as secret as posslle' v
! had no doubt that government of
D ciaIs had given as away, and thi
the pirates would be on the watc
for as. To deceive them as far
q possible, we ran to the south #
three days, and spoke and reportt