The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-04-29

TRENDS, Tor they fired their JIngaiS and
waved their cloths in reply.
| held for the junk headed to the
southeast, and she at once lowered her
sail to wait for the steamer to come up.
When within quarter of a mile of her
rang the bell for the engineer to go
ahead at full speed, and the steamer
started off ike a wild locomotive. We
were almost upon the junk before the
people OWNED our object, and they had
only time to utter one long drawn shout
OF terror. | held the steamer for her
broadside, and she divided that Junk
like the two halves Of an apple falling
away from knife. l expected a great
shock, but there was none. 1t was no
more than as if we had run down a
yawL l believe she held at least fifty
men. a great cry went up as we passed.
and when l had headed the steamer
around not more than half a dozen of
the poor wretches were in sight, and
these were clinging to fragments of the
wreck and tossing about. / gave the
engineer information of how we had
succeeded and told him l proposed to
serve the other junk the same way. The
natives aboard the steamer seemed help
less and terror stricken at first, but
when they realized my plan they moved
to prevent it. They ran down and
opened the furnace doors to lower the
steam, and a gang of six or eight attack
ed the wheel house. 4 second party
made an attack on the engineers room
at the same moment.
The second junk, seeing the fate of the
first, had gone about, and was standing
due north with all sail set. The wind
was light, however, and we could run
five feet to her one. We had a large re-
serve Of steam, and after had her nose
pointed for the junk gave the gang out
side little attention. They were bang
ing at the door and the shutters with the
capstan bars, and | wounded two of
them before they would desist. The en-
gineer, also using revolver. killed one
and wounded two. The fellows then
drew off, beaten at every turn and dis
gusted with the job, and now / was close
up with the junk. She also held about
fifty desperate looking fellows. Aware
of my intentions, about twenty of them,
who were armed with muskets, gathered
aft and Peppered away at the pilot
house, but the few bullets which hit it
fell harmless. When the bow of the
steamer was within cable length of the
stern of the junk every native began to
howl and wall, and most Of them threw
themselves PROSTATE on the decks.
White cloths were held up in token of
surrender, but in answer l rang the bell
for the engineer to pull her wide open.
He did SO, and we seemed to lift out of
the water aid lie flung at the doomed
craft like a missile. The steamer struck
her square in the stern, crashed into her
for ten or twelve feet, and then the junk
fell apart and became heap of wreck
age, which was cast aside from either
bow. ! ran on for quarter of a mile
and then turned. Not living man was
to be seen in this last disaster. l ran
over to the other heap of wreckage and
saw two men still hanging on, but the
sharks pulled them under just as l rang
to stop our way The steam was about
exhausted, anyhow, and the time had
come for a move against the pirates on
board
Believing they were badly frightened,
1 reloaded thevrevolvers and stepped out
on the deck with one in either hand
The only man in sight was the leader of
the band, who stood in the bows looking
up at me. AS stepped out he said:
Don't shoot me! We meant you no
harm! We have thrown away our
weapons
l went down to find them covering in
the passageways, every mans pluck COM
pletely gone. The captain and second
mate were in the armory. | let them
out, and then freed the engineer. The
four of US were the only white men left
alive. We collected the prisoners in the
mess room, held a short consultation
and then proceeded to act While re-
manned among them to check any new
ambition, the captain took his station at
the forward port gangway. The engi-
neer then led the pirates out TO the cap
tain one by one. and the latter put a bull
let through each mans head and pitched
him forward into the sea. 1t was retri-
button with vengeance, and certain
writers, who were a thousand miles from
the scene. and underwent none Of its
perils. have termed it 1.-The massacre Of
the prisoners"
went out with the last che. Like all
others who had preceded him, he went
humbly to his death, not even uttering
protest. Whb he had been disposed Of
we turned to and prepared the bodies Of
our dead for burial. cleaned the decks,
and, by two of Us acting as stokers, we
worked the steamer up to hIu-Siu.
For a few weeks the natives kept Won
derfully quiet about the adventure, but
it then leaked out that about $50 lives
had been lost in the attempt to capture
US. Had they got possession OF the
steamer it was their intention to run her
I'D to the head OF the Yellow sea and
make use of her in their piratical excur-
sions from the coast OF FormOsa. AS
none Of them understood how TO navi-
gate "the wingless devil, as they called
her, it is likely that she would have been
blown up within an hour or two after
they got charge. She was in the trade
and on the same line for the next FIVE
7ears, and every native craft would turn
all at the sight of her five miles away.
New York Sun.
a Big windfan.