Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1890-01-22

details were thoroughly understood. The
engineer bad been blowing of steam to
prevent an explosion, and I asked him
to hold fast and give me show TO carry
out plan which had suddenly suggest
ed itself. Fortunately for Is the native
stoker had just fired up before they got
the signal. They had murdered the
chief, who was an Englishman, as also
the oiler, who was a German, and bad
left the furnace doors shut as they
rushed up on deck To Join in the MUIR
derous melee. The boilers were there
fore making steam at a lively rate. As
soon as the engineer understood what
wanted he started ahead, and took the
wheel and brought the steamers head
IN line with one of the junks. We were
headed about north. One of the junks
was headed southeast ON her tack, the
other southwest They were. therefore,
nearly broadside on TO me. We went
ahead at moderate speed, as did not
want to alarm them. The natives on
board gathered in the bows and began
waving cloths and hats as warning to
the junks Tho people on the latter
must have argued that the steamer was
in the hands of their friends, for they
fred their jingals and waved their cloths
in reply
held for the Junk headed to the south
east, 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 60
ahead at full speed, and the steamer
started of like 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 sLe divided that junk like
the two halves Of AN apple falling away
from knit" ~ pected great shock
but there lnDa-1l1Gs-. as no more than
as If We i bushels Of awl believe
she held Git me~~s -en A great cry
went up Az passed and wheuf had
headed tho steamer around not more
than half dozen Of tho poor wretches
were in sight. and those were clinging
TO fragmentsoi the wreck and tossing
about. gave the engineer information
Of how we had succeeded and told him
proposed to I've Che other junk the same
way Tho natives aboard the steamer
seemed helpless and terror stricken at
first, but when they realized my planth
moved to prevent IL They ran down and
opened tho furnace doors to lower the
steam, and gang OF six or eight attacked
the wheelhousU. A second party mado
an attack on the engineers room at the
same moment
Tho second junk. seeing the fate of
the first had gone about. and was stand
ing due north with all sail sot. The
wind was light, howe yer, and we could
run five feet To her ono. We had
largo rosorvo of steam, and after had
her noso pointed for the junk gave the
gang outside 4 little attention. They
wore banging at the door and the shut
ters with the capstan bars, and l
wounded two Of them before they would
desist The engineer, also using a re-
volver, killed one and wounded two.
Tho fellows then drew off, beaten at
every turn and disgustcd with the job,
and now l was close up with the junk.
She also held about fifty desperate look
ing follows. 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 tho steamer was within a
cablo length OF tho stern of the junk
every native began to howl and wall.
and most OF them threw themselves
PROSTATE on the decks. White cloths
were hold up in token OF surrender, but
in answer | rang the bell for the en-.
gineer to pull her wide open. He did
so and wo seemed to lift out of the
water, and no flung at tho doomed craft
like a missile. The steamer struck her
square in tho stern, crashed into her for
ton or twolvo feet, and then the junk
fell apart and became a heap of wreck
age which was cast aside from either
bow, ran on for a quarter of mile
and then turned. Not living man was
TO be seen in this last disaster. ran
Ovor to the other heap Of wreckage and
saw two men still hanging on, but the
sharks pulled them under just as ! rang
TO stop our way. Tho steam was about
exhausted, anyhow and tho time had
como for a move against tho pirates ON
board
Believing that they were badly fright
cncd, reloaded tho rovolvors and
stepped out on deck with one In either
band The only III an in sight was tho
leader of tho band who stood Oh tho
bows looking up at mo AS 1 stepped
out ho said:
Don't shoot mel We meant you no
harml We have throwu away Our
weapons!'
Twent down to find them covering in
the passageways. every mans pluck
completely gone, The captain and sec
Ond mate wero in the armory ] Jet
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 u short consultA-
ton, and then proceeded to act. While
remained among them to check any
new ambition, the captain took his sta
ton at the forward port gangway. The
engineer then led the pirates out to the
captain one by one, and the latter put
bullet through each mans head and
pitched him forward into the sea. 1t
was retribution with vengence and
certain writer's, who were a thousand
miles from the scene and underwent
none of it's perils have termed it 'the
massacre of the prisoners" went out
with the last one. Like all others who
had preceded him he went humbly to
his death, not even uttering a protest.
When 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 Kiu-Siu.
For few weeks the natives kept won
derfully quiet about the adventure, but
it then leaked out that about $50 lives
bad been lost in the attempt to capture
us. Had they got possession of the
steamer, 1t was their intention to run
her up to the head of the Yellow Sea,
and make use of her in their piratical
excursions from the coast of Formosa
| AS none of them understood how to nav