, 1891-03-04

December, with FIVE saloon and 22O Chinese
deck passengers, the latter being chiefly re-
turned emigrants from the Straits Settlements, :
who had their savings with them. All went
we'll till LIS the same day, when the vessel
was passing the Island l. Of Ping Hoi. Sudden
ly, from among the Chinese passengers, a band
of between 40 ard so men made their appear
ance on deck. They had changed the dress
IN which they had come on board for a kind
OF uniform not unlike that worn by Chinese
soldiers. All were armed with r~evolvers and
cutlasses. Before the crew could realize
What the demonstration meant, the pirates,
evidently following a carefully-laid plan, had
divided themselves into four gangs and COM
menced a Simultaneous attack on the saloon
where the captain and passengers were at
lunch, the engineers and officers quarters,
the bridge. and the engine-room. The attack
was SO sudden and determined that resistance
was impossible, and, moreover, the pirates
had taken the precaution of Selling the arms
and ammunition belonging to the ship. The
engineers and officers quarters were fired on,
and the second engineer and second officer
were sitting at lunch when several shots were
fired and Chinese ~stinkpots thrown in upon
them. The second engineer, Ramsy, was
shot through the arm, but made his escape to
the en8ine-room. The second officer was made
prisoner, and ordered, undel threats of instant
death, to show where the treasure and yalua-
bles were. Another gang had attacked the
third officer, Edd. on the bridge. He jumped
down and made his escape to the engine-room,
where he was followed by the pirates. He
also received a shot in the arm. The third
engineer, who was in the engine room when
the attack commenced, was joined by the
second engineer aid the second officer, both
seeking refuge i'll the same place. The three
men concealed themselves under the boilers,
and for some time eluded the search OF the
PIRATES. In the meantime another gang had
attacked the saloon. Some Of them, pointing
their reviewers through the skylight, called on
the captain 10 coue on deck. One man spoke
in ''pidgin' English. He said:-''We are
going to rob the passengers, and we want to
settle with you" Captain Pocock sprang
from the head Of the table, and walked quickly
towards the door OF the saloon, He had hard
~ reached the deck when one of the pirates,
who was standing at the door, deliberately
fred at him, the bullet taking effect IN the
right breast. Captain Pocoek did not fall at
once, but managed to stagger into his state
room and sank dying on his bed, blood flow.
ing proIuseIy nom the wound. lie eXpreQ
there about half an-hour afterwards.
Meanwhile the pirates were pursuing their
work. The saloon passengers had rushed
from the Iunch-table and concealed them
selves in their rooms, into which shots We're
fired and stinkpots thrown. The second mate,
surrounded by a party of pirates with r%eyoivers
and drawn c~utIassss. was compelled to 6 into
the saloon and tell the passen gers to come out
Of their rooms and 80 into the captains state
room and stay there if they did not want to
be killed. The passengers thereupon came
out Of their rooms and went into the state
room, where Captain Pocock lay dying.
Here they were locked in and a watch of four
men put over them. The chief engineer,
who was at lunch in his own room, ran aft to
the saloon, several shots being fred at him on
the way. He got into the captains state
room. and was kept a prisoner there with
the Others. The chief officer had hid himself
in the pantry, where shots were fired at him
and stinkpots thrown in. 1t being impossi-
BILE to stay there, he came out and was i'm
prisoned in the state-room, the object of the
pirates evidently being to get all the officers
and Europeans into this place and keep them
there The second and third engineers and
third officer were still concealed in the enginer
room. The pirates took the second mate
there and ordered him to tell the concealed
men that if they came out no harm would
be done to them. They came out and were
also imprisoned in the state-room. All the
officers, engineers, and European passengers
having been put into this place, the door was
nailed up, the windows closed, and the guard
of four pirates continued to keep watch over