The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-02-09
OLD TIME CHINA PIRATES
a THRILLING STORY FROM THE
CHINA SEAS.

and Two Other Persons Shot to
Death and Several Wounded The
Pirates Junks Carry Away $4,000
Worth or Booty.
From the San Francisco Chronicle.
Hong Kong was startled on the morning
of Dec. 10, 1890, by the return of the Doug
las steamer Namoa, which had left tine
previous day, with the story that she had
been attacked by pirates, that her master,
one of the best known and most respected cap
tains in the east, passenger and one of her
quartermasters had been shot in cold blood,
several of the officers and crew wounded,
and all money and valuables removed from
the ship. An examination of the circum-
stances connected with this terrible occur
renee shows It to be one of the most de-
liberately planned and effectively carried
out acts Of piracy that have been known
for many years in the China seas.
The news of the tragedy has struck with
| the more force, inasmuch as the attacks of
| pirates on European ships, and especially
attacks of such bloodthirsty character and
| attended with such dire results, have como
| to be looked upon as things of the past
| That this was SO was startlingly evidenced
| shortly before the affair took place. A pas
| senger, seeing the stand of arms at the top
of the companion, made some remark about
it to the captain, who replied with a smile:
They are d relic of the past; years ago we
| used to want them, but we don't ever re-
| quire them now" So he thought. Within
an hour of speaking those words the I'M
looked for had happened, and he was lying
| murdered in his cabin.
The Namoa left Hong Kong, bound for
| the coast u0rtq ar g O'clock on tho NTH
with a general cargo, and having on board
| about $50 Chinese passengers and five Eu-
| ropean passengers. The names of the Eu-
ropean passengers were Capt. Saunders, E.
K. Chandler, - Peterson, c. F. Menta,
and the Rev. G. M. Wales. Among the
Chinese passengers were a number of Chi
namen returning from the Straits and Cali
fornia with the savings of many years.
| From what has been learned since it ap-
pears that this fact must have become
known to a gang of desperadoes, who made
their arrangements accordingly.
This band, which, it is estimated, num-
| bered between fifty aud sixty, went on
board with the other passengers without
arousing the slightest suspicion. About
| o'clock, while the passengers were at tiffin,
at a given signal the band of pirates rushed
on deck, and, dividing themselves into:four
parties covered the officers and engineers
quarters in the fore part of the ship, the
| elk luc TOOu1 buc buu Iu6 ot1IOOu, T6-
spectively. The pirates were all armed
with revolvers and cutlasses, and appeared
10 be acting under the orders of q leader,
who is described as being a tall man, above
the average Chinaman, and better dressed
than the remainder OF the band.
Although the attack on the four parts of
the ship just named appears to have been
carried out almost simultaneously, the at
tack on the officers and engineers quarters
| seemed to have commenced a little in ad-
| vance Of TIE others. Here the second en-
gineer and the second officer were at tiffin.
Fire was Immediately opened on them from
the skylight, and stink pots were thrown
| into the mess room. One of the
| shots struck the seconl engineer, Mr..
Ramsay, in the arm, and, rushing out of the
] mess room he took refuge in the engine
{ room. The second officer, who keeps the
key of the treasure room, was then taken
prisoner by the pirates, who seemed
throughout to have had q most thorough
acquaintance with the regulations and rou-
tine of the vessel. Having secured their
man the pirates marched him under guard
to the treasure room, which. being opened,
they found, much to their chagrin, to be
completely empty, somewhat I'M
usual occurrence on these steamers,
and one which doubtless, the pirates were
unprepared to find.
While this search was being carried on
the other attacks were progressing in the
various parts Of the ship. One Of the pas
sengers, Mr.. Peterson, who was apparently
somewhat unwell, had not gone down to
tifin in the saloon with the other passen-
gers, but was taking his tiffln on deck.
This trivial circumstance doubtless cost him
his life. Fearing. probably, that he, seeing
all that was going on, might raise an alarm
and thus Illustrate their diabolical inben-
tions, the pirates, without word of payley
fired on the unfortunate man, who fell
almost instantly dead with four bullets in
his body. The pirates then fired shots into
the saloon, carrying, as can be easily i'm
agined, tho greatest CONSERVATION among
the assembled passengers by this unex
pected attack. The leader, who spoke
"pidgeon'' English, then called out Capt
Pocock, telling him that it was the inten-
ton of the band 30 rob all the passengers on
board, and asking him to come aft.
Capt Pocock, after some parley, left the
table, and walked toward the door of the
saloon. He lad hardly reached the deck
when one of the pirates, who was standing
at the door, deliberately fired at him, the
bullet taking effect in the right breast.
Capt. Pocock did not fall at once, but man
aged to stagger into his statsroom, and
sank dying on the bed, blood flowing pro-
| fusely from his fatal wound. He expired
there about half an hour afterward.
Meanwhile the pirates were pursuing
| their fendish work. The saloon passen-
gers had rushed from the tiffin table and
concealed themselves in their rooms, into
which shots were fired and stinkpots
thrown. The second mate, surrounded
by party of pirates with revolvers and
drawn cutlasses, was compelled TO go into
the saloon and tell the passengers to come
out of their rooms and GO into the captains
stateroom and stay there IL they did not
want to be killed. The passengers there
upon came out Of their rooms and went
into the stateroom, where Capt. Pocock lay
dyiRg. Here they were locked in, and
watch of four men put over them.
The chief engineer, who was at tiffin in
his own room, ran aft to the saloon, several
shots being fired at him on the way. He
got into the captains stateroem and was
kept prisoner there with the others The
chief officer had hid himself in the pantry,
where shots were fired at him and stink
| pots thrown ip. 1t being impossible to stay
| there be came out and was imprisoned in
the captains stateroom. The second and
third engineers and third officer were still
concealed in the engine room. The pirates
| took the second engineer there and ordered
/ 30 tall ha od hat ff