The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-03-28
BOARDED BY BUCCANEERS
Detailed Account Of the Capture Of
the Namoa by Chinese
Pirates.
They Shipped az Passengers and
Made Careful Preparation
for the Deed.
Several Officers Killed, the Passengers Im-
prisoncd and the Grew Made to
Assist Them.

The Shanghai correspondent Of the Lon
don Standard gives an interesting detailed
account of the capture OF the Hong Kong
steamer Noama by pirates last December.
The pirates, it should be said, shipped aH
passengers.
The pirates made their first appearances
formed in a solid body forward, each man
armed with two revolvers, one in his left
hand and another in his belt, while in his
right hand each waveda cleaning ~cutlass.
Instantly they formed into three parties,
each led by q chief, while The whole body
apparently acted under the leadership OF
one big individual. The parties rushed aft
along the deck, where they met the Malay
qusrtermaster on duty. Half a dozen re-
volvers were instantly discharged at him,
and the Malay. who had turned to show
fight, was shot through the head. The
wretches seized the still pulsating body Of
their first victim and heayed it overheard,
food for the sharks which prowl about those
waters in shoals.
They then rushed toward the saloon with
hideous yells and n promiscuouS and appar-
emily ainless discharge of bulle to. we'll cal
culated to strike terror into people who
were enjoying their meals in fancied securi-
sty. The unfortunate Capt. Peterson re-
iceived four bullets in his head and fell off
his chair a corpse. The sounds of the COM
motion had by this time reached the saloon,
through the skylight of which the pirates
poured u volley Of bullets without a
moments warning, but, strange to say, no
one was hurt. Half a dozen stink pots"
with their overpowering fumes, were then
ing at the door of the saloon the party, so
suddenly brought face to face with armed
desperadoes. sought safety in their rooms.
A brisk fusillade was now going on amid
ships, where another portion Of the
pirate gang was directing q similar
s ssiaea ase The pee people s"'e n 7 the 'r ssl
loon had not realized what was happens
ing till Capt. Saunders exclaimed, My
God! we are taken by pirates" The mis-
creants continued to blaze away whenever
a door was opened, and tried to throw their
eating the occupants, who were without
weapons or any means whatever for making
a defense. - t
The stand of rifles according to custom,
was placed at the head of the saloon. and
the first thing the pirates did was to pos
sess themselves OF these weapons. Then
the pirate chief, who spoke "pidgin'' Eng
.lish, shouted down that he wanted the cap
tain, and sent one of the boys, or native
stewards, to tell him that if he and the pas
sengers and others would make no resist
ance they would not be hurt but that the
pirates intended to rob the ship of every
thing of value. There was Mt question of
resistance, seeing how complete the coup
was. and how we'll it was arranged. and
the captain, despits the adyioe OF
the the chief steward " a .a also "a a tb Chi n;ra4as
lie stepped up to the companionway, and
as he reached The deck two Williams dis
charged their revolvers ut him and a bullet
entered his right breast. He staggered
into his cabin and fell on his berth, where
up to the last, and asked those who were
with him to remember him to his wife and
four children, who live in Hong Kong. The
rest of the passengers and the chief officer
were hunted from their hiding places, one
by one, by the pirates, who at once began
70 rifle the cabins and saloon lockers.
After some party. in which the pirates
promised to spare tn, lives of their captlves
if they did not attempt to escape or show
fight, the prisoners, guarded by. a crowd OF
yelling ~ruf1ians, who knocked them about
with the butts of their revolvers and threat
ened at every moment to fire, were led up
to the captains cabin and all hustl-
ed in. Their captors, before part
ing with them. relieved them of
their watches, money and anything
they had on their persons that struck the
pirates fancy, treating them with the most
barbarous ~contumely, splitting in their races,
n only refraining from doing them serious
bodily hurt. The other officers, who had
been taking titlin in their quarters, were
captured by the rest of the gang al d
dragged in the same manner to the captains
cabin, where they were all hustled in with
the exception of the second officer, whom
the pirates kept to guide them to the treas
ure room. In a similar way the Chinese
passengers forward had been made prison
ers and a guard placed over them. Three
- f~-.k 49, AIN -s--A~a ~A~~ - kh~ A-sl 4
of the captains cabin, with revolver point
ed at those inside, while some of the Ma
moa's sailors were requisitioned to batten
up the door. The prisoners, eleven in nun
Der, were kept pent up i'll this small place
all day, while the pirates held the ship
passengers, taking whatever struck theit
fancy and packing up the loot i'll bags and
baskets. The third officer and second en-
gineer had both received bullets in their
left arms when the attack was made on
their cabins. Two other Malay quarter
masters had been shot in their hunks. one
of whom has since died! and two native
cooks were similarly wounded. The pris-
oners in the captains cabin suffered terri
bly, during their captivity, and did not
know at what moment the fiends outside
might take it into their heads to scuttle the
ship or set her on fire, as they several times
seemed inclined to no.
The pirates, who evidently knew some
thing of navigating a steamer, kept the
1iremen at their places, while two of their
number occupied the bridge and directed
the ships course by telegraph. They kept
her going in a huge circle all day, and sew
eral steamers passed within a compare
lively short distance of her, but, seeing
no signal or anything suspicious,
merely thought she was somewhat
out of her course. The pirates had
promised the chief engineer, through
n of the sailors. that they would
leave the steamer at eight O'Clock, and, true
enough, coward that hour she was slowed
down. For some two or three hours ira
viously the horde had been ENJOYING an
open-air benquet on deck, md RECALLED
themselves to their hearts content, despite
the fact that the decks were covered with
blood, and the corpse of tho murdered
Capt. Peterson lay stark and stiff where it
fell, while the unfortunate Capt. Pocock
was dead in his cabin. in which tho eleven
Shortly after seven O'Clock tho prisoners
heard the steam whistle sounded, and
through the cabin window saw a huge bea-
con on the headland of Pinghoi. Imme-
diately afterward blue lights were burning
on both sides of the steamer Mt some dis
lance, and four Hong Kong iunks
were seen approaching. The steamer
was brought to a standstill. the anchor
let 60, and the iunka came alongside.
The work of transferring the booty, which
was a rich one, estimated at $4,000, quickly
proceeded, the pirates requisitioning the
services of the crew Of the Namoa in the
work. They did not attempt further vio-