Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1891-10-15
The Depedati0ns of These Desperate
Sea ROBBERS Date Back Several
Centuries.
Account OF the Method Pursued to
Gain Possession of Merchant
Vessel.
Manner of Capture and Execution of
Pirates on the Standard
at Annoy.

word" As soon as the young pirates
reach, manhood's estate they would join
| the band OF some great cOrsair and sail
away IN their clumsy but powerful hunks
| to the waters frequented by the argosies
| Of commerce.
These were the seas between Hong
Kong and the Philippines, the Malay
Straits and the Indian Ocean. Venturous
Chinese pirates have gone so far west as
tie Red Sea. and long before the discovery
of America by Columbus had visited the
Pacific shores of North and Sotuh
| America.
The Chinese records state that in 1850
pirates from Guam -tung had sailed many
moons across the eastern sea (Pacifc
| Ocean), until they discovered a great land
| where there were many natives with fine
cities, volcanoes, profdsion of gold and
silver, and where the officials wore cos
tunes made of birds pIumage. No one
can read the description without identify
ing Mexico, Central America and Peru
As a result of these discoveries the Chinese
government sent embassies to these coun-
tries In the thirteenth and fourteenth CEN
turtles. The embassies returned bearing
rich presents for the emperor, and describ-
ed the people they had visited as polite,
peaceable and prosperous. Strangest of
all, they reported that these nations had
much trouble and many wars upon their
| frontiers with the red-skinned race, SINH
lar to the Malay savages with whom the
| Chinese were always IN hot water.
| THOUSANDS IN THE PIRACY BUSINESS.
| At the beginning of the present century
piracy was well nigh universal in this part
OF Asia. At least half million men were
more or less engaged In it as profession.
| The civilized powers made short work of
the evil. England, as usual. took the
leading hand IN suppressing the practice,
and showed no mercy on either junk or
mariner that displayed the slightest
symptoms Of buccane ering.
| Portugal and Holland were more diplo-
matte and economical. They would en-
! ploy one band of pirates against another,
and third against the survivors Of the
| two.
| In 1850, In Formosa, by wise distribu-
ton of cheap firearms, they Induced the
leaders of a Hakka pirate village to make
war upon and eXterminate a Chinese
pirate village Of 2 900 population, and the
year following prevailed upon oYens to
make night descent upon the HakkaS
and Kill almost every man, women and
child. No one can read the local records
OF this district without seeing how high
value was setu pom piratical crime, and
how valueless aud insignificant has been
ana is all human life.
Ten years ago it seemed as if piracy
were utterly extinct. the vigilance of the
authorities on the one side and of the
foreign naval commanders on the other
was relaxed to such an extent that the con-
dition of affairs here became the same as
what prevail to-day along the coast OF our
own country.
The pirates and The criminal classes
from whom their ranks are rncuited per-
celved the opportunity and took advant-
age of il. At first they confined TIE depre-
dations to vessels belonging to their fellow
count1ymen. They prospered and in al,
most every attack were very successful.
Emboidened by sucG IS they tecime very
venturesOme and reckless, and last winter
extended their operations to European Yes
| sells and European steamships. Their
! work eliminated last Christmas in the
capture and looting of the British steam.
! ship 'Namoa," one of the handsomest
crafts that ply these waters. The pirate
| killed the captain and several passengers,
besides woundlng a score, aud robbed
every Soul on DOdl u.
THEIR METHOD OF OPERATION.
Their mode of operation is as simple as
it is ingenious. Through their spies they
learn when it is probable steamship or
its passengers will carry large amounts eff
treasure. They go On board as Storage
and deck passengers, each one carrying
his bedding and cooking utensils and dis
gulsed to resemble innocent, hard work.
ing coolies. When the ship is at sea out
OF sight of any other vessel they rise en-
masse, kill every person who makes any
resistance and lmprison the officers and
crew. While one detachment Is robbing
all the passengers, the mail and treasure
room, the second Is steering the ship and
d third Is attending the machinery and
boilers below. They take their capture 10
some point where their junks are await
Ing them, draw the fires and anchor the
steamer. They transfer their plunder to
their own craft and are soon lost In the
tOrtuous waterways and intricate channels
Of the coast.
The system worked perfectly in the case
OF the 'NamOa,' but IL produced reac-
flOn OF which the pirates never dreamed.
For twenty-fOur hours there was more than
CONSERVATION in Hong Kong, Annoy and
other Chinese citie5. 1t was dumb stupor.
and IN turn the press. the merchants aud
the diplomatic officers began a movement
looking toward tie punishment of tie Of
tenders and the absolute prevention in
future Of such crimes.
The Chinese officials became alarmed
and to the astonishmont of the
foreign community dropped their time
honored system of dignity and delay
and took up one of the most intense &C.
tlvlty.
CRUSADE AGAINST THE MURDERERs
PrDclamatIUnS were sent to every COM
munity where the pirates might possibly
be; large rewards were offered, and every
available policeman, detective and soldier
was put to work upon the capture of the
mnderers. Their success was really
phenomenal. When YOU consider that the |
districts III which the pirates could take |
retnge contained a population OF $1,000 |
UQU and that there are none OF the taclll |
ties fur police and detective work which |
We have AZ home. ard that the . rates |
were identified and ba1 e-Irty e ght hours |
start the prospe It of tneir capture seemed |!
very ImprObate Nevertheless the thing |
was done, and fifty pirates IN the ''Namoa' |
affair, but ninety-1our pirates have been |
already beheaded for that crime. The |
trials and executions were conducted with |
cut any or the law delay by each of the
i've tribunals engaged therein. Some ct |
the trials afforded startling glimpses of
criminal life In China.
lnope case a pirate was identified by |
some twenty witnesses as having been |
engaged IN as many piracies and as hav-
ing taken part IN the slaughter of more
than one hundred innocent captiyes.
Iu Aeccnd trial occurred a very dra- |