The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1893-03-22

San Francisco, March 15.-The steam
ship. City of Rio De Janeiro arrived today
from Yokohama and Hong Kong. A Yo-
kohama paper prints the following &C
count OF the determination of a
band OF pirates in a Chinese viii
lage last January. On the 18th of
January last two piraticsl crafts
having run into one of the numerous in
lets in the vicinity of the city of Shehpu,
called Fsn-Tu. for shelter. Some OF the
pirates landed ostensibly for the purpose
of making a few purchases, but most
likely to see whether any business could
be done in their particular calling"
Probably the rufIian5 thought that they
andtheir junks were sufficiently disguised,
and so thought that by merely informing
the shops at which they called that they
were traders who had run in for
temporary shelter. they could allsy sus-
p;cions concerning their real calling. But.
as Fan Tu had suffered repeatedly from
depredations of the numerous sea pirates,
and had lost some OF their number at the
hands OF the desperadoes, it so happened
that some of the pirates who landed that
lay were recognized by the inhabitants,
who. however. held their tongues while
lbs pirates were in sight. No sooner had
ihe men returned to their junks than the
harm was silently given and the princi-
pal men OF the village called upon two
brothers. who were officers belonging to
one Of the regiments garrIsonng at Ming
DO. At consultation held the brothers
we're asked to lead body Of their fellow
villagers, who had determined TO wreak
summary vengeance on the unwelcOme
visitors.
Accordingly 800 well-armed men sur
prised the pirates during the raging OF The
storm in the early hours OF the
morning. The two pirate iunks
were surrounded In another min
ute the two iunks swarmed with the
dark figures OF the villagers who, amidst
the shouts OF their comrades on the
Ihore, burst open the hatch and doors of
the cabins and poured q stream of bullets
lpon the fifty or sixty pirates who were
huddlei together for warmth on the
lower decks of the junks.
Thoroughly taken by surprise hardly
any resistance was made, all the pirates
but two being almost hacked into
mincs-meat by the exespersed vii
layers who had suffered so often
before from pirates. The two
pirates who were not treated this way how
ever, were made away with IL a different
manner, 1t seemed that among the many
villagers who had been killed by the
pirates on different occasions there hap
pened 20 be one who was a son of the
patriarch of the village, and at dav-
light the two pirates, escorted by
the whole community, were ied TO the
grave Of the young man, and, after being
secured TO a couple OF stakes put up for
the purpose, two of the nearest relatives
Of the dead man plunged their knives into
the breasts of the unlucky pirates, and.
ripping open their bodies extricated their
hearts, which then put smoking hot on a
plate and placed on the table, upon which
were already lighted candles and an in
cense burner.
While all this was going on the female
relatives OF the deceased dressed in
mourning colors of white, were gathered
by the side of the grave, crying and call
ing out to the spirit OF the dead 10 receive
the sacrifice that was being offered as
vengeance bad been taken on his muir
oerers. The offerings were then left at
the grave at the end OF the CHASTITY eere-
monies and tile villagers proceeded to ran
sack the lunks after having first thrown
the bodies overheard into the tie sea.
The plumber from the junks. gold, silver,
cash and silks, satin and rice was
then equally divided among the families
who had ever suffered at the hands of the
pirates previously and as a finale Of the
last act OF the tragedy, the junks were
towed into the stream and set on fire and
burned to the waters edge The bodies
OF the two victims of the sacrifice were
q so thrown into the sea while their hearts
were aiterward cooked and eaten by the
dead mans relatives.