The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-03-16
Two ofthe Robbers Carved Alive, Their Hearts
Taken Out and Cooked and Eaten by Rela-
tives Of One Of the Pirates Victims.
Little Mercy Shown Panama Bribers by
the French Acknowledgement.
Charles De Lesseps and His Accomplices
Severely ~Arraigned-M. Bourgeois In
duced 10 Enter the Cabinet Again.
PIRATES ExrERs1rNArEp.
Fury of Chinese Villagers Spent on q Band
of Thfeving Sailors.

uTy OI tatAn8Cfo optbt on - Aoho
of Thieving Sailors
San Francisco, March 15.-The steam
ship City of Rio de Janeiro arrived to-day
from Yokohama and Hong Kong. A Yoko-
hama paper prints the following account
of the determination of q band of pirates
In q Chinese village:
o the 18th OF January last two pirat-
ical crafts having run into one OF the
numerous lnlets in the vicinity of the city
of Shehpu. called Fan-Tu. for shelter. some
OF the pirates landed. ~ostenslbly for the
purpose of making a few purchases, but
most likely to see whether any business
could be dom in their particular call
ing. Probably the r~uffians believed that
they ana their junks were sufficiently
disguised. and SO they thought that by
merely informing the shops at which they
called that they were traders who had run
in for temporary shelter. they could allay
suspicious concerning their real calling.
hi as Fan-Tu had suffered repeatedly
from deprcdatIons of the numerous sea
pirates. and had lost some of their number
at the hands OF the dssperadoes. it so hap
pened that some of the pirates who landed
that day were recognized by the inhabi-
tants. who. however, held their tongues
while the pirates were in sight. No
sooner had the men returned to their
junks than the alarm was silently given
and the principal men OF the village called
npoD two brothers who were officers be-
longing TO one of the regiments in the gar
rison at Ningho. At a consultation held
the brothers were asked to lead q body of
their fellow-yiilagers, who had determined
TO wreak summary vengeance on their I'M
welcome visitors. Accordingly, three hun
dred well-armc ed men surprised the pirates
during the raging OF the storm IN the early
hours of the morning. The two pirate
Junks were surrounded. In another min
ute the two junks swarned with the dark
figures of the villagers who. amidst the
shouts OF their comrades on the
shore, burst open the matches and
stream of bullets upon the fifty or sixty
pirates. who were huddled 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 mincemeas
by the exasperated villagers who had suf-
fered so often before from pirates.
The two pirates who were not killed
were rescued for a,horrible fate. 1t seemed
that among the many villagers who had
w
casions there happened to be one who was
q son of she patriarch of the village. and
so at daylight the two pirates, escorted
By the whole community, were led to the
grave OF the young man. and after being
secured to a couple OF stakes put mp for the
purpose. two of the nearest relatives of the
dead man plunged their knives into the
breasts OF the unlucky pirates and. cut
ting open their bodies. took out their
hearts. which were then put on q plate and
placed on the table. upon which were al.
ready lighted candles and an incense
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 calling
out TO the spirit of the dead TO receive the
sacrifice that was being offered. as ven-
geaEce had been taken on his murderers.
The offerings were then left at the grave.
AT the end of the CHASTITY ceremonies the
villagers proceeded to ransack the iunks,
after having first thrown tho bodies over
board into the sea. The plunder from the
junks-gold, silver. silks. satin and rice
was then equally divided among tho fami-
lies who had 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, set on fire and
burned To the waters edge. The boz - Of
the two victims of the sacrifice were also
thrown into the sea. while their hearts
were afterwards cooked and eaten by the
dead mans relatives"