Oregon union. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1897-1899, 1897-09-03
LATTER DAY PIRATES
Bloody Outrages Occurred in
Chinese Waters.
VESSELS AND PORTS PEgNDERED
Achinese Attacked a British Steamer
Massacred Passengers and Crew
and Looted the Ship.

G
cific liner Columbia arrived today on
her maiden voyage from Yokohama,
with 127 passengers and full cargo of
freight. She was delayed on several oc-
casions and forced to lie to "a hours on
account of the breakage of her machin-
cry. One of the fremen died of heat apo
plexy, and was buried at sea. The
Columbia's cargo includes 1,700 bales
of silk, valued at $500, 900, which will
go aeorss the continent via the Northern
Pacific today ON special train of eight
baggage cars. The Columbia brings
Oriental advices up to July 81, as fol-
lows:
News has just reached Hong Kong of
the prevalence of pirates on the Canton
river, and one of the most daring out
RACES perpetrated. One of the sons of
Captain Chung Kwei, Straits million
aire, Kung All Phin, who recently went
to Canton, was the victim. He, in COM
pany with a few of his relatives, hired
a flower boat, and they were proceed
ing to their native place. On the sec
ond day the boat stuck in the mud, and
could not proceed. During the night,
gang of men with painted faces and
fully armed boarded the boat. With
revolvers leveled at the passengers,
they commanded silence while four men
began at once to look for plunder. All
Phin brought from the Straits jewelry
amounting in value to $4,000 and $2,-
900 in notes. These the pirates took,
besides clothing, etc. When they had
satisfied themselves that nothing more
was to be obtained, they left the boat,
after threatening the victims with in
slant death if they made noise till
hours afterward. In the morning, in
formation was at once sent down to
Canton, but before the authorities had
time to send gunboat, the pirates had
made their escape. Up to the present,
nothing more has been heard of them.
Mat Sallet, a notorious brigand, with
200 followers, raided the government
station at Pulch Gaya,~ captured Mr..
Newbronner, the officer in charge,
killed corporal, and then. sacked the
treasury of $40, 600. The town, which
consisted entirelyof wooden and kajang
houses, was then fired, and every build
ing destroyed. Gaya is the export and
import center of considerable district,
and the population is largely Chinese.
Sallet at last accounts was fortified at
Inaman, and it is feared will attack
Sandkan and massacre the Europeans,
after looting the town.
A daring piracy is reported off the
coast of Acheen. the British steamer
Pegu was attacked by six armed Achi-
nese. Captain Ross managed to force
his way through and reached the deck,
hotly pursued by his savage assailants,
one of whom had meanwhile laid hold
of the carving knife from the table. AS
the unfortunate skipper, badly wounded
as he was, struggled to get to the bridge,
this man stabbed him terribly in the
abdomen and when he fell, the rest of
the piratical gang surrounded the pros
trate man and hacked him savagely,
actually disem boweling him, and leav-
ing him a mangled corpse on the deck.
The mate and the steersman were
the next osbe attacked. Both these
men were on the bridge, and in spite of
what resistance they could offer were
soon cut down. The boatswain, how
ever, climbed up the funnel stairs and
escapedzthe onslaught of the pirates.
Returning to the deck, two more of
the crew and three Chinese passengers
were killed. Thirty or forty passengers
according to one account, were killed
or met their death by jumping over
board. The vessel was then thoroughly
looted. One of the Achinese was
placed at the wheel to steer the ship
nearer land; others plundered the cap
tain's cabin, taking repeating rifle
and revolver. The safe was opened,
$4,000. taken, and the pirates made
off in the direction of Simpang Olim.
The vessel was frightful sight, the
deck being spattered with blood and
the entrails of the victims.
Official information received at Man.
lila confirms the reports previously pub
lished as to the disastrous character of
the eruption of the Mayon volcano.
Lava covered the whole mountain to it's
base, and the observation of the sun by
the clouds of ashes was Sc great that in
the neighborhood of the disaster artif-
cial light had to be used at o'clock in
the afternoon. Several villages were
completely destroyed. At Libog $50
bodies were recovered and buried, and
more remained in the lava. At another
place, 200 persons were missing. Some
of the bodies recovered were so COM
pletely calcined as to be unrecognizable.
A great danger threatens the sugar
planters in Java, from widespread dis
ease which attacks the roots of the cane.
The roots rot and the cane dies. The
planters stand helpless before the dis
ease, which may ere long bring on
failure of the sugar crop. 1t has already
struck four provinces, and has broken
out even on well-kept estates.
According to Toxic dispatch, it
reported that next years. budget will
show deficit of $4,000, 900 ven, even
though the fullest economy is observed.
The deficit is chiefly due to the extraor-
dinary expenditures, sanctioned by the
diet.
Advices from IAipeh, North Formosa,
state that the gsbels have been particu-
larly active, eut no serious fighting has
Serious asefs are reported from vari.
GUS parts of span.