Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-09-02
CHINESE PIRATES.
Their Terrible Crimes and No Less
Terrible Punishment.
John s. SeWnll Ii he

Their Terrible Crimes and No Less
Terrible Punishment.
John s. Sewall in the Century
Some Of the exploits of these red covers
are curiously interesting. If any of my
readers have sailed up the Canton river
they will recall the Chinese fortress of the
Boca Tfgris at it's mouth, on the starboard
side as you enter. Down by the waterside
a long white parapet stretches along the
shore; at each end a wall of masonry
reaches up the hill and disappears over the
crest. Whether there is fourth wall out
of sight, joining the two and completing
the square. l do not now remember; but
certain British tars could tell you'll they
have lasted from 1912 till this present year
or grace. During the opium war the fort
ress was attacked; but the storming party
pulled quietly around the headland. and
forming on the beach, clambered up over
the hill, and the first thing the celestials
knew their foe was rushing down upon
them from the rear and within the inclo-
sure. There was nothing for it but to sur
render which they did. bristling with
wrath at such breach of military man
ners 'Hiyah, Why you no come front
side? More better fight where we makee
ready for your
But this is a aggression. What we are
after is the pirates 1t was an earlier COM
mandant of this same fortress who met
with equally bad luck. One of the fleets
appeared in his neighborhood, and he sal
lied out to attack it. The pirates surround
ed him. and after a furious engagement.
which lasted all day, and with such havoc
as may be left to the imagination. captured
him and whatever fragments of his fleet
were still afloat- This disaster was partly
avenged the next year. when the Chinese
admiral, with a hundred junks, attacked
another fleet on the same cruising ground.
of de-
Stroyed and some 300 taken prisoners.
Those who are familiar with Chinese
methods can easily judge how long the 2D
were kept from joining their bloody COM
radeS in the shades below. In another en-
counter not far from the same place be-
fore the combatants could close upon one
another. it fell dead calm, whereupon
crowds of the pirates leaped into. the sea
like savages, swan to the enemy with
their knives in their teeth. and attacked
them so fiercely that they could not be
beaten off. and actually cut out several
Junks from the imperial feet. The for
tunes of war varied With provoking i'm
Partially. and apparentiy with no ethical
preference, victory would perch the
standard of The pirate quite as often as on
the banners Of the righteous defenders of
their country's commerce. We read of
whole fleets engaged, fighting all day and
all night. two days even three days at
time, twoSor three hundred junks on
side. and ardrawn game at the end. No
child's play this. At one time the admiral
Is lying quietly at anchor among the is
lands wheIfssuedeniy two hundred pirate
craft slip around the headand. and pounce
upon him with an onset so furious that.
In spite of vigorous defense. twenty-five
of his fleet are gone with their captors be-
fore he can get Up his anchors and chase
them These encounters were not confined
to the sea There We're frequent raids on
the villages that lined the harbors and
rivers