The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1900-11-09
PIRACY IN CHINA.
Little Armed Violence. and Loss Of
Life Unknown.


The stupidity OF the maudarins, the
cowardIce of the bcatmen and the apathy
of the people n general have combined to
make the pirates the masters of the situa-
ton The pirate does not belong to a
caste or profession; he is simply a peas
ant or a bostman who turns TO piracy for
a livelihood in slack times, slack not only
by shrinkage of trade, but by official ac-
quiescence. OftentiInes particular VII
lagos take TO it in the on season or for
the purpose of reyenging themselves on
neighboring communities with which they
have been carrying on a blood feud Ger
tainly IN some cases pirates and soldiers
are interchangeable at different times
Hardly week passes in which some rats
or junks, or both, are not held Up" ane
robbed in two Of three parts of the river,
and this takes place in spite of frequent
protest on part OF merchants and ccnsuIs
The most curious part of the piTatieaI
trade IS that it is attended with little OF
the armed violence and skull and cross
bones business Of the old school Ten or
twelve men win approach a feet Of junks
OF group of island RATS. and board them,
armed with Belgian revolveTs OF uaeer-
tain shooting power. Both junk and raft
carry cannon Of an antique mold. six OF
eight TO each, with shot piled up IN Ply
ramids round the guns, and provided in
a0QlLlOE
in plenty. At a landing stage not far be-
low Wu-Chau there was drawn I'D a huge
fleet Of salt iunks heavily laden with che
Of the most valuable of native cargees.
Perhaps there may have been fifteen such
slips anu they contained crews number
ing not less than four hundred men. Only
three days previously this fiotilla had
been held up by dozen pirates and fore
ed TO pay enormous ransom. yet these
vrryk oil Fzof- ont hard mt
stirred hand or foot in their own de-
fence
Attendant loss OF life IS almost an
known week before our visit there had
been great pirate hunt on tbs southern
banks CT the upper river, and the peas
ants turned out in their thousands. with
their ancestral gingals- and lined the
reedy shores for miles in search of the
naarauders. stranger would have mag
med that a strong sense of justice had
impelled the people OF the countryside to
rise up against the naughty" men, but it
was explained that more probably 1t wss
merely phase III a local dispute. The
pirates belonged TO one village, their as
saiIants to several others and the spoil
had not been fairly apportioned among
the different interests involved, hence this
sudden seeking after righteousness among
the aIluviaI community
It is not always so. Tie project may
deHouace piracy IN unmeGsured terms Of
Chinese vituperation, but it is seldom he
can obtain sufficient soldiers TO root it
| out of his district. Properly speaking, he
ought to have a regiment at hand TO carry
out his threats, but it is contrary to GUS
| tom Cor these soldiers to have more than
| a paper existence. The only time IN the
year that they appear is for the purpose
of provincial inspection, and then they
are hired for the day and given uniform
Jackets to put over their c0olie garments.
When piracy becomes rebellion, and re-
beIIion civil war. the local officials. in
dire terror for their own skins, seek to
raise an army by sending runners to beat
songs and blow trumpets on the neigh
boring hills Any casual eoolie who puts
in an appearance is forthwith enlisted and
marched Of to battle cheerfully engaging
to stand up as a target for the consideTa-
ton paid 70 his family for q superior fu-
neral and grave on the hillside OF which
the feng-shui or geomantic properties are
above repToach. Only six months ago the
crowd at Wu-Chau. enraged at some for
eign purchase of land, threw themselves
| upon the ma gfstrate in his own yamen,
| pulled his pigfail and otherwise NAL
treated him, without interference, IN the
presence of his own soldiers, but did not
| dare to attack a single one OF the small
band OF foreigners In the city