Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1904-07-22
JAPS AFTER SEALS,
oussiR's RookerIes Are Now Free
the Pirates.

W" - ~ N-ft SGFNISs
oussiR's RookerIes Are Now Free In
the Pirates.
1t Is an I'll wind that blows no one
good luck. and this year viii be mar
vest time for the seal poachers. The
Russian gunboat Mandjur, which pa.
trolled the coasts OF the Russian seal
islands last summer and seized twelve
japanese sealing schooners. IS safely
tied up at Shanghai. disarmed, dis
mantled, dismembered hulk only.
The Korietz, that made n cruise or two
looking for pelagic sealers. Is a heap.
OF twisted iron at the bottom of Che
mulpo harbor. and the seal poacher is
happy. Now may he raid the rookeries
on Copper and Robin islands and loot
the storehouses. IL he will, shoot the
timid sea offers. whose pelts are worth
1000 gold dollars each and often more.
and rejoice and make big money while
the Russians are otherwise engaged
The rich mine, the great storehouse of
adventure and exciting deeds wrapped
M i'm the seal poacher's calling, has ut
last been a little opened up. Years ago
seal hunting and seal poaching was a
great business, and little fleet OF tall
masted schooners used to make Hako-
date and Yokohama their home ports.
They would clear away. ostcnsibly to
trade In coprs in the south sea islands.
and end up In northern waters. where
the seals swim and the fogs lie low all
summer.
1t was joy and spice of life for these
scaling schooner crews to raid the rock
cries on the well guarded Russian is
lands. II the attempt succeeded they
could sail away from the sealing
grounds with n full catch IL the Rus
slams discovered them. schooner and all
We're coufiscated and destroyed. and
the adventures We're sent of to work
IN the salt mines or do other hard gov
ernment labor in Siberia.
There must be u shipload of docu-
ments somewhere I'm the state depart
ment at Washington relating to the
claims of native born and naturalized
American citizens for damages from
the Russian government The state de-
partment never pushed these claims.
since the most OF the claimants had
only received their just dues aud fully
deserved all that had been done to
them
One skipper cherished and nursed his
grudge after lie had experienced n sea-
son OF Russian mines and prisons and
had made his escape. He reappeared
in Yokohama with new schooner,
loaded Ii with champagne and delica-
lessen stores and sailed boldly away to
the Russian station in the Comman-
dorski islands He asked only for wa
ter TO make some repairs, and. as thor |
ouSh search revealed no scaling appa-
ratus, no weapons or nets, they let the |
agreeable rover rest awhile, watching
him closely. however
One night-the shippers birthday.
perhaps-therc was feast on board |
and champagne flowed like water in
honor OF all the Russian officers, who
were guests. While this went ON afioat |
the schooner's crew were ashore. treat |
ing the rest OF the Inhabitants OF the |
seal island to lery drinks. and when |
vodka and whisky aud other mixed |
fluids had done their work the crew |
forced the doors OF the storehouses and |
carried the neat bundles OF sailed skins |
10 their waiting boats and slowed them |
away In the schooner's hold. Then the |
sleeping visitors were rowed ashore and |
laid comfortably on the sands. and the |
pirate ship sailed away with the great
est catch OF all known seasons. The
skipper retired from sealing and took
TO tanner pursuits on shore I'm the open
ports, as he could well afford to do
after that haul
He Is known still 10 the older resi-
dents as the pirate king. and one Of
ten wonders II the local races and stock
market and the dinner coat every night
In an electric lighted club can make up
for the cool. salt smell OF the sea, the
believing seals In the fog and the
sound OF the gunboat on patrol steam
Ing around I'm the mist in search OF the
poaching sealer-Tokyo Cor. Kansas
City Times.