The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-09-25
CHINESE PIRATES
Are Flourishine in Asiatic Waters,
Says a Naval officer.
From the San Francisco Call.

From the San Francisco Call.
Lieut.. W. r. Henderson of the United
States navy. who arrived here last evening
on the army transport Thomas, has been
chasing pirates in Aslatic waters He was
in command of the gunboat Callao, sta
toned in the West river, and brings with
him from the Orient a wholesome respect
for the Chinese pirate.
On July 10 Chinese pirates attacked the
British steamer Sainam on the West river,
about $50 miles from Hong Kong. Among
those killed was Dr. Mcdonald, British
medical missionary.
Lieutenant Henderson chased those
pirates with the Callao. He was on board
the sainam soon after the attack and
says that the methods in that case are
typical of the up-to-date pigtailed pirates.
The pirates boarded the sainam at one
of her ports of call as passengers. 1t de-
veloped later that each was armed with
modern revolver and well supplied with
ammunition. The pirates distributed them
selves about the vessel and when the
time came made short work of the Sam
ANS crew. Captain Joselyn, master Of the
vessel, was wounded and escaped further
harm by dropping to the deck and pre-
tending to be dead. The mates were kill
ed and some members of the Chinese crew
who offered resistance were murdered.
The chief engineer escaped by crawling
under the boiler, where he was SO badly
burned that he was in the hospital at
Hong Kong for many days afterward.
DIR. Mcdonald, who was passenger, re-
monstrated with the pirates and was
shot through the head, dying instantly.
When everybody belonging to the steam
er had been murdered or rendered hors du
combat the Chinese hoisted a signal, in
response to which large junk came
alongside. Into this junk the pirates
loaded everything on the Sainam that was
loose or could be detached. They stripped
the cabin, even to the carpet. and re-
moved every bit of coal from the steam
ers bunkers All the brass work that
could be unscrewed or broken off was
taken, and even the. dead and wounded
were robbed of whatever the pirates deem
ed worth while.
1--WE found that junk few days later"
said Lutenant Henderson. There were
three old Cinnamon on board They knew
nothing The junk had been moored
there, they said. for months-and months.
1t was always there. We searched the
craft. but found nothing, and did not ex-
pect to-
1T is hard to believe it in these days
but there, on the West river, piracy Is
flourishing as 1t never did on the Spanish
Main. These Chinese pirates are wonders.
They will steal anything, and manage to
get away with a vast amount of valuable
property every month.
I'VE patrol the river in the Callao con-
stantly and the British have a gunboat
on the same service but the pirates are
the only ones whose watchfulness is re-
warded.
"Once in a while the Chinese govern.
ment, after an unusually daring attack,
will proclaim the arrest and execution of
a pirate. As a matter of course, however,
these occasional sacrifices to the demands
of the powers for a: sistance in suppress
ing piracy are ancient Chinese who would
soon die anyhow. or natives whose alb
sence from the earth Is desirable to the
Yiceroy."