Catoctin clarion., 1912-07-18
DEFY LAWS POWER
Pirates in Chinese Waters
Laugh at Authorities.
Even In the Nelghborhood Of tho
Great Cities, With Warshlps Of
All Nations at Hand, the "Trade"
ls Carried On.

] we'll recollect the shock Of the first
time left Hongkong to 60 up to Can.
ton, says Frederick Chamberlin in the
Boston Evening Transcript The pas.
sage was to be made In an English
steamer, and after stopping at
thoroughly modern hotel In the former
town and going about everywhere as
freely as If were at home, with no
thought of danger, imagine my feel
ings then, when, upon going aboard
and glancing at the captains cabin,
saw the walls fairly lined with rifles
and revolvers of tie very latest pat
terms, all of which, was assured.
were loaded, Every Chinese that was
going with us. too, was hustled be.
hind a door made of heavy steel bars.
To my inquiry as tc the cause OF all
tits there was only one word needed
to make my backbone feel as II
piece of ice had been laid upon 1t
"Pirates." could hardly believe 1t
and yet there was danger every min
ute even though in the great harbor
there were a dozen dreadnoughts OF
England, Germany and other euro
rean nations, and 1t was but nine or
ten hours sail to Canton up broad
river. with more men Of war there,
too, and between the two many other
vessels belonging to the occident.
Why you would no more think of pi-
rates in such circumstances than you
would If you were on the ferry going
to Chelsea.
But their junks, crammed to the
gunwales with brigands, come into
view the moment there is a mishap.
Let foreign ship get ashore, and
she is quickly pounced upon, her pas
sengers looted Of every valuable, her
cargo despoiled. Every little while
there are published accounts of such
outrages, while the smaller depreda-
tions go unnoticed. although they oc-
cur almost daily at some point or
another The favorite scheme OF
these fellows Is to sail to remote
place on the river, make landing at
night and descend upon some unsus-
pecting wealthy man, take possession
of his house, drag him from his bed
and toast his feet until he gives the
marauders the sum they demand Be-
fore daylight comes they have de-
camped in their swift little junks, only
to repeat the operation 20 miles up
stream the following night. Outlawed
by every flag, operating sometimes In
the very harbor of Hongkong itself,
long the first port Of the world, In
which 1t Is common to see 90 ocean
steamers at time, 1t seems remark
able that these men of the black flag
could survive the hunt for them that
goes on continuously. Within two
months a letter came with an account
Of British coasting vessel that had
grounded in the North river in trying
to escape from two junks The pi
rates raked her with rife ball, Kill.
Ing the English captain, wounding
many others, and then boarded. rob-
bed all the passengers, transferred all
the cargo they could stagger under
and disappeared-and this occurred
within 20 miles of Canton, with Its
100000 people, its large garrison and
a harbor filed with shlppingl-and
nobody went after them.
They have been hunted like wild
beasts for a century, yet their voca-
ton Is apparently as lucrative as ever.
Their homes are In their ships, and
with thousands Of followers and shall
low water to protect them, no craft
of sufficient dimensions to carry the
necessary force to subdue them can
get near enough. and the British, who
have been the chief sufferers from
them, have got SO disgusted at their
failure to catch them that they have
given 1t up-and each captain now un-
derstan6s that he must do the best he
can-and the pirates take the hind
most.