Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1914-01-23
PIRACY NOT KILLED.
Buccaneers Still at Work in a
Spasmodic Way.
Trade, However, Does Not Flourish az
1t Did In the Days Of OId--Some
Cases In Comparatively
Recent Years.

Not long ago London man was
sentenced to penal servitude for life
Tor the crime OF piracy. 1t sounds
preposterous to talk of the black flag
in these days of 40,000-ton liners and
wireless telegraphy. yet the bald fact
remains that piracy Is by no means
an extinct offense.
This modern buccaxeer was a stew
ard who. after serving in various
SHIPS, was stranded at Callao, In Peru.
There he picked UP with man named
Sherratt, and the two shipped aboard
small schooner. the Neuva Tigre.
, They, with the captain and mate, COM
posed the whole crew.
A week out from port these two
scoundrels attacked the captain and
mate with an axe and gun and literal
ly made them walk the plank in the
most approved eighteenth century
fashion
They then renamed the vessel
White Rose, and set sail for nowhere
in particular Neither knew the first
principles of navigation, so eventually
they ran ashore in the Gilbert Islands.
where they were promptly arrested.
The most daring case Of piracy on
record for years past occurred aboard
the Alaska-Pacitic liner Buchanan,
when two AIMED passengers made a
deliberate attempt to seize the big
ship and her cargo
nf hnr
a revolver, went into the cabin. and
fatally shot Captain Wood, then ran
on deck TO help his accomplice, whom
he had left to tackle the mate on the
bridge.
But TIE mate had been too quick
for the pirate. ard Thomas reached
the deck to find his accomplice in
irons. He at once seized lifebuoy
and Jumped overheard. AS he was
never seen again he was, presumably,
drowned
Aboard the Italian transatlantic
finer Margherita there was fev
years ago a regular Captain Kettle
battle. The steamer, after leaving
Trieste, called at Messina. and there
% Sicilians slowed themselves away.
AS soon as the Margherita was out
Of sight Of land they rushed on the
deck in body and attacked the crew.
They were surrounded and driven
below but at night broke out again
and rushed the officers quarters. The
crew armed themselves with revolv-
ers and fierce fight ragged for over
an hour. Two of the mutineers were
killed. number were wounded and
four sailors We're badly hurt.
At last the pirates were driven into
the forecastle, and while the crew
stood guard the vessel steamed hard
for Algiers, where the police took the
ruff1ans into custody.
The steamer Sophia was crossing
the Black Sea from Odessa to kor-
thion, and the captain and passengers
had just sat down TO supper in the
saloon when three young men, masked
and armed, appeared in the doorway
and covered them. bidding them not
to move on pain Of death.
At the same time two others seized
the man at the wheel and forced him
to turn the vessel back to Odessa.
Others-there were IS in all--opened
the safe and took out $4,000, the
property of a Russian bank. They
then robbed the passengers OF all
they possessed, disabled the engines.
destroyed one boat, and, taking the
other two, escaped.
There is, or was a few months ago,
still in use Danish schooner named
Emanuel. believed to be the Oldest
vessel afloat. She was built in 1749
and for years sailed the Caribbean
Sea under the black fag.-stray
Stories.