The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1914-12-26
Daring Raids Of Captain Won
Muller Smacks of Ancient
Buccaneer Days
40 SURVIVORS CAPTURE
COLLIER AND ROVE SEAS
Escape in Schooner of "Un-
crowned King"-English Trib-
utes to Foes Bravery

Capt Kidd and other pirates, as
well as OF John Paul Jones and
Admiral Nelson was given new
and added interest in the Great war
when on the morning of Nov. ii he
read that the German cruiser Emden'
which had destroyed more than
a score of British ships in Eastern
waters, had been driven ashore and
burned on Cocos Island.
The Emden was not pirate ship
, but a small cruiser OF the navy OF a
big world power, perfectly accredited
and in It's actions and the actions OF
its heroic commander something for
every one with drop of the old Teu-
ton blood In him to be proud or But
in its desperate cruises, its daring at
tacks, its sailing OF the high seas
without fear and without let from the
mighty power OF Englands navy,
there was a suggestion of John Paul
Jones-and there was something OF
the old, free, devil-may-care spirit OF
the buccaneer days.
In the name OF the islands where
she was finally driven ashore there
was a wealth OF historic suggestion
OF the years when the pirates Lath-
ODE, Morgan, Kidd and Laftte sailed
wherever they listed, battled under
the flag OF the Jolly Roger and took
what prizes they cared to in spite OF
the navies OF the civilized world ar
rayed against them.
II was on Cocos Island another
Cocos Island-that the greatest Of
pirate boards was supposed TO have
been secreted, and in the years since
hundreds OF thousands of dollars and
hundreds OF human lives have been
sacrificed in the attempt to find the
treasure. All down the years men
have plotted, starved, fought. muir
dered and have been murdered to find
and carry away the treasure from
Cocos Island--the other Cocos.
But the fact that the Cocos Island
in the Indian ocean where the Aus
tralian cruiser Sydney did for the
/, brave little Emden and Cocos Island
in the Pacific ocean, about five hun
dred and fifty miles southwest of
;. Panama, where the old-time pirates
were believed to have hidden their
treasure and where every few years
an expedition arrives from some
world city TO hunt. for 1t were not the
same, did not detract from the
seamanship and the heroic warfare
of the modern day sea scourge
Emden.
People said: "Se what is in a
name" The enemies of Germany
grudgingly admitted her bravery and
readily admitted her likeness to the
old buccaneers. for had she not de-
stroyed more than score of British
ships?
Sympathizers with Germany heaved
a sigh for the brave young Teuton
sailors and fighters and remembered
the Vikings of, old The impartial,
neutral reader of sea-yarns must have
wished that Stevenson had lived to
write that story and read over again
how the Emden destroyed % ships
In Ia weeks. Since Aug. s she had
been at her work OF destruction in
the waters OF the Far East
The gallant little $500 ton-cruiser,
knowing the whole time that she was
inexorably doomed to destruction.
CALAMITY held the seas for three
months against fully 40 hostile
warships, sinking in that time $4,000
tons OF her enemies shipping, looking
for trouble by bombarding Madras.
looking for more trouble by sinking
two hostile warships under the guns
of hostile forts. and, as the London
Daily Telegraph pointed out, her cap
tain showed himself always an "offi-
Ger and a gentleman" and wrought
the Teuton vengeance upon his Brit
ish enemy without the loss OF sin
gle life"
In the IA weeks she had sent ter
ror into the heart OF every British
merchantmen captain and had done
damage estimated from four to
twenty millions of dollars. II would
have made any of the old pirates turn
over In their sea-washed graves to
have heard such sum mentioned,
and Paul Jones, the Yankee skipper.
who did little twisting OF the lion $
tail in his day. would have taken of
his hat and struck palms with sturdy,
boyish-looking Capt. Karl Won Muller
OF the Emden.
The story OF her raiding the ship
ping of the allies reads so much like
the stories OF the days when the free
sea rovers attacked, rolled scuttled
and sank ships that the collector of
data about the pirates and Cocos ISL
and, of Panama, would be tempted TO
give the gallant and legitimate little
Emden a place in his gallery of buc-
cancers and when he came TO the end
of the Emden the temptation would
be almost irresistible but that the
a Emden was a legitimate warship.
"The Emden. which had been COM
pletely lost sight OF after her action
with the Russian cruiser Jemtchug,
arrived at Keeling, OF Cocos Island,
and landed an armed party TO destroy
the wireless station" the dispatches
stated Here she was caught and
forced to fight by the Australian
cruiser sydney, Capt. John Glossop.
A sharp action took place, in which
the Sydney suffered the loss of three
men killed and Is wounded. The
Emden was driven ashore and burn
ed. Her losses in personnel are re-
ported as very heavy
Three officers and 40 men had been
landed, all fully armed and having
four Maxim guns. The cable station
was seized. the instruments smashed.
the operators we're turned out and
gun were set over all the buildings
The electrical stores were blown up.
AT this point the Emden sounded her
siren frantically TO recall the men,
for the Australian cruiser Sydney
was coming up. The Emden did not
wait for the 40 men ashore, but put
about and tried 10 escape-and right