The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-07-26
SEA BANDITS
Still Active Off the Coast of China
 and Japan

seventeen Chinese pirates shipped as passengers the other day on a small steamer plying the China sea, overpow- cred the crew and made off with s3o.- GOO. Being Chinese pirates. and prob able illiterate. they did not compel the crew to walk the plank in the convenA tional fashion; still, with pirates as scarce as they are in the world today. one cannot afford to be too particular. To the small boy and the lover of gory' romance it is encourag ging enough to find there are any pirates left in the world even if they don't play the game exactly according to Hoyle
 As q matter of fact the China sea is the only part of the globe where this ancient and bloodthirsty means of livelihood is still in flourishing con dition. There ancestor worship is still practiced by the pious, and it would be considered scarcely honorable for man to give up the profession hy which his forefathers have subsisteN for generations VI
 At present, according 10 officers ofI the Japanese liner Nippon Maru. piracy Is in more flourishing condition than It has been for years. for the govern ment is without funds to operate a coast patrol. The whole coast of China is infested with sea bandits, who lie in wait in the mouths of creeks and rivers and bounce upon small native boats. So far their activities have been confined to Chinese vessels. although tho steamer Shanghai, which was rob bed by the IT who shipped as passen- ! gers was flying the British flag
 During the days of the opium traf- Chinese ite o1n The pirates chose the opium ships as their special prey, and those who did not'pay tribute before their ships sailed We're very likely to have the cargo confiscated before it came to port. An anonymous writer in Chambers Jourx nal, an English publication told of ont adventure of this sort in which ths pirates were beaten off A German\ bark, the Etienne. had started from Hongkong for Tien Tsin. It had six chests of opium aboard The second day out the vessel was becalmed ana lay Hike painted ship upoil painted ocean," within a mile of Birs Bay. rirate stronghold.
 Through marine glasses the crew If the Etienne could see Q crowd of men swarming like ants down the shefoA af sunset ana preparing Co launch X boats. The Chinese carried spears. and they propelled thoir haafs w:ti long sweeps. There was one bit Of artillery aboard the Etennc. car ronade, which Is a short gun Of large caliber. useful only at close range. 4
 The carronaie was fired once ii. the hope Of bringing assistance. then9 1ciuaded and preparations made to re. celre the pirates On shcy swept in three big boats. black in the sunset glow and. yelling loudly. The pirates were naked to the waist. Tine crew sof the Etienne were served with rifles and cutlasses. and three barrels of bottled beer. which had been sent aboard the ship just before 1t sailed as gift to the officers, were brought on deck The beer was emptied into tubs on deck and the bottles smashed. The deck was then strewn with broken glass,
 The pirate ships as they approached fired several times. and one 12-pound shot struck the main mast of the Etienne. When they were within 100 yards the carronadc of the European. ship was discharged and there was1 n thinning of the Chinese aboard one ds the vessels. The short cannon waAI hastily reloaded. and when anothery| Chinese ship drew alongside was fired point blank into its bows. Then the Etenne's crew, very small in com parison with the number of the pirates swarmed into the rigging in order to pick off the Chinese with more ease.
 As the barefooted Chinamen swarmed upon the deck Of the Et1enne they were thrown into the greatest confusion by the broken glass and 1eaped bowling about the deck nursing their wounded 4 feet. while the crew aloft poured dowf( an effective fire upon them. But it wal not long before the pirates began to chamber up the rigging With rifles and revolvers the Europeans picked them off. "rhey fell like overripe fruit into the sea- says the author. But there were plenty more waiting to. take the places of those who fell.
 Several of the pirates made their way Into the mizzen-top. where the captain and the anonymous passenger fought them with cutlasses. Finally the passenger. who had been a prison offcial in Hongk ong was recognized by the leader of the pirates. Though man named Kelly. an escaped convict
 T will save your life if can, sir he yelled and called his men to the deck They entefed the cabin and be- gan rummaging for the opium chests. crouched In the rigging. reloading their firearms. It was almost dark.
 Astern there was flash of light and the boom of a gun. The Britissn gunboat Raccoon had heard the firirA and was coming to the rescue ~
 The pirates scrambled aver the ves- sel into their boats and pulled fran tically for shore. The gunboat over- took all three of them sank one and captured the>other two.
 The Irishman, Kelly, who had led the pirates, was among the captives. b1,f dfe9 <,f 1,to ~x-r.,s,tdo hoforn fbn t3x1h