Evening star., 1926-11-17
12P|RATES SLAIN
BY BRITISH IN CHINA
One Other Drowned and 9 Are
Captured in Desperate
Battle on Ship.
BY the Associated Press.

HONGKONG, November 17.-Twelve
pirates were killed, 1 was drowned
and 9 captured in a desperate battle
on the decks of the British steamer
Summing and a subsequent pursuit OF
the fleeing buccaneers, miles off
Hongkong, it was learned here today
when the ship, badly gutted by fire
and bearing gruesome marks of the
encounter, was towed into port under
guard.
AS the captured pirates were rushed
to Jail, officers Of the ship told the
story Of the fight.
When the watch was being changed
late Monday afternoon 40 pirates rush
ed the rails, overpowering nearby
officers at the point of revolvers and
taking control Of the ship by putting
two Of their number on the bridge.
Plan to Recapture Ship.
Chief officer T. H. Beatty and Sec
ond Officer J. w. Hurst, who had been
held at bay by the pirates, finally
located two revolvers and 100 rounds
of ammunition, and at midnight de-
cided to attempt to regain control OF
the ship.
Brandishing their guns, they rushed
the bridge. The two pirates on the
bridge were moved down by the Off
GERS and left apparently lifeless. This
put the officers in control Of the ships
workings.
Shortly afterward one Of the life
less" buccaneers revived and fired
pointblank at them, but missed. The
butt of carbine snatched from the
deck by one of the defenders, laid him
out again. Then another pirate rush.
ed the bridge. A revolver duel en-
sued at close range and he fell dead
The remaining buccaneers, seeing
their plans going down to defeat be-
cause of the pluck of the British sea.
men, then seized G. Cormack, chief
engineer Of the Summing. and, using
him for a shield, rushed to the steps
of the bridge in a body.
Eleven Pirates Shot Dead.
Here the two defenders turned loose
their deadliest fire and II pirates were
slain. Cormack was wounded in the
chest and leg.
Realizing their efforts to retake pos.
session Of the ship were futile, the
boarders then fired the first-class &C.
commodations of the ship, hoping to
make the bridge too hot for the of.
ficers, but the wind carried the flames
aft and away from the control, iucin.
Grating the dead and dying pirates
and making it impossible to resume
their attack on Beatty and Hurst
The flames then attracted the Brit.
ish cruiser Bluebell and other vessels
Meanwhile, the attackers launched
two lifeboats and disappeared in the
darkness, taking with them H. w.
Lapsley, an employe of the Eastern
Extension Service.
A heavy sea was running. A WON.
an passenger, whose name was not
given, was put off in a lifeboat by the
third officer, who feared for her safe
ty. This boat later was picked up
by the Norwegian steamer Revensjell
One Pirate Boat Taken.
The Bluebell arrived alongside and
put naval guard aboard, setting out
then in pursuit Of the two boatloads
OF pirates. One boat, containing 10
or them, was sighted. On being over.
taken, one of them jumped overheard
ana was drowned and the others were
taken captive.
The British steamer Suiyang, learn
ing OF the Sunning's distress, altered
her course and came to the rescue
BY that time the fire had been sub
dued, and after two attempts the
Suiyang succeeded in getting a tow
rope aboard the Summing, but it broke
Last night, however. a tug from
Hongkong arrived and took her In
tow.
The Summing. a ship Of about 2.50C
tons, was on its way here from Annoy