PIRATES BLUFFED.

Hokitika Guardian, 12 October 1917, Page 3

PIRATES BLUFFED.

FTJTANS CAPTURE RAIDERS. REVOLVERS AGAINST MACHIN KGI'NS. STORY OF THE SEKADLEIt. * AUCKLAND, October 10. Tho following message has been received from the “New Zealand Her--, aid’s” Suva correspondent :— Friday, j September 21, was a day of intense excitement in Suva. Early in the morning a startling message camo through ~ that the steamer Arma was expected to arrive in port, that evening with j a detachment of German prisoners. | They were members of the crew of the j German raider, Seeadlor, which it is; J stated was burned at sea. The first ! intimation of the arrival of these un-■ , welcome visitors to Fiji was given by >! a half-caste named Macpherson, at Le-. j vuka. He said that thejro was a , strange boat with six Europeans in it. j at Waikava. a small island between .} Vit-u Levu and Vanua Levu. The- i natives. it was stated became alarmed ; because those strangers would not talk »j and were armed, Tt was decided to- [ investigate the matter, and a cutter-' | was despatched from Levuka with Sub-- j Inspector H. C. Hills of the Fijian , Consfabularv. and six Fijian police. j Fortunately for this little party a,i gale blew up and forced them ba'ek to ! nort. That night the Arma'. with.} Captain Pnv in charge. arrived at. Levuka nnd proceeded to "Waikavn. J There they found a 2° foot boat- with, a cutter in tow. which. when the .1 Arm.a was In right immcdintclv put j off for a break bi tho reef. Captain j Day. who was determined not to loan, j his quarry lowered a boat- and So 1 '- j Inspector Hills. Inspector Howard and j dix Fijians gavn dhn«u. Their only jj weapons were a Colts "‘wri'-er nnd an nntnnmtie nistol. fi’nrfnimtely ib-.j bluff that was bring re-'int°lned prov'A so slice•"•sfnl tha'f the oc'-nonnts of t l '” 1 cutter did not show fight. although aR ! were fullv armed, and thev surrendere 1 ; i after a short consultation. ; The prison ore suggested that as tig —i . was a motor in their boat tboy shon 1 - 1 ; tow tbo rintoro but. tbo offer was re-

looted and the Germans "’ere ordered into the British boat. One German, loft- in tho onttor to work tho on—gine. The cutter carried a machinegun, fifteen bombs nnd a large quantity of ammunition. The British officers occupied the captured boat mud towed their prisoners to the L4.rmn. Count Von. Luckner. the commander of the Soeadler naturally was anxious to know the strength of the party's captors, nnd when he was told that the guns he imagined he saw were merely eat tie pens- covered with canvas and that the crew’s sole defence wrs a revolver and a: pistol. Iris face was a. studv. After having been, as he asserts, wound ed in the Battle of Jutland nnd having had command of n vessel, that according to his story bad the proud distinction of having sunk twenty-three boats in the Atlantic, it was an indignity for

him to have surrendered ,to sueli a "bluff.”

The Reeadler’s mission in the Pacific is stated to have been the cantnre of grain boats and saltpetre but von Ldekner stated that he bad no Tuck. Ho says that lie took no lives nnd did not sink anv steamers. The logs of many of the destroyed ms sols wore on the nptured boat. All tfio rrwn uni- pwnv from tbo burning Soundin'’, buf. 7 on T neknur will not b-v "’bum thro- hid iofendod to go exeunt

that thev executed to obtain "Ossosslon of fnlinnnr,i' luivinrr Foi for .A tunrina

id coiivu'-t bur Into i-no+bor- uira+u

ir> a V * -’p*pr-,

P’CTt PRESS ASSOCIATION.—COPYRIGHT.]

WELLLTNGTON Oct. 11. ! THE COUNCIL. The Council mot at 2.30 p.m. A TRIBUTE. The Council paid a tribute to the memory of the late Hon. ,T. D. Or-j monel, passed resolution of eondol- J euro with the family and adjourned as S a mark of respect. THE HOUSE. The House met at 7.30 o.m. j DEFENCE EXPENDITURE. Tlon. W. F. Massey stated he was ! considering the question of appointing ia Commission to consider tho large ex- j penditure by the Defence Department j as Ministers were too busy with Cab- \ inet work to give it the necessary at- \ tontion j ELECTORAL BOUNDARIES. Mr. Hornsby introduced the Elector- ; al Boundaries Commission Bill, which : he explained, proposed that more at- , tention bo pnid to community of inter- : eat in firing electoral boundaries. , The debate lasted Ihe whole alter- j neon, when the. Bill was read a first time. j SOLDIERS SETTLEMENT. J: At the evening sitting, the Premier moved the second reading of the Discharged Soldiers Settlement Amendment Bill, which was'generally approved. and was read a second time. The Committee stage was also taken i and the Bill reported with one minor j amendment. • The House rose nt 12.15 n.m. j