CHINESE PIRATES

Marlborough Express, Volume LXII, Issue 269, 15 November 1928, Page 8

CHINESE PIRATES

stilli a scourge. stpategy of sudden fopays. Tbe pirates of the Cbina seas are on tbe rampage again. In spite of strenuous — if somewhat sporadic — attempts ' on the part of suceess>ve Chinese Governments to> drive- tbeni from tlre rivers and tbe sea coast, thcso buccaneers continue to operate Pecently tbe British river steamer Sba-si, 13001 tons, was attacked by pirates between Shanghai _ and Hankow. Thirty pirates, disgriised as deek passengers, overpowered the erew. The loot totalled 20,000' d->l-lars. Tbe pirates, wlro Avere exsoldiers, left by a la.un.ch wbicb , had followed the Sha-si. Tbe' latter returned to Hankow, rvlrere the wounded were taken to hbspital. The account of tbis exploit reoapitulates the history of many recent cases of piracy in tbis locality. Foreign sbipping interests have suffered heavy i losses, time and again, as tbe pirates mad" their attacks, collectecl tbe loot and disappeared to their fastnesses. By getting a few of their Confederates, to sign oa with tbe native erew of a foreign ship tbey establish a biasis of operations. The ship elears port with a valuable cargo and heads for the sea.. Then oue niglrt the pirate leaders come aboard and witb tbe lielp of their conl'ederates in tbe crew over-power tlre foreign offieers. Resistance is met witb death. Once the offieers are out of the way the looting begins. Sometimes tbe ship is beacbod, so tbat tbe looting can be carried on more easily, and tbe money, mercbandise, provisions a'ud arms carried inland or transferred to tbe pirates' boats. In any cidisej once the pirates have got a way it is ajmost useless to search for tbem. Tbey have countless places where tbey can lride. Offieers of a stca'mship company tbat- operates m Ohinese wnters said recently tbat cases of piratical attacks on coastal stea.msbips occur a clozen tiinres a year. Tbese sbips fiali easy prey, beeause tbey make fi-equent stops at places wbere tbe pirates can board tbem with little trouble. As for eliminating tbe pirates' aceomplices from the crew, tbe steam ship meii aasert tbat tbis is almost impossible beeause of the difficulty of picking out the sailors allied witlr the buccaueers. And, even if the pirates are unahi© to get any of their fellows aboard as crew, they sometimes send their aceomplices to travel as passengers on a boat marked for looting. Native Chinese sbips are not immune. The Chinese ste'amsbip Hsin-Wab lvas looted last ApriL On tbat occasion pirates posing as passengers made tbe a.ttack. Fifteen of them overpowered tbe offieers of the ship and pi'dered tbe oaptain to steor ior Sanichu Inlet, near Bias Bay. Tbere tbe cargo was transferred to sampans, and tlre person al belongings of tbe passengers were not overlooked. Five of tbe Ohinese passengers wero oarrred off to be held for l-ansom. the pirates beaten Bnt relief was not far off. A Chinese gunbpat appeiared as tbe looting was being conrpleted, and ihe pirates ruslied for sliore and seatterod. A landing party gave cba.se. For two buurs thci retreating pirates were followed, but no gain wtas. made, and tbe chase was given up. Tbe Hsin-Wab; now acconrpanied by tbe gunb'Oiat as escort, conrpleted its journey from Sbangbai to Hongkong. Tbe latter place bas been tlie oen i ro , of efforts to stamp out piracy for years.