PIRACY ON HIGH SEAS.

Taranaki Daily News, 18 April 1922, Page 8

PIRACY ON HIGH SEAS.

VESSEL LOOTED BY CHINESE. MURDER AND ROBBERY. Details were recently received in England of one of the most t Tyrannous acts of piracy on the high seas within recent years. The affair took place on the China seas on December 15 and 16. when the Kwang Lee, a vessel of 1400 tons, owned by the China Merchants Steam Navigation Company, was looked, and 120,000 dollars in bullion and passengers’ money and jewellery were stolen, and a native passenger shot. The Kwang Lee, under the command of Captain Lindsay Crawford, left Shanghai on December 13 for Hongkong with general cargo and 230 Chinese' passengers. At mid-day on December 15 two Chinese passengers entered the captain’s cabin and pointed revolvers at Captain Crawford and fired a blank cartridge. Captain Crawford was forced out of the cabin and told if he offered any resistance he would be shot and thrown overboard. He was ordered along the main deck and hurled into the messroom, where he -found the second engineer had already been made a prisoner. Men with revolvers were placed on guard at the door, and shortly afterwards the chief engineer and other officers were made prisoner.

At three o’clock in the afternoon the captain was ordered on to the bridge, and the chief pirate demanded the position of the ship and the distance from Chapel Island. On being informed that the Kwang Lee was miles due squth of the island the pirates became very excited. A number of them collected on the bridge, and after a,n animated discussion. Captain Crawford was asked the distance ta Hongkong. On being told they ordered the captain, at the point of a revolver, to steam due south. At 10 o’clock the same night the course was altered to Swatow, the captain oeing informed that if he went near the

shore he would be shot. By this time the skipper had been on the bridge for ten hours without relief, and he asked that the chief officer be released to relieve him. This was consented to, and the captain was allowed to go and rest in his cabin. ' An hour later he was recalled when Briseher Point lighthouse was sighted. The second officer was also called to assist in the navigation of the vessel.

During the night and a great part of the following day a number of the pirates continued to loot the vessel. Passengers’ trunks were smashed open and everything of value removed. The cabins were ransacked and officers relieved of all personal belongings, Including evening dress clothes. Early in tfie proceedings a Chinese passenger, Se Po Kwan, was shot, and without ceremony his body was heaved overboard. The strong room was opened and five boxes containing 20,000 dollars were lowered into a junk, as well as passengers’ clothing, money, and jewellery, valued at 100.000 dollars. On leaving the boat the robbers gave strict instructions that the vessel was not to leave the bay before 6 a.m. on December 17. Directly the junk left the vessel, the members of the crew were released, and necessary repairs to the engines were rushed through. Three hours later

the vessel crept out of the bay and made full speed for Hongkong. The chief of the pirates was courteous and polite, and upon leaving the vessel apologised for the inconvenience caused, and said he hoped the captain would think of them in a friendly manner. He offered to shake hands with Captain Crawford. As a memento of the occasion the robber presented the captain with his gold watch and chain jto compensate him for the loss of his own, which had been looted by one of the gang. A silver-mounted walking stick was presented to the second officer, and a Chinese lady passenger was given 100 dollars, with instructions to share it among the passengers on arrival at Hongkong.