CO129-411 - Governor Sir May - 1914 [5-7] — Page 264

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3.

were wounded.

Of the 123 passengers returned to Hongkong five

These with the wounded man who was put ashore at

the Wangun Customs Station in Chinese territory from the steam-

er which rescued him, were sent to the Government Civil Hospit-

al.

Of these 6 two were above suspicion and were released after

treatment. Of the remaining four, who were all undoubted pirates, two (one of whom was a ringleader) died of their

wounds. The other two are detained pending the result of an

application for their extradition to China.

4.

All of the 163 passengers and crew who returned

to Hongkong were after a very searching examination by the

Police allowed to go free except eight. These eight could give

no good account of themselves and wore a very suspicious

appearance.

As I had no means of prosecuting enquiries con-

cerning their identity seeing that they were strangers in the

Colony who could not produce a single clansman or friend to

support any of their statements, I handed them over to the

Chief of the Canton Police, who happened to be in Hongkong at

the time in company with Major-General Lung making the official

call upon me which I have elsewhere reported, with a request

that he would satisfy himself as to who and what the men were.

The enquiries made by the Chinese Authorities

established the fact that six of these men were undoubtedly

pirates, and that the seventh was the brother of one of the

pirates killed on board the "Tai On". This man confessed that

his brother had persuaded him to take part in the attempt on

the "Tai On", and the other six also confessed their complicity

in the crime. The case of the eighth is still under investigat-

ion.

I have arranged with His Britannic Majesty's Consul- General, Canton, that these men shall be brought to trial in the presence of a Consular official and under the same condi- tions as apply to extradited fugitives; and the Chinese Author-

ities have agreed to this arrangement.

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