CO129-508-4 Cases of attacks by pirates 6-11-1927 - 23-11-1928 — Page 155

Enclosure No. 9.

154

Extract from "Hong Kong Daily Press", May 29th, 1928.

BUTTERFIELD & SWIRE STEAMER PIRATED.

66

DARING ATTACK ON S.S. TEAN"

IN HOIHOW HARBOUR.

SECOND OFFICER'S ORDEAL.

BRITISH AND CUSTOMS CRUISERS TO THE RESCUE.

PIRATES TORTURE THEIR CAPTIVES.

Bias Bay pirates on Sunday morning carried out a daring attack on the Butterfield and Swire steamer Tean while she was lying in the harbour at Hoihow. They successfully seized the ship and took her to Bias Bay.

During the voyage to the pirates lair, the second officer of the s.s. Tean, Mr. J. G. Forster, went through a gruelling ordeal. He very pluckily fought his captor and directly caused the pirates to fire at one of their own men, who was shot through the heart and died instantaneously.

Mr. Forster was taken ashore at Bias Bay by the pirates, who intended to kill him out of revenge. He was fired at once at close range, but fortunately for him the pistol mis-fired. He then broke free and climbed onto a boulder and another pirate, who was about 40 or 50 yards away from him, fired at him several times. The shots all went wide, but Mr. Forster who showed the greatest coolness dropped into the water just as if he were were shot and swam to safety.

Among the pirates taking part in the attack, one man boasted of having taken part in the Sunning and Hong Peng piracies. From a description given of this man by the third engineer, Mr. J. J. Thompson, he resembles one of the men who were acquitted here.

A very pathetic story was told to a Daily Press represen- tative by Mr. J. J. Thompson of a Chinese passenger who met his death by being thrown over a cliff some three hundred feet high. The Chinese steward of the ill-fated vessel was tortured for four hours. His hands were tied behind his back and it is also under- stood that he was beaten.

One peculiar point in connection with this piratical attack was that after the free-booters had left the ship, the holds were found to have been fumigated with some acid. The whole of the paint work had turned black and some silver dollars which the deck passengers had thrown into the holds were found to be discoloured. It is believed that the pirates used some kind of acid to smoke out anyone who might be hiding there.