1929-12-10 — Page 4

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THE HONG KONG DAILY PRESS, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 1929. THE HAICHING PIRACY MYSTERY.

POLICE DRAW VEIL OF SECRECY.

NO STATEMENTS AND NO VISITS TO THE SHIP ALLOWED.

-

NUMBER OF CASUALTIES STILL

UNKNOWN.

4.

It is still impossible to give a full and properly authenticated" account of the Haiching. piracy. The greatest possible secrecy is being maintained and it is extraordinarily difficult to sort out the very conflicting stories received from apparently reliable sources.

The number of the dead is unknown and it is feared that it may be as high as the original estimate of 60 It is said that there are twelve bodies at the Public Mortuary, but again no official confirmation could be obtained. The Central Police Station was also quite unable to give any information as to the intense activity in progress all day.

There are twenty-three Haiching cases at the Government Civil Hospital and all were said to be doing well" on inquiry last night.

Officers of the ill-fated ship were specially requested yesterday afternoon, to give no further information to the Press, and no one was allowed on hoard, a personal promise made by A.S.P. Murphy to our representative having to be cancelled, though half an hour after the visiting motor boat returned, the embargo was lifted!

ViesAdmiral Waistell, K.C.B., and Major-General Sandilands, C.B., C.M.G., accompanied by their flag-lieutenant and A.D.C. respectively, went on board and, it is understood, added their personal compliments to the many tributes paid to the galant defenders of the ship.

In many piracies the Indian guards have been overwhelmed by stealthy and unexpected attack, but in the Haiching piracy they appear to have fought with great gallantry, though one was killed in his sleep and at leset one other badly wounded.

The remarkable story of the American women passenger's, given below, throws light on much that was obscure. It shows that the sea was fairly smooth at the time, and that several boat- loads got clear of the ship and were subsequently picked up by destroyers. Their story also suggests the complete ruthlessness of the gang.

We are sure that the authorities must have good reason for this secrecy, but it is inevitable that rumours should be plentiful and picturesque. In all probability it is a piracy on a rather bigger scale than any other and therefore, possibly, the initial move in a new rampaign against foreign shipping. That there is any new and romantie mystery is unlikely. If the police think that they are likely to gain information to themselves and to prevent informa tion being spread to undesirable persons, Press and public must accept this decision, for grave issues are involved.

"HUSH, HUSH,"

THE PIRACY.

ON

STRICT, SECRECY.

CONFLICTING OFFICIAL

INSTRUCTIONS.

The greatest secrecy is still being maintained in official quarters with regard to the Haiching pirney. Usually the police afford every possibic facility to Preemen, both in regard to the interviewing of persons concerned and the viewing of a pirated ship, as coon as the authorities have made a prelimin. No Pressmen ary examination. allowed on board." was the curt reply on Sunday night. But at that time dead and wounded men were aboard, and the police had not yet been over the ship

Yesterday afternoon the writer made a third visit to the i-fated ship.

A.S.P. Murphy won't let you on board yet." said the sergeant In the Lon guard at the gangway.

stali saloon 3r. Murphy was still conducting an examination,

I was allowed inside for a couple of minutes.

I haven't Enished taking state- ments yet." he said, "and then I want to look round the ship, to see if there is any more charred re- maius, or anything pleasant like timal. If you. cotrie along in a couple of hours say at 5 p.m.--you can go round, and pertaps luter some of the officers will be on board nud you can have a talk with them."

At five o'clock, however, it wan found that the former refusals were repeated.

chit. M. Murphy has left a No Pressmen and po members of the public are, to be allowed on board for 24 hours. I believe Mr.

AMERICAN LADIES ON THE HAICHING.

EPIC OF COURAGE AND SELF-FORGETFULNESS.

EARLIER EXPERIENCES WITH BANDITS RECALLED.

HIGH PRAISE FOR NAVAL MEN..

Three American ladies, Mrs. J. W. Campbell and her two daughters, went through the terrible experiences of the pirating of the 88. Haiching early on Sunday morning.

They are all three missionaries whose work has been in the interior of China, and they showed an example of high courage and self-forgetfulness during those hours, described by one of the officers of the ill-fated vessel as a living hell," which reffecls. honour on these intrepid women and on the Faith which they pro- fess and tenely.

UNPERTURBED BY THE ORDEAL.

They very kindly gave an interview yesterday morning to Daily Press representatives who called upon them in the St. Francis Hotel, where they are staying for a short time. Neither Mr Campbell, who is in her seventieth year, nor her elder daughter seemed in, the least upset by their terrible experience," but Miss Dorothy Campbell bore signs of what she had been through. Mrs. Campbell told her story with a wealth of graphic detail, willingly answering any questions, which were put to her. "Of course, come right in and sit down," she said with a warmth of real greeting when she was asked if she would give the Doily Press representatives some account of her experience.

+

*THIS IS PIRATES-NOT BANDITS.”

Mr. Campbell and her daughters. were, she told us, accommodated in one cabin in the after part of the ship, connected with the dining aloon by a short passage. They were all asleep when Miss Campbell

was wakened at 1 am. by the sound

EXPLOSIONS, AND FIRE.

"Because no one knew how to We told them that they would be lower the bont, the ship's officers taken to the police station and were busy elsewhere! Soon after 'questioned, and would probably be aomac one got one end unfastened, given food there. When they under- they could not loosen the other and stood this they were cheered up. those poor souls were spilled into We ourselves were taken ashoro in the sea. One poor girl with a baby a police launch, and went at once in her arms, hung on for a long to the St. Francis Hotel. The time with one hand to a rope, the Douglas Company sent

a special sea washing over her feet. She launch to the Haiching this morning eried' pitifully for help but no one to get our luggage.”. could get at her and at Inst she let go."

"Many of the Chinese," went on Mrs. Campbell,. "were jumping overboard in the hope of swimming to safety, the sea was not rough but there was a nasty swell... At this time there were a number of junks lying round near the ship, and people on board cried out to them desperately to come near and take them off, but the junk people, took' no notice."

| HELP FOR THE WOUNDED

A PIRÄTE?

We kept staring at the horizon wondering if any help would come. When we left Swatow there were two other boats following us: we thought they might catch us up, but we saw no lights.

14

A WOMAN PIRATE?.

"We heard," added Mrs. Camp-. bell, as she got to "the end of her story, "that cleven men had bidden themselves inside the grilles "before they were locked."

"Do you think it was the gang of pirates led by a womar, who made a successful coup some months

ago

we asked. Well," said Miss Louise, "there was a woman of whom we were

rather suspicious, we thought she might be a pirate, but she did not. look as if she had enough character to be a leader.".

RETURNING TO SWATOW.

Mrs. Campbell is connected with the American Baptist Missionary School at. Kaying, near Swatow. "As it began to get a little Miss Louise Campbell is in charge light we could see the wounded of the girls' side of the school and on the deck. The first we saw Miss Dorothy is Superintendent of was what we took to be a bundle Nurses at the Martha Thresher of clothes against the door of the Memorial Hospital, Swatow. dining saloon. We did not think it i The mother and elder daughter

a human being. Then the had boarded the Haiching at Swa bundle moved. We went over and tow in order to accompany Mias saw it was a Sikh guard very badly Dorothy to Hong Kong whence she woupled in the abdomen. He was planned to and this morning on the ying in a pool of blood. We mans.s. Fresident Grant for the United aged to pull him inside the door States on furlough. The only other of the saloon and got him some European passenger "on board was pillows and some water. His wound Mr. Craddock, of the Swatow Cus- was too serious for us to be able toms. to do anything more, for him.

was

"We heard people monning all round us, and as it got lighter we discovered other wounded. One poor boy was shot in the mouth, it was nearly shot away. Dorothy managed to bandage him up, he was wonderfully grateful. He could not talk any dialect we knew but when we saw that she had blood on her dress from tending him he showed great concern and tried to wipe it! off. Later we were told he was one of the pirates!'

No, I'm sure he wasn't a pirate, mother," said Miss Dorothy, "he was such a nice boy."

HELP AT LAST-A SEARCHLIGHT.

"When it was already light, it must have been about & o'clock," continued Mrs. Campbell, I saw

Mrs. and Miss Campbell are in- tending to return to Swatow this week having booked a return pas- sage on another Douglas boat. We asked them if they did not feel any apprehension about going back. "No, why should we," said Mrs., Chumpbell calmly, "it'e not likely that another boat of the same line would be pirated so quickly."

J

GOOD NEWS OF THE INJURED.

ALL PROGRESSING WELL.

The injured are making good pro- gress, according to reports from the Government Civil Hospital Inst night. All those who were wounded are now at the Government Civil Hospital.and it must be pleasing to

Kress.

a searchlight. My daughters would friends and relatives to learn that All this time we could hear people not believe, me at first, and then one of them are considered to be over head," went on Mrs. Campbell. it seemed almost at running backward and foreward we saw it again more brightly and in a really serious condition, though once that one or two are not yet entirely out

of danger. There were people screaming, H.M.S. Sterling was alongside, Chinese praying to, their gods to

Mr. C. C. Perdue, it is learned, "The Sterling's boats first of all deliver them, women imploring picked up the people in the seas still at Kowloon Hospital and he men to protect them against the and in the lifeboats, drifting about also is making encouraging pro- bandits, and weeping terribly. We

near the ship. Then they came on overheard scraps of conversation board and took off the wounded and (for we speak several Chinese dia ourselves. We had to climb up a lects) Questions as to whether the rope ladder to get aboard the des. Haiching carried wireless, if help troyer. would come? These noises were punctuated by loud sounds which we of the pirates snatch valuables and thought were explosions, but we jewellery from some of the women found out afterwards were signals and children and throw it over fired by the ship to attract help, board.”

DAMAGE AND INSURANCE.

Murphy received further instruc tions after you left," said the scr geant then on duty.

As this curious attitude of official of a shot. She woke her mother myetery is quite unprecedented, we und sister, but, said Mrs. Campbell; can only assume there must be

We tried to make her go to sleep some grave reason for it, known only to those in authority. Rum-again, we thought it must have been outs of all kinds are current, and a door banging." Then more shots presumably the authorities con. sider the repetition of these reports rang out, "This is pirates, not time!" anid Miss preferable to a plain statement of bandits this the truth. That a visit to the ship Campbell recalling the occasion last would have revealed anything cx August at Kaying when her mother, traordinary we do not for a moment her sister and herself were kid- believe. If there had been any-napped at the same time as three thing which the police particularly German missionaries, who are still wanted to keep from the public in the hands of bandits, 82.000.000 the Press would have been quite ransom

having been demanded. willing to co-operate. The authori-The three Indies were, on that oc- the purt and peeped out; the deal TRIBUTE TO NAVAL MEN which the vessel was insured. A

bandits.

We pulled aside the curtain over

ties know all this, but pending furession, released, after they had Twaz brightip-flumineted, we could ther information we can only repeat been marched some distance by the that in the public interest it has been considered neccesary in offi Continuing her story of the Hai cial circles to say as little as pos-ching, Mrs. Campbell said" I sible about the affair.

hardly thought it could be a piracy. but we heard shouts and screams, trampling of footsteps and more firing, and I knew Louise WHS

PREPARATIONS FOR ANY

EVENTUALITY.

Just at the end we saw several

"NO INFORMATION,"

A Daily Press representative yes- terday inquired of Messrs. Douglas Lapraik & Company, owners of the s.s. Haiching, as to the amount for

reply was given to the effect that "The sailors were wonderful. | nothing could he said on the matter see huddled bodies, torn clothing, They carried all the wounded, and at the present moment. As to the estimated damage, how long repairs and open Chinese. fuggage with the women who were too frightened would take, and at which dockyard contents scattered around. We saw and overwrought to help theirselves they would be made, we were in- that those on deck were wearing and were gentle and kind to all formed that the owners were unable to make any estimate of the damage life belts, and then we realised They simply could not have been until the police authorities released what the glare meant the ship was nicer, As soon as we got on beard the vessel, and it was not yet decid.. they went and got blankets and ed where the vessel would dock for on fire."

repairs. An assurance was given coats for the poor shivering people, that the Eriching would be put into. who were, many of them, in thin commission

SCENE ON THE DECK.

So we thought, perhaps, we had clothes. In some cases they even better go on deck," went on, this took off their own warm coats to

The Damaged ship. The damage to the ship was of course much more evident in day-right. light than when the ship arrived at dusk on Sunday. The bridge is a mere twisted mass of bars, com- pletely gone in the middle; the funnel and big, patches on the hull are severely scorched and stripped "We got up and dressed, pulling of paint, The first-class accom-down the blind over the porthole modation, aft, seemed to have and locking the door before we put wonderful old lady calmly. "And give them. Then they went and cserped damage, but the deck was on the light for we did not want after putting on our coats we went got them cookies and fruit and tea. heaped with a litter of baggage, to attract the pirates' attention to suit-cases, wicker baskets, and the our cabin. We did not know what out,, locking the cabin door behind Some of the rescued had been laid us. When we got onto the deck on the side of the deck where there usual handles carried by travelling might happen, but we thought we Chinese of the poorer classes.

might be taken off in open, bonts if we saw that the front part of the was no sun, and, noticing that they no rescue came; perhaps marched ship was all in flames. Great were cold, the sailors picked them No Mystery And Yet Another!

into the mountains. So we put on The supposition that there was warm clothes and packed small flames were leaping up into the up and carried them round to the no particular reason for prevent bags with necessities. While we sky. We saw that the life boats other side so that they could lie in ing anyone going on board the ves were dressing the lights went out, had all gone except two which were the sun and get warm.” sel was confirmed by a meeaaga nekily we have a flash lamp. We from the naval authorities to the decided to hide our valuables and still on the davits. These two boats effect that the ship could be board-money, and left our boxes open so

were crowded,"

Yea, broke in Miss Dorothy,

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This intimation reached us that if the pirates broke in they some of the men tald us to get

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B.A.T. REPRESENTATIVE'S

ESCAPE.

We understand from enquiries made at the local office of the and American Tobacco British Company that their European re.. presentative at Swalow had book- ed a passage to Hong Kong by the Haiching.

*

At the last moment, however, he changed his mind and decided to. ARRIVAL IN HONG KONG.

leave Swatow by the next boat.

Some anxiety was occasioned at "When we were on the warship we the local office when the news of

shortly after our representative would find them at hand and not

into one of these boats, but we were talking to the rescued Chi- the attempted piracy first reached had left the vessel on being told search further.". that nobody would be allowed on "fclimbed up and hid some thought we were better where we

They were most of them the Colony, but more renssuring -news-244 quickly fixed by the troud for twenty-four hours Washoles of the top of his SEC and it was tuck that we did worried is to mort would happear Doug another mystery is added-or pér- under the life belts," said Miss not do as they suggested." 1A, OHATER ROAD,

Why 1"

to them when we got to Hong Kong, B.A.T. representative's safety. haps it is just official muddling.

BACKHOUSE, LTD.”“

Louise.