HO! A PIRATE!

Auckland Star, Volume XLIII, Issue 123, 23 May 1912, Page 7

HO! A PIRATE!

FROK THE CHINA SEAS. SAID TO BE IN AUCKLAND. All romance has not yet fled from these now practical Southern isles. Evidently a character from the pages of a boy's adventure book is stalking the streets of Auckland—a real; live pirate, wrapped in all the picturesque mystery, of a wicked past. This was the startling news suggested to the shocked habitues of the Police Court yesterday afternoon by Sub-Inspector Hendrey per medium of his cross-examination of Yong Hee, one of the principals concerned in the keeping of the Chinese gambling house which was raided by the police a couple of Sundays ago. "Do you know a Chinaman in Auckland who is commonly called "The Pirate'?" queried the Sub-Inspector ot the poker-faced Chinese witness. The inscrutable one knew of no such person. "What! Don't you know 'the pirate,' who was so bad that he had to leave China, and .come to Auckland?" per- ! sisted the Sub-Inspector, who thus unconsciously ■ drew a rather invidious comparison between the public morale of China and Auckland in his endeavour to put the matter simply to the childlike and bland witness. Still John (otherwise Yong) did not savvy the person referred to. . "But; surely, there is no such romantic person in Auckland?" interposed Mr. A. E. Skelton (counsel for the defence), incredulously. "Oh, yes," replied Mr. Hendrey; '"The Pirate' is known to every Chinaman lh the city." Turning again to Yong Hee, who spoke English fairly well, and admitted that he had joined the V.M.C.A. about three weeks ago, the Sub-Inspector endeavoured to adjust his language to the thought-processes of the bi-lingual Celestial fc Tou know what a pirate is? A man going" about in a small ship robbing people," he put. Even this. graphic description failed to conjure up for YorigHee a mental picture that would fit any allegedly ferocious figure from the China eeas that had crossed the path of his virtuous ways in Auckland. Then the cross-examiner tried another direction, pointing io some Chinaman who was alleged to have acted for witness in the capacity of agent, for pakapoo tickets, -and coupling him with the personality of -'The Pirate." But it was. to no. purpose. Yong Hee knew, no pirate, no pakapoo agent, no gambling house, nothing of fantan. or pakapoo. or dominoes-ronly a "boardahouee, which he had kept in- Wakefield-street till Ist MaTch, when he sub-leased it to Ting Hirig. This was the "boartTahouse' in which the raiders found the Chinese gamblers 1 , and their connection .with' it cost Yong Hee and Ting-Hing a fine of £25 apiece. Still, it was disappointing that "The Pirate" escaped the SubInspector, and Yong Hee's acquaintance, just when everybody was ■ getting interested in him, even he had reformed . and tak.en to selling pakapoo lottery tickets for an-honest crast.