PIRATES’ CAPTIVES

Greymouth Evening Star, 31 October 1933, Page 10

PIRATES’ CAPTIVES

BRITISH OFFICERS RELEASED

LONDON, September 11.

Three British mercantile officers were released yesterday after having beep held captjve by Chinese pirates for twenty-four weteks. They were the men kidnapped from the British steamer Nanchang outside the bar of the River Liao on March 29. Their names are:

A. D. Blue, of Glasgow, second engineer.

Clifford Johnson, of Colwyn Bay, Wales.

W. E. Hargreave, of Ripon (Yorks), junior officer. Immediately they gained their freedom they sent cables to their relatives in England. The release of the men is the result of much anxious negotiation carried on through the medium of Capt. Opata, a Japanese officer. Yesterday, very weary and rugged and worn, the officers arrived at Panshan. All were suffering badly from mosquito bites Despite the ordeal through which they had passed, says a Reuter message, they had nothing to say other than to praise the Japanese and Manchukuo authorities who ordered Capt. Opata to secure their release. The British Consul, Mr. Clark, and many residents were awaiting to receive them when they arrived at Panshan. The three officers, together with a fourth,. Mr. F. Pears, of Newcastle, wore kidnapped by pirates, who raided the Nanchang in broad daylight. A British gunboat gave chase, and steps were also taken by the Japanese authorities in Manchukuo to intercept the raiders. The latter succeeded in making good their escape, however, and landed 15 miles north-west i of Newchwang, thence proceeding inhand with their captives. Manchukuo troops were sent out, and the bandits’ lair in the reedy swamps of Panshan was bombed from the air. but without success. The bandits managed to slip away every time on the approach of the troops. Five days later Mr. Pears unexpectedly arrived at Newchwang bearing the bandits' demands for ransom to the tune of one million Mexican dollars. Negotiations followed and as a reprisal some of the ban Hits’ relatives were detained by the Manchukuo forces. A Manchukuo offer of 30,000 dollars ransom was refused by the bandits, who declined to modify their demands. Three weeks later just when the negotiations for re lease seemed to he on the point of success, hopes were dashed by the appearance of a rival gang of pirates, who suddenly swept down on the original bandits, defeated them, and carried off their prisoners. Negotiations then had to be begun all over again with the now hand.

ACCOUNT OF EXPERIENCES

NEWCHWANG. September 11.

In a quiet, unemotional way, the three British officers of the steamship Nanchang. who arrived here today. described their experiences during their captivity in the hands of Chinese pirates.

It is a tale of British endurance in the face of hostility, disease and hun-ger-—the tale, too, of men who maintained their faith that, despite starvation and throats of death, rescue would come sooner or later. Release came on the 163rd dav of

their ordeal, d’heir appearance when

they arrived revealed immediately what they had suffered. They were heavily bearded; their hair was long and shaggy; they looked thoroughly unkempt, and they were suffering badly from mosquito bites. Having enjoyed the luxury of a bath, a shave, and a meal and a. drink, the three officers —W. E. Hargreave, of Ripon, Chifford Johnson, of Colwyn Bay, and A. D. Blue, of Glasgow—were in a mood to make light of their experiences. Mr. Hargreave said: “After we were kidnapped we spent some months in junks in the local bay (at the mouth of the River’Liao). Then we were taken inland, and we and our captors wandered about like nomads round the bandit villages.

ARMS TIED; HEADS SHAVED “We had our arms tied at the beginning and that was rather unpleasant. We all had our heads shaved in Chinese fashion. But oiu- hair grew again and they seemed to get tired of cutting it. They allowed it to grow at random and our hair-cut and shave to-day was a real luxury. We were not really treated too badly. Though the food given us was poor, we did have it three times a day. But there was no torturing, and we were even allowed to play cards. “Our worst enemies were not the bandits who first ‘got’ us nor the bandits who ‘stole’ us from the first gang, but the mosquitoes and the fleas and the bugs. We had no idea there were so many in China. Every place we were taken to seemed to be alive with them.”

Then, in unison with Mr. Hargreave, the two other officers agreed that really the worst hardship of all they had to endure was total abstinence. “For five months,” they declared, “we have drunk nothing but water —and that hot water. The bandits were decent enough to-offer us Samshu (a Chinese spirit), but we did not like the look of it. One of us tasted it. That was enough, and all three of us decided to stick to water. And now —well now .—what a strange taste whisky seems to have!” When asked about, their future plans all replied that, of course, they were not giving up the sea. The kidnapping was an incident in their career. However, in future, they mean to carry guns if they should serve in Chinese waters.

Further, they added that they had learnt a great, deal of Chinese. They had “conversation books” with them, and all made good headway with the language—the bandits often taking the part of teachers!

The three officers paid tribute to the authorities responsible for sending them parcels of food. &c.. and all agreed that the most welcome item in the parcels was—soap.