PIRATES DECEIVED

Greymouth Evening Star, 16 March 1934, Page 3

PIRATES DECEIVED

IMITATION BANK-NOTES Experiences in the 4S hours during which he commanded his ship under the constant menace of automatic pis-' tols were told by Captain Raks, the Austrian commander of the 6000-ton steamer Poo An when she arrived in port at Shanghai on January 18. Earlier in the week the Poo An. had been held by a gang of fifteen pirates, and Captain Raks was forced to remain on the bridge for fortyfive hours, unable to communicate with his officers, who were all confined below, eating and sleeping under armed guard and prevented from communicating under pain of instant death with any passing ship. “The piracy,” said Captain Raks, “was the most orderly I have ever ex-

perienced, and not a single shot was fifed. Before leaving the- vessel ; the pirates doiined neat foreign clofliing' looted from the, passengers, and left behind the dirty’ ragged garments 'iri which they had , come on board.”'

As they went over the side ‘after having commandeered fishing smacksoff the KWangtung coast, the leader of the band expressed to the captain of the 800 An his keen disappointment at the unsatisfactory outcome of the raid. The Poo An carried several trunks full of imitation bank-notes which, believing them to be genuine, the pirates had intended to steal. The notes, however, were merely destined to be used as burnt offerings for the dead.

In revenge for their disappointment the pirates kidnapped nine of the wealthiest passengers, and were said to be holding their captives for a ransom of 1,500.000 dollars. There

were altogether 100 passengers in the ship.

The fifteen ’pirates had come from South China, to Shanghai on the lookout for a ship to rob, and picked on the Poo An after hearing of the /■‘wealth”, she carried. They travelled as' passengers, and' when 100 miles out lit sea they seized the ship. Infuriated at the discovery that the “wealth” was not genuine, the pirates began to ransack the ship, and one passenger died-of fright. They then forced the. crew to repaint the ship to avoid suspicion,' and threatened to set her on fire if the alarm was raised.