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Otago Daily Times, Issue 22738, 26 November 1935, Page 21

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LIFE IMPRISONMENT BLONDE PIRATE QUEEN CAPTURED BRITISH CHILDREN. A beautiful 27-year-old girl, known throughout China as " Golden Gracious," queen of the ruthless Bias Bay bandits for seven years, has been sentenced to life imprisonment. Crowds flocked to Canton to see her face a score of indictments. Many showed ruthlessness, others queer streaks of kindness. " Golden Gracious" was captured through the combined operations of the Kuang Tung provincial forces and the British Navy. Britsh warships have wiped out many of the pirates' lairs, which have been a scourge to coastal trade. " Gracious" fled to Bias Bay seven years ago when her husband had to leave Cantonto escape the law. At first' she took no part in the raids, but her beauty soon attracted the pirat-i chiefs. She left her husband. " Gracious " then planned several daring coups, two of which affected British ships, which were seized by " passengers" between Shanghai and Hongkong. This exhibition of brains as well as beauty made " Gracious " popular among the pirates, and she gradually assumed the leadership. She frequently changed her " husbands." DISCARDED LOVER. The woman generally stopped in the Bias Bay district while directing acts of piracy, but several times she led her gangs aboard ships, sometimes disguised as a man. She is reputed to have been responsible for the Tung Chow piracy this year, when 70 British children, destined for school at Chefoo, were carried off. Finding crates of oranges among the cargo, " Gracious" distributed them among the children, amid great delight. The Canton authorities, trying to stamp out piracy, suspected her, and a discarded lover who was captured indicted her. But " Gracious " was warned and lied along the coast, finding refuge in poor fisherfolks' huts. Her money was exhausted and when she was finally captured she was poorly dressed, weary and ill-fed.