Foreigners Held Up and Robbed of $3,000
M. Verdier, secretary to the French Municipal Council, who [with a party of three other' French residents spenz the holidays at thy Jakes about thirty miles from Shanghai, experienced an unpleas fant time at the hands of the pirates known to be infesting the Taihu Lake district. Tt appears that the party intended to pay a visit to the Kuan Chieh Mau pa-gode, and landing somewhere in the vicinity, M. Verdier commenced sketching. "He finished what he wanted to do and was packing up, when he saw eight june coming towards him. One of the junks "proceeded inshore and landed ten men, who advanced on M. Verdier, armed with pistols and. rifles, "They. held him up and robbed him. of everything: he possessed, including $1,000 in money. They detained him on shore, while the other junks moved off after his companions' houseboats, which they also Pirated and removed everything of Receiving a signal from the other jeraft, the men holding "M. Verdier then' left him and made. off.
Verdier also ran to the shore, but as he did xo, his captors opened fire on him, fortunately without doing any damage.
'The party, when they were able to investigate the amount of their losses, estimated the pirates' loot to be worth in the neighbourhood of Later in the day M. Verdier reported the matter to the river police and they promised to give chase to the bandits, and on their return to Shanghai, the party informed the French Consul-General of what had happened.
Wnitst on their usual round on the morning of January 15, two patrol boats of the Woosung water. police came across a suspicious-locking junk outside Woosung.. The junk was immediately captured, and four pirate leaders were vested, together with ten members. of the gang. The pirates were re~ moved to Woosung. They admitted being involved in a number of piracies committed outside Woosung. One of the ringleaders told the police that they had in. theft possession a number of rifles, Yat these-were thrown into the sea upon seeing, the approach of the' police boats.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.