After a thorough search for valuables, the pirate leader was reported to have told the victims that he war Communist chief and only borrowing some valuables from the passengers "For the tume being. He ten asked the victims to give him their addresses so that he could return the foot to them by remittances later on. When' they left, the pirates took with' Mem' Ave persons for ransom.
While naval patrols were sent out look for the pirates, a steam launch plying between "Amoy and Kuankow was seized by ten pirates. Mr. Fang Mel, engineer on the Iaunen, who put'up a resistance, was struck on the head with a revolver British Destroyer Sent to Swatow Hongkong, June 13.
The British "destroyer "Verity loft for Swatow to-day to watch British shipping interests: following alleged interference in connection with the recent inspection order issued by the Ministry of Chefoo, June 18.
One foreign passenger was wounded while six others, two of them members of the crew, were taken captives this morning when the Shuntien, the new and fast steamer built in Hongkong for Messrs, But-torfeld and Swire, was pirated in the vicinity of the mouth of the Yellow River while en route on her second trip from Tangku to Chefoo Twenty Chinese passengers were also taken captives All of. the captives were taken ashore. The Shuntien is due to ar-Five here early to-morrow morning, Mr. Graeme D. Nicholl, branch manager in Shanghai for the Manufac-{urers Life. Insurance Company, is tone of the foreigners being held by the pirates, while Liewtonant PI. Fi J.D. Luce, two British naval officers, Mr.' Yamamoto, Second OMleer Brand and Mr. Watson, the third en-inoer.
The wounded passenger is a Mr. Ross, who is stated to be badly me jured and who Is still aboard the steamer.
Three ws.ships have rushed to th scene of the piracy while another is bringing medical ald to the injured passenger aboard the Shuntien, Warships Sent To Are o'clock to-night the Americai destroyer Pope and the tender Bittern eft Chefoo for Tangku, while the British destroyer Witch was des~ patched from Weihaiwei to the scene the piracy. Another British destroyer, the Veteran, left Weibalwel to pick up the pirated ship, to provide medical aid for the wounded pas-enger, whose condition Is said to be serious While the ship was being ransack~ some of the pirates, others took over the bridge, wireless room land other vantage points. The buck cancers worked fast and it Is evie dent that the piracy was well planned as no sooner were they ready fo leave than, five junks appeared fon the scone.
Approximately 20 Chinese pagseners wore picked out and ordered to board the junks which drew alongside the Shuntien and after the pirates had placed their loot aboard the crafts, the foreigners were ordered by the pirate leaders to board the junks on pain of instant death.
"The Toot was removed by the buck cancers, in five junks, numbered T1285, T144, 1200, 1072" and T1250. The remainder of the passengers are reported to be safe—Reuter, (Shanghel details on page 426.)
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.