An article on Page 3 of The West Australian (Perth, WA : 1879 - 1954) for Thu 16 Jul 1891 says:
EXECUTION OF CHINESE PIRATES.
FIFTEEN MEN BEHEADED.
THE EXECUTION DESCRIBED.
On the afternoon of the 11th May, says the
China Mail of June 3, 15 prisoners were be-
headed at Kowloon City. Amongst the number
were six Namoa pirates, inolading the three
leaders of the gang-namely, Fung Sung
Yan, Lai A Tsat and Chan A Yu. The other
three were Wan A Fat, Cheung Sai Chang
and Ho Fat To. The last named was the
captain of one of the junks on board which
the pirates put their plunder. The remainder
of the fifteen were men sentenced for various
crimes, but they appear to have been all un-
known in Hong Kong. The execution at-
tracted an unusually large crowd, and the
interest of the spectators seemed to centre in
the Namoa men.
John Kleinen's book, Pirates, Ports and Coasts in Asia, (pp. 112-114) describes two executions of the Namoa pirates on 17 April and 11 May respectively. Kleinen claims that no photographs exist of the 11 May execution of fifteen prisoners including six pirates of the Namoa, as far as he knows. Thirteen of the Namoa pirates were sentenced to decapitation on 17 April 1891. "Photographs of the 17th April execution found their way into albums and the obvious postcards for a wider mass consumption," writes Kleinen. "Publisher M. Sternberg, a Hong Kong 'wholesaler and retail postcard dealer at no. 51 Queen's Road' was hightly instrumental in producing postcards depicting the pirates on the execution ground. His colleague, Graca, produced the picture with the British sahibs and captioned it "'Namoa' pirates after the execution." A situation in which foreigners posed behind or next to dead bodies of condemned criminals was not unusual in these days and pictures of severed heads were produced elsewhere in colonial Indochina, Japan and British India."
I am not sure why, but the copy of the photo I have has a description on the back that calls the pirates 'amoy' pirates. Is there any difference between 'namoa' and 'amoy' pirates? If there is, then the info on my printout picture description I have must be incorrect.
Thanks for the extra information about the two dates.
I'm not sure about Amoy (today's Xiamen) in the title. I've usually heard them described as the Namoa pirates, but a search shows Amoy is often mentioned in the story:
Ahhh. After re-reading a number of articles I see what the case is. Although they were officially known as the Namoa pirates, since they conducted their most notable act of piracy on a sloop bound for Amoy, they are also sometimes refered to as the Amoy pirates.
According to Jill above, and numerous internet sources, they were named the "Namoa Pirates" because the ship they committed piracy upon was the "Namoa".
I first saw this series of photos long ago and for many years assumed, because the executions had occurred in Kowloon during the British Colonial period, that they were carried out by the British authorities. Not so say the same internet sources mentioned above (which I have not attempted to verify), it was the Chinese authorities who were responsible.
Indeed. Citing Kleinen again: " Since the principal men accused did not originate from the territory of Hong Kong, the British court was not entitled to try the case and the trial was placed in the hands of the twin city of Kowloon. (...) the handing over of the case by the Special Court in Hong Kong was in accordance with stipulations set out in the Treaty of Nanjing and the Treaty of the Bogue. (...) The final sentencing and execution were the responsibility of the Qing magistrates in Canton. With two other Chinese criminals arrested on Chinese soil, seventeen "Namoa" pirates ended up in Canton, where they were kept in custody, awaiting trial under Chinese law. Thirteen of them would be sentenced to decapitation." In the company of six others who had been tried for offences on Chinese territory they were transported to the "Walled City of Kowloon" wearing cangues bearing their names and their alleged crime of piracy. (See previous thread speculating on cangues in Hong Kong).
Keinlen is uncertain why British officials, described as "brokers and members of the Imperial Maritime Customs" were summoned to witness the executions, but assumes that the murder of the Danish lighthouse keeper, Petersen (or Pedersen) required the presence of the latter. Presumably the murder of Thomas Guy Pocock, captain of the "Namoa", whose tomb, shared with other Caucasian victims of piracy, is in Happy Valley, was the reason for transporting the pirates back to Kowloon for execution.
Comments
Execution of the "Namoa" pirates
An article on Page 3 of The West Australian (Perth, WA : 1879 - 1954) for Thu 16 Jul 1891 says:
EXECUTION OF CHINESE PIRATES.
FIFTEEN MEN BEHEADED.
THE EXECUTION DESCRIBED.
On the afternoon of the 11th May, says the
China Mail of June 3, 15 prisoners were be-
headed at Kowloon City. Amongst the number
were six Namoa pirates, inolading the three
leaders of the gang-namely, Fung Sung
Yan, Lai A Tsat and Chan A Yu. The other
three were Wan A Fat, Cheung Sai Chang
and Ho Fat To. The last named was the
captain of one of the junks on board which
the pirates put their plunder. The remainder
of the fifteen were men sentenced for various
crimes, but they appear to have been all un-
known in Hong Kong. The execution at-
tracted an unusually large crowd, and the
interest of the spectators seemed to centre in
the Namoa men.
Read more: http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/3022220
Thanks for the info David!
Thanks for the info David!
Two executions of "Namoa" pirates
John Kleinen's book, Pirates, Ports and Coasts in Asia, (pp. 112-114) describes two executions of the Namoa pirates on 17 April and 11 May respectively. Kleinen claims that no photographs exist of the 11 May execution of fifteen prisoners including six pirates of the Namoa, as far as he knows. Thirteen of the Namoa pirates were sentenced to decapitation on 17 April 1891. "Photographs of the 17th April execution found their way into albums and the obvious postcards for a wider mass consumption," writes Kleinen. "Publisher M. Sternberg, a Hong Kong 'wholesaler and retail postcard dealer at no. 51 Queen's Road' was hightly instrumental in producing postcards depicting the pirates on the execution ground. His colleague, Graca, produced the picture with the British sahibs and captioned it "'Namoa' pirates after the execution." A situation in which foreigners posed behind or next to dead bodies of condemned criminals was not unusual in these days and pictures of severed heads were produced elsewhere in colonial Indochina, Japan and British India."
I am not sure why, but the
I am not sure why, but the copy of the photo I have has a description on the back that calls the pirates 'amoy' pirates. Is there any difference between 'namoa' and 'amoy' pirates? If there is, then the info on my printout picture description I have must be incorrect.
The pirates
Thanks for the extra information about the two dates.
I'm not sure about Amoy (today's Xiamen) in the title. I've usually heard them described as the Namoa pirates, but a search shows Amoy is often mentioned in the story:
https://www.google.com.hk/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie…
Maybe newspaper articles from 1891 will explain more?
Regards, David
Ahhh. After re-reading a
Ahhh. After re-reading a number of articles I see what the case is. Although they were officially known as the Namoa pirates, since they conducted their most notable act of piracy on a sloop bound for Amoy, they are also sometimes refered to as the Amoy pirates.
I suppose they are somewhat interchangable.
Regards
Namoa Pirates
According to Jill above, and numerous internet sources, they were named the "Namoa Pirates" because the ship they committed piracy upon was the "Namoa".
I first saw this series of photos long ago and for many years assumed, because the executions had occurred in Kowloon during the British Colonial period, that they were carried out by the British authorities. Not so say the same internet sources mentioned above (which I have not attempted to verify), it was the Chinese authorities who were responsible.
Chinese trial - Kowloon execution
Indeed. Citing Kleinen again: " Since the principal men accused did not originate from the territory of Hong Kong, the British court was not entitled to try the case and the trial was placed in the hands of the twin city of Kowloon. (...) the handing over of the case by the Special Court in Hong Kong was in accordance with stipulations set out in the Treaty of Nanjing and the Treaty of the Bogue. (...) The final sentencing and execution were the responsibility of the Qing magistrates in Canton. With two other Chinese criminals arrested on Chinese soil, seventeen "Namoa" pirates ended up in Canton, where they were kept in custody, awaiting trial under Chinese law. Thirteen of them would be sentenced to decapitation." In the company of six others who had been tried for offences on Chinese territory they were transported to the "Walled City of Kowloon" wearing cangues bearing their names and their alleged crime of piracy. (See previous thread speculating on cangues in Hong Kong).
Keinlen is uncertain why British officials, described as "brokers and members of the Imperial Maritime Customs" were summoned to witness the executions, but assumes that the murder of the Danish lighthouse keeper, Petersen (or Pedersen) required the presence of the latter. Presumably the murder of Thomas Guy Pocock, captain of the "Namoa", whose tomb, shared with other Caucasian victims of piracy, is in Happy Valley, was the reason for transporting the pirates back to Kowloon for execution.