Evening star. [volume], November 14, 1909, Page 4, Image 56

About Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972

Image provided by: Library of Congress, Washington, DC

                
The
T In all In the pnln
#have sun* of ih
glories of ? leopi
tra, yet Cleopatr
was a critnlna
Historians point I
< 'atherlne as one ?
Russia's grea^ei
rulers, yet Cat her
ine was a savag*
Elizabeth rank
high among th
monarchs of England, yet Elizabeth wa
a ruthleas creature who sent many mer
and women to the block, and who signer
the death warrant of her cousin. Mary
yueen of Scots, without a qualm or a
quiver Tn her humble way, Mary Ree?
was a Cleopatra, a Catherine and ai
KHmaheth She had the romanti<*. adventurous
disposition of the daughter of
the Xile. the sturd\, ma sen lino, soidieri\
qualities of the terrible Russian and thf
careless ways and volatile temper of th?
free-living Queen Ross. She was th?
greatest woman pirate tha wend ever hat
known, and. Ilka tha three great quaans
aha was a creature of circumstance to a
large degree. If aha had any regret hecausa.
Instaad of piracy, a quiet, horn*
Ufa and a loving husband had not beer
her destiny, she did not give expression to
it. In fact, she Beamed to like har railing,
and in a naive, philosophic sort of way
she would "argue on the justice and injustice
of piracy and the beneficial affect
hanging had upon keeping the ranks of
tha pirates from haing overcrowded.
"Ware it not for tha fact that tha rop?
dangles before their eyes as a menace,"
she remarked in a conversation with the
judge who sentenced her to death, "all
tha cowards would turn pirate and so
infest tha seas that man of courage
would starve. If I had my way I wouid
not make the penalty for piracy anything
less than death. It is the fear of the
noose that has kept many miserable,
dastardlv roauee honest, and it is the
fear of the noose, too. that keeps on
land many of those who now rob the
- widows and the orphans and who oppress
the poor who have no money to seek
justice. If it were not for the noose
the seas would be as crowded with rogues
as the land, and there would be so much
plundering of ships that merchants after
a while would not send vessels out except
under the safest of armed escort.
"Under such conditions, my dear sir,"
she said gravely to the judge, "my
trade in a little time would not be worth
following."
a
a a
It was at Port Royal, Jamaica. November
30. 172n. that Mary Reed was tried.
Another woman pirate, Anne Bonney, was
on trial with her, as were Capt. John
Rackam and eight men of Rackam's
crew. The nine men and the two women
were sentenced to death, and that same
day Rackam and two of the men were
taken to Gallows point and hanged. So
far as is known this is the only instance
not only of woman pirates being sentenced
to death, but of woman pirates
being brought to trial. It ia recorded that
the women showed a higher degree of
courage in the presence of the judge than
jij th?ir man rnmnanlnna hut that is not
U1II ? ?
to be marveled at. for the women had displayed
far more bravery In the sea fight
in whleh they were captured than did
Rackam or any of the others. In fact,
throughout the years in which the two
women sailed with Rackam they were the
sturdiest fighters on board. Had Rackam
and his men the same spirit as the
women that sea fight probably would
have had a different ending.
Piracy was in Its decadence In the day
of Rackam. and Rackam probably would
have received little or no notice in history
but for Mary Reed and Anne Bonney.
China's Ai
THE Anti-Opium Edicts?
High Officials Dismissed
for Smoking?A Warning to
Princesses?All Opium Dens
Closing and the Drug to be
Wiped Out Within Ten
Years ? Morphine Versus
Opium?Morphine Injectors
?Can the Habit be Cured?
?A Look at the New Hospitals
? Cutting Down the
Poppy Farms ? China's Ten
Million Opium Smokers, and
Hsu. TVi ev fnmnars With
* A mm*, j w w ?
the Whisky Drinkers of the
West.
Copyright, 1WW. I>y Frank ?. ("iriifBScr.i
PEKING.
Ml t*PPOSF> that Pres^1/
' ident Taft and our
I \ H# J \|A national f'ongress
I j| should send out an
A edict tomorrow that
V *nmin 'n ,tip em/
ment must give up
missed from office.
and that no new
appointment should be made to any one
who had contracted the liquor habit or
who would not sign the pledge. I?et this
edict relate not only to Washington, but
to every post office and custom houae.
and let ita effect be so extended as to
include every state official, even to the
county clerks, sheriffs, and their subordinate
employes.
I.et another edict provide that all must
show government permits before a glass
of whisky, wine or other liquor will
be aold to them, and ao that every saloonkeeper
be subject to fine and Imprisonment
if he breaks this law. Ia?t the
adict summarily shut nine-tenth* of the
saloons, and provide for the absolute
destruction of all within the course of ten
years. I^et there be laws forbidding the
distilling of liquors and their imi>ortation,
and. in short, the inauguration of a
scheme of government restrictions whlcu
would entirely wipe out the manufacture.
selling and drinking f,f anything Intoxicating
within the apace of ten veare.
It would be a good, big contract, would
It not?
Well, that la just what China is trying
to do aa to blotting opium and the opium
traffic from the face of her country.
m
* *
We have had cruaadea against liquor,
but they have been mostly begun by the
women and carried out with the opposition.
rather than the aaaiatance. of the
government officials. This crusade of
China begins at the top. Three years ago
the great empress dowager and the chief
board* of the empire at Peking sent out
edicts utting down the slge ?.f the opium
farm*, shutting up the opium den* and
requiring all dealers in opium to take out
licenses. The government commanded
all farmers to reduce their opiuni tleldss
by 10 per cent every year, and provided
that no opium at all should be cultivated
after the end of ten years. It required
that the merchants decrease their opium
sales per cent every year, and close
out their whole business in the space of
five years. It ordered that all public
opium dens should bt summarily closed.
Worn
t
M
i?
ia
1.
to
>f
It
I ?
0
;
1 Ca^ -x VVxV v
>
v
4
>
Morgan. prince of pirates. was1 dead. R?<
the Brazilian, had paid the penalty of hi
crimes; Bartholemv, 1,'Olonnois, Pe Pus
aan and the other commanders of th
golden days of the buccaneers were merti
orlea only; but throughout the West In
dies there were enough bands of sea rol
bers to make life lively for the Spaniar
or any other captain who nailed thos
waters. Rackam had bean quartermas
ter on the pirate ship commanded b
C'apt. Charles Vane, and when Vane,
vember 24 171a, was d<*posed for coward
ice in refusing to attack a French man
of-war, Rackam was chosen captain i
his place.
*
*
In the iwo years in which Rackat
cruised around Cuba. Bermuda, the Ba
hamas. and made occasional raids alon
the Caribbean coast. Mary Reed was ser
ond in command and Anne Ronney wa
one of the crew. The pirates capture
several vessels, attacked some sma
towns and Rot a fair amount of plunde;
and made themselves so much of a mer
ace that a pardon was offered to ther
and to all other pirates operating In th
gulf If they would return to honest wayi
But although most of the other pirate
were glad of the opportunity to wash th
slate clean, not so with Rackam and th
women. They refused, and so became th
mark for all the English. French an
Spanish vessels of war that were in th
West Indies.
It was early in November. 172b. that
small English warship sighted Rackam'
.brigantine off Jamaica. The two vessel
were pretty well matched and in the earl
stages of the fight all the chances favore
the pirates, but sea robbers never di
have much stomach for fighting again*
the English, and when one of the guns o
the brigantine burst and it was necessar
to close with the enemy if victory was t
be achieved, Rackam rushed to his cabi
and sought solace in the brandy bottle. I
vain did Mary Reed and Anne Bonne
nti-Opium
and that the retail opium shops ohoul
gradually be abolished. At the sam
time It inaugurated dispensaries whe'r
free medicines might be had to tak
away the opium craving, and encourage
the establishment of opium hospitals fo
those who had contracted the habtt.
In the same edicts it was provided tha
all users of opium should be registered
that they should be examined by th
police, and the habitual users should b
allowed only a given quantity of th
drug, at certain fixed periods. These al
lowances were to be gradually heduce
so that at the end of five years all per
sons under sixty years of age would b
free from the habit. All users of opiun
were required to wear badges, so tha
every one would know an opium fiend a
he walked through the streets.
AH government officials. includini
princes, dukeg. viceroys and genera!
under sixty, had six months to give U]
the habit or to tender their resignations
and all teachers and scholars were re
quired to stop opium smoking within th
space of one year. As to the officers o
the armv and navv thev nero
ed to abandon the habit at once.
?
* *
This it* what f'hina la trying to do Th
above proclamations have been followe<
by others, and today the prince regen
and the grand council are doing all the;
an to have these laws put into force
The> are prosecuting their infringement
and they have inaugurated such a reigi
of terror as would create a revolution li
the I'nited States and turn our peopl
and government upside down.
It makes one laugh to think what wouli
happen if I'nele Sam should cut off ever;
congressman's toddy. should prohibi
cold tea in the restaurant of the Senat
and not allow the clerks of the govern
mei:t to take a friendly tipple togetliei
I mk
I t
1 1
*- ''' Jjfln
IBB ^^K*?2k >:'*c:.-? : "xS :??
';: VDWK
? HHBHIHHIBHHHHHHHBIHHBiHHHI
CHINA HAS 10,00(
Thai is what is coingr on here. I am tolt
that no less than il.utiO officials, more 01
less prominent, connected with the gov
ernment service In Peking either liavt
broken or are endeavoring to break of
tlie- use of opium Some of these ari
habitual smokers, who have tried so hart
to <i"lt that they have died in the at
tempt. Take, for Instance. Wen Hal! lit
was one of the highest scholars of thi
empire, and was connected with the grant
secretariat. To hold his Job he signed ?
declaration tliat he uu not an opiuit
smoker. and then stopped using the drug
lie died k few month* ago. Tsai Chant;
another noted official, was cashiered foi
smoking. He is 111 in consequence. and i'
Is said will not recover. Chi Chang, tin
acting governor of th? province of Anh
wai. died the other day for the sami
reason, and there are many other olc
smokers who arc said to be ill.
According to the new laws, which art
plead with and threaten the rest The exr
ample of the captain was too much for
i- them After firing a few more shots at
e the Englishman they. too. sought refuge
l- and solace in the cabin, all but one. This
i- one remained on deck with the two women
i- and fought the ship until the last. In
d one desperate efTort to get the men back
e on deck Mary Ree,1 went to the cabin
i- door and, firing into the crowd, t ireateny
ed death to every one of them who eon?
tinued to act the coward, tier shot killed
I- one man. but the others stuck to the
i- cabin and refused to come out.
n *
* *
When the English swarmed on board
she. in disgust, surrendered the brigan[
tine, and thereafter, both by the commander
of the warship and by the civil
authorities she was treated as the real
q head of the pirate hand. Her contempt
^ for Rackam and the men was shared by
U Anne Bonney. who was the captain's mistress.
A short time before he was handed
Rackam got permission to see this woman
to hid farewell to her. Instead of conn
doling: with him. she told him that If he
had fought like a man in all probability
he would not have gone to the gallows.
s She was sorry for him, of course, she
e acknowledged, but not sorry enough to
e shed tears. She besought him. however,
* to go to his death like a man and so
'' wipe out as far as possible the memory
e of ills craven conduct in the tight.
Racttam and the two men sentenced to
a die with him that day went to the gal3
lows smilingly. The other men of the
3 hand were hanged In the February foly
lowing, hut although neither Mary Reed
j nor Anne Bonney sought or expected
d clemency the authorities refused to hang
it them. There was as mu< b, if not more, of
n an abhorreic c to inflicting the death peny
alty on wome i in those days as th-re is
o in these times, and as the storfe.- the
n two woman pirates became known i ugh
n their conversations with the Port noya.1
y judge people came to look upon them as
Crusade S
d more or less evaded, the smoking of opie
um means immediate dismissal. CJoverne
merit detectives or censors have been ine
structed to shadow the officials, and those
d who claim to have broken off the habit
r are rigidly watched. Just the other day
a private secretary of one of the cabinet
t ministers was found to have several
; ounces 6f opium on h's person, and a
e request for his dismissa* was promptly
e sent forth In one of the papers this
e morning I see a dispatch stating that
- Prince Chung, one of the imperial opium
W " * * ? * A
j commissioners, nas ,?ibi mbimiuim rU
- twenty high officials wlio have lied as
e to their use ot" trie drug, and that he den
mands their dismissal. Last Or toher two
t of the imperial prir.ces were ordered to
s resign their posts that they might give
their entire time to the eradication of
c their eraving for the drug, arid at the
? same time, as an a< t of mercy, three
p months of extension were allowed to ceri;
tain civil and military officials who had
- not obeyed the imperial edicts.
p *
f m *
The crusade is being extended even to
tire ladies of the palace. They have
been warned that they must stop smok,
Ing, and certain of these noble dames,
rj who have been secretly selling opium to
t their friends, have been told that if
v they continue they will be imprisoned.
The work of stopping the evil among
, the clerks outside Peking has been dele11
gated to the viceroys and governors,
n There are twenty-two provinces iri China,
e and the work in each of these is going
on rapidly, or the reverse, according to
I the energy of the governor. In Szeehwan,
v a state in the far west bordering on
t Tibet, one of the tiew district officials ine
vited all of his subordinates to a dln
tier, lie feasted them well, hut. as they
. were about to leave, he closed the door,
I
' I
I
<1
I
I
I
I
Jfekk I
>,000 OPIUM USERS.
I saying that lie intended to keep all with
r him under loi-k and key for the next
- three days to learn whether they were
b free from the opium habit. He knew
f thr*f? who nf>rp not u-nnlii ?hnti notr'nnc.
? * *' ' " " " " 'l?- ? ? V'UiJ
s ness; and In thin way hp could learn
J how to enforce the new laws.
It Is believed that many of the viceroys
s are still secretly smoking; and the antl?
opium commissioners have asked the
I prince regent to call a meeting at the
i capital of all the viceroys, governors and
t generals of the army who have reported
that they have broken off the habit.
. When they aprear they will he subjected
r to a test to show whether or not they
t have lied. Since this o-ie viceroy has
i asked for time for some of his officials,
- and others have established opium hos?
pitals and cures.
1 In nearly every province of China there
has l?een a general closing of the opium
e dens, lu some cities a back-door business
0
%
>IRATE
m^rf sinned against than sinning. Mary ?
Reed. it was learned, had been born in 1
England and had been bred and reared in '
deception. Her mother, when very young:, 1
bad married a youtb who soon after their '
marriage went to sea and never returned, f
The fruit of this marriage was a son. A i
year later Mary was born. and. the son
dying. Mary's mother derided to substitute
her illegitimate child for the legitimate
one in order to have the child come
in for the wealth of her husband's mother
Mary, therefore, was reared as a boy.
As she grew up her mother explained to
her the secret of her birth and the necessity
for concealing her sex. At various
times the grandmother wanted to adopt
the child, but this the mother, of course,
would not consent to. Instead, each
time she got the old woman to Increase
the allowance made on account of the
child. Occasionally the mother and grandmother
quarreled and. unfortunately for
Mary, the old woman died at such a time
and left Mary without a shilling. The
child being no longer a source of Income
to her, the mot iter had no further use
for Mary and so abandoned her.
*
* ?
?
Mary, garbed as a hoy, reared as a hoy ,
and having had the companionship only ,
of hoys all her life, now could do nothIng
except look for work as a hoy. She j
had the good fortune to obtain a position ^
as foot hoy to a Frenchwoman of wealth, ,
and she remained In this position several t
years. As she grew in years and strength
she got tired of servile employment and
began to look about for something else. (
Having a love for the sea and a touch of
ronianrp in n?r nisposmon, bmp enusieu oil
a man-of-war. Here she learned enough
of seamanship to fit her well for the part
she was to play later on in life. After
several eruises she sought adventure
ashore and went to Flanders, where she
enlisted in a regiment of infantry as a
cadet. She was a brave, dashing soldier,
hut there was little chance for a poor
soldier, no matter how hrave or how
dashing, to advance in those days, for
commissions were bought and sold and
the person without money might serve
throughout life without promotion.
(Jiving up the Infantry In disgust, Mary
next enlisted in a cavalry regiment. In
tics she distinguished herself so as to win
the applause and esteem of all the officers
of the regiment. Just then romance
entered the life of Mary to bring confuurpasses
A
is still going on, but the public smoking <
lias become unpopular and dangerous, and i
the chief opium used Is now behind t
closed doors. In Shanghai all the dens In
the native town have been shut, and fully 1
half of those In the foreign concessions o
wiped out. The foreigners propose to t
clean out the evil in their part of the city 1:
mmn =
ft JSP
TTAi
by Win. Ill Wuchang the shutting up ?<r li
the dens has considerably diminished the o
arrests for crime, and one of the police- u
men says this is largely because he does e
not know where to go to look for crimi- il
nals. ti
9 51
* * n
In Foot*how there were Sjn dens at the
time the edict was issued. Tiiey were all n
closed on the first of the fourth month of F
the year following and are still shut. v
Tlie same is true of Ichang, although the *
shops for the sale of opium are still open. R
Washing, which for y?ars was one of the tl
worst opium-smoking places in the prov- t'
ince of t'hekiang, lias abolished its opium ?
shops, and the day of the closing the h
opium pipes were burnt in public ami the k
people rejoiced. The same is true of many ii
other cities, in not a few of which tiie^j:
opiinn dealers have since secretly resumed a
business. tl
Outside the officials a mighty crusade .A
has bee1: going on over China to stop the t<
use of opium among the people. Indeed, h
there are so many different movements p
that I hardly know where to begin. Every h
province lias Its antl-oplum societies, it
These meet regularly; they print and dis- t<
tribute anti-opium literature and send out c
men to lecture upon the opium evil. There 11
is one society in Canton whicli lias dis- f.
tributed millions of pamphlets showing tl
the terrible fate of the opium user. Pic- si
tures of the man before and after be lias vv
become the slave of the drug are publish- si
ed. and the horrors of the practice are tl
vividly painted. Many of the societies requlre
their members to wear a badge and e;
sign the pledge, and many of thein offer a
rewards for the detection of opium sm?k- c<
ors utid of the illegal selling of opium.
In some of the provinces the most rigid 01
laws have been enacted against the users tl
of the drug. In KJangsu no habitual ft
smoker under fifty can appear in court as tf
a plaintiff. He can not institute a suit, ol
and can have no protection from the laws rn
as long as lie continues |o <lisobe\ them, pi
In Canton there is a temple which has pi
been given over to the anti-opium crusade,
anti-opium pictures being pasted
upon its walls. In Yunnan opium lectures
arc everywhere given, and a large number a]
of refuges linve been created to take in
confirmed smokers and cure them. Hun- P'
drcds of opium pipes and lamps are nail- ai
J
jion to her. She was very brave and she '
was very modest. She had the faculty
>f most brave persons of winning the affectionate
regard of their companions. 1
The tent companion of Mary was a handsome
young Flemish trooper, who thought
Mary was the bravest young man in the
world. No wonder that Mary, her natura'
tendencies checked and distorted
hroughont her young life, should fall
tassinnately in love with him. The vloence
of her feelings was such that she
neglected all her soldierly duties and
irted so peculiarly that she was considered
insane. One day when the handsome
rooper was expressing his sorrow over
Iter condition she astonished him by
browing herself into his arms and telling
Mm ahe was a woman. But his astonishment
was no greater than that of the
?ntire regiment the next day when the
wo troopers were married in public. All
he officers were present and so were 1
thousands of citizens. 1
* *
Married and dressed for the first time
in her life In the clothes women wear.
Mary left the army and with her husband
ripened an inn, and for luck called it the
Three Horseshoes. She had a fair measure
of luck for a few years and was well
nn the road to prosperity and ease when
tier husband died, the wars ended, business
fell off to little or nothing and she
was left once more with a problem of
making a living for herself.
There was not much opportunity for her
in Europe, she thought. Anyhow, the
dnnth nf htf?r hnoharH ha/1 nut oil tho tioc
I hat held her there, so she engaged passage
for America in a French ship. For
nn unattached young woman to make the
irip across the ocean in those days was
unthought of, so for her own protection
Bhe resumed the garb of a man. The
ship she sailed in was captured by English
pirates, and as she was the only
English-speaking person on board the ,
pirates, after plundering the vessel and
its passengers of everything of value,
took her on board their craft and al- ,
lowed the French ship to proceed. They
had no idea she was other than she
seemed to be?a fine, handsome, rosycheeked
young Englishman?and she be ame
one of the pirate crew. There was J
nothing else for her to do. She continued f
with the pirates for several months, and
hen. the British government having made '
me of its periodical offers to pirates to
pardon those who would surrender by a
certain day, the crew availed themselves
merican T
?d to the walls of the government build- J
inngs and the viceroy is rapidly reducing i
ihe area of the opium farms. I
At the capital of Fukien province there <
jave been eight burnings of opium and s
tpium fixtures during which 1,236 ounces :
vere destroyed and the following items i
turned: Pipes, 4,4.'5.t; pipe bowls, 4,4*2; (
TYPICAL REFORMERS.
All liich official* must give up the habit.
imps, 3,t5!?3; boxes. 3.497; vessels for
phim looking;. r?'to. About !UHX1 needles r
sed for niorpblne Injections were all a
iven up and broken. In that province r
t is absolutely necessary to have a cer- c
iflcate to buy opium, and the same pel- I
011 can only get his supply once a v
lonth. the allowance being fixed by the v
pium commissioners 1;
I find a general belief among the Chi- t
esc that the opium habit can be cured, d
Everywhere pills to take away the era- n
lug are sold. and. in most of the great
ities. hospitals and refuges have been a
stablished where the slaves of the drug s
0 to break off the habit. In Foochow s
here are six such hospitals, and four of c
fiese report that they have already t
ured persons. Such Institutions H
ave been established at Peking. Nan- s
insr, Tientsin. Wuchang. Canton and a
1 many other places. Foreign doctors h
avc also come in, and profess to be I:
ble to cure the opium habit. One of f
hose who is well recommended is an d
meriran, Mr. C. B. To?vn?. He professes s
? lie able to cure any one of the opium f
ablt in three days. He established hositals
at Tientsin and Shanghai. He (
as started one at Pao Ting Fit. where p
is said thai one hundred patients came d
> him during the first month and were b
ured. Then the number of applications tj
o-cf aiHaiicI v HiJprpfl.kPtl sttiH \f** Tatppo \
>und that this came front a report to
to effect that, although the cuit- was u
jpcessful, it always killed the patient ii
ithln one hundred days thereafter. This a
tor.v was false, but it almost broke up c
ie hospital.
Mr. Town's institution at Tientsin was a
itahlished at the expense of the viceroy, p
nd officials who were cured received a b
rtifleate certifying that fact. t|
One of the great dangers in the use
r many of the anti-opium remedies is
iat they contain the drug in some other
irm. The government has had to exnd
its laws to morphine, and in one
r the recent edicts the imi>ortation of ti
orphia and of hypodermic syringes is r<
rohibit<nl and tlieir sule is limited to u]
racticing physicians. o'
a dl
* * p<
The morphine liabit has long been prev- re
lent in many parts of the Chinese em- ni
? (
Ire. and a vast amount of morphine pills
e still consumed. In certain citios
p
si
a
M
ht
b
qi
Is
tc
11
S'
?
rs
a'
b
:
hi
^ 1' ' ''' 4 *
r>f the opportunity, went to Jamaica,
were officially forgiven. and. having sold fl
their plunder to good advantage, pro- .
reeded to enjoy the fruits of their ad- '
ventures. h
When the'r money was spent they f
heard that <"apt. Rodgers was fitting out 4
vessels in the island of New Providence
for privateering. This suited them admirably,
so a fair number of them, among *
the lot being Vane and Rackam. offered \
their services to Rodgers. ,
m r
* *
"What else c M I do?" Mary asked
the judge when site got to this point in ,
her narrative. "There was no way for <
an honest woman to make a living in
Jamaica, as well you know, and even .
though I detest the life the pirate leads,
and even though I abhor bloodshed and r
crime. I have the same love of life that i
every human creature has. and. wanting ?
to preserve my life and get out of it *
everything I ran. I was constrained to
become a pirate once more, because ,
there was nothing else for me to turn to." j
The ship fitted out by Rodgers hardly t
had sailed when Mary and her eompan- j
Ions mutinied and ran up the black flag. <
Vane was selected as captain and Rack- l
am quartermaster. For several years the \
pirates ranged the gulf, preying on friend f
and foe. At times they had plenty, but c
more times they were poor. Then f
came the time when Vane was unwilling 1
to give battle to a French warship and j
Rackam supplanted him as captain. With i
the selection of Rackam as captain there <
came to the pirate ship Anne Bonney, the
woman to whom he was attached. She
dressed in a mixted costume, half male,
half female. In all the contests in which
the brigantine engaged she was as reso- <
lute and as good a fighter as any man f
aboard. t
One of the queer things In connection
with this strange pair of women is that
it was through Anne Bonney that the sex 1
of Mary Reed was discovered. Mary was 1
no less modest than she was brave and r
110 one on board suspected her as being y
other than she seemed. Anne Bonney,
coarse and of a far different stripe than 1
Mary, was much impressed by the rosy '
cheeks and dashing appearance of Mary j
and aroused the jealousy of Rackam. The f
[ aptain became so violent that Mary c
thought it prudent to reveal her secret to i
Anne.
* i
* * I
But the secret was not to remain long
emperance
along the Yangtsekiang the hypodermic r
injecting of morphine is common. They i:
have professional peddlers who go about c
with hypodermic syringes up their sleeves r
and give injections at the rate of about c
f cents apiece. Such men are to be found g
n the teahouses, and are ready to giva t
ane a jab in the arm upon asking.
HUM I
8 a
t
s
P
s
h
1
t
a
f
1
a
v
tl
t
t
o
k
o
n
s
v
P
V
fi
d
i w
i P
P
1<
ti
e
w
d
In the past ii whs customary fur the 1<
nemhers of a party to stand up in a row
ind hold out tlieir arms with ilie sleeves
oiled up to their shoulders. The most
ommoii plate for the injection was about
he biceps, but many of the opium fiends "
rere tattooed from tlieir necks to their f<
rrists, and also on otiier parts of their k
todies. The morphine injectors make n
her own solutions, and. as they use
lirty water, the danger of their com- p
nunicatinK diseases is great.
The government is doing ail it can to a
Polish these morphine practices. It has It
tringent laws against them, but they are a
till secretly carried on in most of the d
ities. In the meantime, I understand rr
hat the English and Germans have been o
looding China with cheap hypodermic *
cringes since the present crusade began, a
nd that the Chinese Imperial customs i^
oard has now issued regulations proloiting
.their importation, except by the cv
oreign medical practitioners an<l foreign tl
ruggists. Hereafter all morphia and c<
yringes landed without a special permit is
rotn the customs will ice confiscated. ?'
The greater part of the opium used in a:
liina is raised at home. That Im- Ki
orted from India amounts to millions of hi
ollars a year, but a far greater quantity pi
- grown upon Chinese soil. Poppy plan- #
ations are cultivated as far north as di
lanchuria, and there are provinces in C
anthem and western China where opium ol
? one of the principal crops. The redue- ai
lg of the areas of cultivation is causing in
considerable loss to the farmers. The L
overnment realizes this, hut, neverthe- sr
?ss, it insists that the laws be enforced, pi
.ccording to tliem. no ground can he cl
ianted to poppies, and the old fields must pe
e cut down one-tenth of their original re
ize every year.
* *
Tn some provinces the viceroys have orpred
the Immediate stoppage of all culvation
of opium, and In others they have
mitted tlie taxes for five or ten years
fjon opium lands which have been turned
ver to other crops. in 1unnan me soi- u?j
lets have been directed to dig up the '
ippyflelds. and the viceroy of Nanking w,
oently Issued an order that tils fanners
lust destroy their opium seeds, and that
ich as had planted thepi should dig their 8C
elds over and put in something else. hu
All the opiuga-raising lands have been wl
UCA
secret Soon lifter the arrival of Anna
tonney aboard. the brlganthie captured a
hip and intont the prisoners taken was
young artist of engaging manners,
[ary Reed straiuhtwav fell In love with
im. Her love was put to a severe test
_ M . A M '1 A m A # W A k 1*1 I ?l A > 1 % A
"i iTf linn} uaj ?, ivi i ?ir- mum,
iiarreled with on* of the pirates, olialnged
him to a duel, which they agreed
fight ashore. Mary had doubts about
le courage, of the man she loved, or visibly
she loved him so much that ah*
rould not le.t him risk his life At any
ite, she sought a <juarrel with the pirate
nd insisted on fighting hini before the
our set for the duel with the artist
Mary and the pirate fought with pistol
nd sword and after a short engagement
lie left him for dead on the field. It was
fter that duel that Mary confessed her
>ve to the artist. Thev pledged their
aith, whicli they deemed as binding as
' the ceremony had been performed by
rlergvmarf.
From the notes of those who attended
ie trial of this woman there is furnished
(lis description of her: " She is handsome.
r>bust and showy or distinguished In ap carance.
That she is capable of great
xertlon and of sustaining great fatigue
o one need doubt after surveying her
lis frame. She is rather \ain in some
espects. and particularly of her success
n deceiving the world as to her sex She
* susceptible of the tenderest emotions
nd the most genuine affections Although
he was inadvertently drawn into piracy,
his horrible mode of life has not stained
ier character, and she possesses a reettude
of principle and of conduct far suirrlor
to many who have not been excised
to such temptations "
a *
Although the woman appeared robust to
ill who saw her in court, she waa far
rem well. Her condition was such that
ier execution was postponed several times
'he grew worse rapidly and then she
lied.
It Is unlikely that she would hsf e been
tanged even if she had not been stricken
vith illness, but, at any rate. h*r death
laved Anne Bonney. for whom there was
tot so much sympathy expressed as for
dary Reed.
The Bonney woman was Irish, having
?een horn in Cork. Her father was a
awyer of prominence, who deserted his
vlfe and eloped to America with one of
lis servants, taking Anne with him. He
ettled in South Carolina and became one
?f the rich planters of that part of Amerca.
When his servant-wife died Anne
uperintetuled the household. The gin
vas looked upon as one of the great heir sses
of the ('arnltnas. and her father
tlanned a brilliant match for her. but she
vas of his own blood and ran away with
l common sailor. The young people fled
o New Providence, where the sailor exacted
to tlnd employment They tired of
'ach other quickly, and one day she left
lim and Joined Capt. Rackam. She
vent to sea in men's clothes at flrst.
ind then compromised on a combination
ostume that was both picturesque and
suitable to her business. It was by no
Tieans cumbersome, and she took to
dracy with & relish, apparently rejoicing
n Its freedom, and having no moral
jualms about robbing or killing.
v
* *
She was known to many of the planters
>f Jamaica, who had been guests at her
ather's plantation in the Carolines, and
:hese men interceded at her trial, but
the had become so gross and sodden
hrough her life with the pirates that this
ntercession amounted to little. She whs
eprieved from time to time, however, and
vhen Mary Reed died all pretense of
arrying out the sentence in Anne Bontey's
case was dropped. She never was
>ardoned. and she never was officially set
ree. but one day the prison doors we-e
>pened and she was permitted to walk
>ut.
And when she disappeared the last
toman pirate of which there is record
>assed from view.
Copyright. 190?. R. SpllUne)
Movement
egistered and the government at Peking
s keeping a close watch over the amount
ultivated. The prince regent has offer# I
nedals and rewards to those who have
hanged their crops from the poppy to
Tains, and they are to be freed from naional
taxes for a fixed period.
In short, there is no doubt about the
arnest and active efforts of the officials
jid of a large part of the people to do
way with the opiuin habit. Many are
esolved that it must be cut out of China
t any cost, and the government is willing
u Euuiiui iu inr enormous loss 01 rpvenui
irhich It entails, for the good of the peole.
On the other hand, it Is a question
whether the opium evil is anything like
o great as is generally supposed. It has
>een stated that more than lOO.fiflft.wi o'
he Chinese are opium users. Some wi'l
ell you that the whole rave is drugged
nd that all the men. women and. children
se opium daily. This is untrue on it*
ace. I doubt whether the opium habit 1*
s prevalent among the t'hln^se as t .e
rhisky and beer drinking iiabit is atnon?
lie Engish, Germans or Americans. In
he first place, it is costly, and the bulk of
he Chinese are poor. Again, the amount
f opium raised In China is pretty well
mown, and we have accurate statistics
f all that is imported. Foreigners estimate
the total annual consumption at
omething like 4Mih<*.0tM> pounds. If this
re re divided equally among the people,
it would euuai only one ounce per
ear per head. Now the average conrmed
smoker takes about three mace a
ay. or ninety mace in one month.
Ten mace make an ounce, and this
ould equal nine ounces a month, or nir.e
ounds a year. Dvidtng the *>.<**>,?*?
ounds by nine gives a quotient of
>ss than four and one-half millions, the
atal number of confirmed smokers reuired
to consume all the opium raised in
hina. In other words, if one-tenth of
IP nnniilatinn n-aro hnl.ltnai ? 1
rs they would consume all the opium
thich China now lias. If the estimate i*
ouhled the number would be less than
it.OOu.OUO.
*
4*
Dr. George Morrison of the Lonon
Times, who Is one of our most careliI
writers on things Chinese and who
nows the country better than any Chiese
I am acquainted with, estimates the
nseible consumers at less than 8.00u,000.
In fact, opium is consumed here about
s much as spirituous liquors are in Engtnd
and the Crlted States. Both habits
re a mighty evil, and both cause a vast
eal of misery; but to say that every
lan. woman and child in China Is an
plum flend is as false on Its face as it
ould be to allege that every man. womn
and child in England and America
i addicted to drunkenness.
In closing this letter I would say that It
ill be a long ttme before the hopes of
le Chinese statesmen and patriots can
me to fruition. The work of repression
i going on rapidly, but opium is still
poked largely In secret and an enormous
mount of underhand selling and smugling
is done. These people are just as
uman as we are and the same conditions
revall as would obtain in the United
tates were we to try to abolish the
rink habit within as short a time as the
hlnese have allotted to the wiping out
' this terrible drug. Some of the officials
-e hvDoerltes. others are onenlv dlsohev
g the law, while other?, bound In the
aocoon grip of the opium, are secretly
nuking the drug or are injecting mmilne
into their persons behind their
osed doors. The movement for the most
irt is earnest and honest, and it has alady
accomplished a vast deal of good.
FRANK G CARPENTER.
The Critics.
"HARLE8 FROHMAN tells with gustt
of a dialogue between two women that
as heard in the pit at one of his lx>nm
performances of "King !a?ar."
'It's good, ain't it, dear?" said the first
>ma?.
Well," said the second, critically, "tha
enery's good, and the acting's good,
t the dialogue simply can't compare
th Hall Calne's 'Pete' at the Lyceum."