Description
Unmounted original photograph of 12 beheaded pirates convicted of the infamous murders and seizure of the steamer ‘Namoa’
4 x 6 inches
On Friday, April 17, 1891 in Kowloon, Hong Kong 19 Chinese pirates were beheaded. Six of the men executed were the infamous pirates who had seized the steamer ‘Namoa’ while she was on her normal run from Hong Kong to Swatow. The pirates, pretending to be passengers, rushed the bridge and killed the Commander, Captain Pocock, his Chief Officer, one passenger, and a Chinese Customs lightkeeper, before making off with loot to the value of $55,000. The remainder of the nineteen executed were men sentenced for various crimes. The murderous pirates were caught by a joint Anglo-Chinese Anti-Pirate agreement. It was considered doubtful that the pirates would receive sufficient punishment if they were brought to trial in Hong Kong, and so they were returned to the sub-Magistrate at Kowloon City for trial and ultimately condemned to execution. The execution attracted an unusually large crowd, however the interest of the spectators seemed to centre in the Namoa men. The sensational nature of the crime and punishment ensured that photographs of the execution found their way into Tourists’ Travel photo albums and postcard collections around the world.
