View source for 1931 Empress of Canada stabbings

{{DISPLAYTITLE:1931 ''Empress of Canada'' stabbings}}
{{Short description|1931 mass stabbing aboard ''Empress of Canada'' off Japan}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2023}}
{{Infobox civilian attack
| title            = 1931 ''Empress of Canada'' stabbings
| partof           = 
| image            = 
| image_size       = 
| image_upright    = 
| alt              = 
| caption          =
| map              = {{Location map | Japan complete
| float       = center
| label       = Location of attack 
| coordinates = {{Coord|34.51|N|145.51|E}}
}}
| map_size         = 
| map_alt          = 
| map_caption      = 
| location         = aboard [[RMS Empress of Canada (1920)|RMS ''Empress of Canada'']], off Japan
| target           = 
| coordinates      = {{Coord|34.51|N|145.51|E|display=inline,title}}
| date             = 5 June 1931
| time             = {{circa|9:30 a.m.}}
| timezone         = [[UTC+09:00]]
| type             = [[Mass stabbing]]
| fatalities       = 2
| injuries         = 29
| perpetrator      = Graciano Bilas
| weapons          = [[Pocketknife]]
| numparts         = <!-- or | numpart = -->
| dfens            = <!-- or | dfen = -->
| motive           = Mental illness
}}
On 5 June 1931, a [[mass stabbing]] occurred off the coast of Japan, aboard the [[CP Ships|Canadian Pacific Steamships]] liner [[RMS Empress of Canada (1920)|RMS ''Empress of Canada'']]. 42-year-old [[Filipinos|Filipino]] passenger Graciano Bilas killed two people and wounded 29 others with a knife. Bilas was arrested and brought to [[Hong Kong]], where he was [[Insanity defense|declared insane]] and committed to a psychiatric hospital.

==Attack==
At approximately 9:30 a.m. ([[UTC+09:00]]) on 5 June 1931, Graciano Bilas, a 42-year-old Filipino [[steerage]] passenger, began stabbing people randomly with a [[pocketknife]] aboard the ''Empress of Canada''.<ref name="TVS">{{Cite news |date=6 June 1931 |title=17 Liner Casualties 'Serious' |work=The Vancouver Sun |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=9i1lAAAAIBAJ&sjid=yogNAAAAIBAJ&pg=2269%2C678758 |access-date=17 April 2023}}</ref><ref name="SFP">{{Cite news |date=25 June 1931 |title=The Empress of Canada Affray |work=The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/singfreepressb19310625-1.2.100 |access-date=17 April 2023}}</ref><ref name="HSB">{{Cite news |date=5 June 1931 |title=Honolulu Man Slashes 31 on Vessel at Sea |language=en-US |work=Honolulu Star-Bulletin |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/honolulu-star-bulletin/123042334/ |access-date=2023-04-17}}</ref> Bilas, a plantation laborer in Hawaii, had boarded the ship on 29 May to sail to the Philippines.<ref name="HSB" /> At the time of the attack, the ''Empress of Canada'' was en route from [[Honolulu]] to [[Yokohama]] and was located at {{Coord|34.51|N|145.51|E}}.<ref name="SFP" /> After engaging in a friendly conversation with a Canadian crew member, Bilas stabbed him and two others who happened to be nearby.<ref name="TVS" /> The assailant continued to attack crew members and passengers, stabbing several from behind in the steerage and alleyways.<ref name="TVS" /><ref name="HSB" /> Crew members searched for half an hour for Bilas before finding him in the ship's [[Bow (watercraft)|bow]].<ref name="TVS" /><ref name="HSB" /> He was restrained and arrested, with accounts differing as to whether he surrendered or was forcibly taken into custody.<ref name="TVS" /> Bilas was kept in the brig under armed guard as the ship sailed to Hong Kong, where he was charged with [[murder]].<ref name="TVS" /><ref name="SFP" />

==Victims==
Two Chinese crew members, [[chief engineer]] Chan Yue and [[cabin boy]] Chan Ching (or Chang Ching), were killed.<ref name="TVS" /><ref name="SFP" /><ref name="HSB" /> Twenty-nine others were wounded.<ref name="TVS" /> As of the day after the attack, eight Japanese and nine Chinese victims were in critical condition, while two Chinese victims were feared to have been fatally wounded.<ref name="TVS" /> At least four crew members and eleven passengers were stabbed.<ref name="TVS2">{{Cite news |date=3 July 1931 |title=Knifing Story Related Here |work=The Vancouver Sun |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/honolulu-star-bulletin/123040935/ |access-date=17 April 2023}}</ref>

==Aftermath==
===Legal proceedings=== 
In late June 1931, Bilas' trial began in Hong Kong.<ref name="SFP" /><ref name="TVS2" /> Despite the high number of casualties, he was only charged with the killing of Chan Yue.<ref name="SFP" /> The knife used in the attack and a statement made by Bilas were presented as evidence.<ref name="SFP" /> In the statement, Bilas said that he targeted Japanese passengers because he suspected that they were planning to throw him overboard.<ref name="SFP" /> The ''Empress of Canada''{{'}}s surgeon testified that he believed Bilas suffered from [[Bipolar disorder|manic depressive psychosis]], stating that Bilas was incoherent after the attack, refused food and drink, and would stand for hours in one position.<ref name="SFP" /> In July, Bilas was [[Insanity defense|found insane]] and committed to a psychiatric hospital.<ref>{{Cite news |date=20 July 1931 |title=Filipino Who Ran Amuck on Empress of Canada Pronounced Insane |work=The Vancouver Sun |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-vancouver-sun/123039893/ |access-date=17 April 2023}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[List of rampage killers in Asia]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Empress of Canada stabbings}}
[[Category:1931 in Japan]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in 1931]]
[[Category:Mass stabbings in Japan]]
[[Category:1931 murders in Asia]]
[[Category:1930s murders in Japan]]
[[Category:June 1931 events]]
[[Category:Knife attacks in Japan]]

{{Mass stabbings before 2010}}
{{1931 shipwrecks}}