Graciano Bilas was a 42-year-old Filipino plantation laborer working in Hawaii during the early 20th century. Little is known about his childhood, early education, or family background, but by the 1930s, Bilas was one of many Filipinos who had migrated to Hawaii to work under contract on sugar plantations. These jobs were often grueling, low-paying, and offered limited upward mobility. As a steerage-class passenger, Bilas boarded the RMS Empress of Canada in Honolulu on 29 May 1931, intending to return to the Philippines. His journey would ultimately end not in quiet homecoming, but in tragedy on the high seas.

Contemporary reports suggest that Bilas may have been struggling with untreated mental illness, possibly aggravated by isolation, racial tension, and the stress of long transoceanic travel. Prior to the incident, there were no widely reported signs of violence or instability. However, his later psychiatric evaluation would describe symptoms consistent with what is now called bipolar disorder with psychotic features. At the time, mental health diagnoses were limited, especially for non-Western laborers like Bilas, who had few medical resources or legal protections.

By all accounts, Bilas was not engaged in criminal behavior before the attack. He appeared to be a quiet and solitary individual, having no known criminal record in Hawaii or the Philippines. His decision to return home may have reflected personal struggles or dissatisfaction with plantation life. The long voyage aboard the Empress of Canada brought him into close quarters with a multiethnic group of passengers and crew, including Canadians, Chinese, Japanese, and other Southeast Asians. Whether his paranoia stemmed from specific interactions aboard the ship or longer-term psychological deterioration remains uncertain, but the massacre that followed suggests he had entered a severe psychotic episode by early June.

At approximately 9:30 a.m. on 5 June 1931, while the Empress of Canada was navigating the waters of the Pacific Ocean en route from Honolulu to Yokohama, 42-year-old Graciano Bilas launched a violent and unprovoked stabbing spree. The ship’s position at the time was approximately 34.51°N, 145.51°E—nearly halfway between Hawaii and Japan. Bilas, armed with a small pocketknife, initially appeared to be engaged in friendly conversation with a Canadian crew member. Without warning, he stabbed the man and then swiftly attacked two other nearby individuals.

Panic broke out aboard the ship as Bilas continued his rampage. He targeted passengers and crew members primarily in the steerage sections and along the alleyways of the vessel. Eyewitnesses reported that many victims were stabbed from behind. Some victims were crew, others were steerage-class passengers. His attack was indiscriminate but appeared to disproportionately impact Chinese and Japanese individuals. Bilas later claimed he believed Japanese passengers were conspiring to throw him overboard.

Two Chinese crew members, Chief Engineer Chan Yue and cabin boy Chan Ching (also reported as Chang Ching), died from their wounds. At least 29 others sustained injuries, including eight Japanese and nine Chinese victims who were listed in critical condition the following day. Among those stabbed were four crew members and eleven passengers. The attack prompted immediate lockdown procedures and chaos among frightened passengers.

For over thirty minutes, the crew searched the ship until they finally located Bilas hiding near the bow. Conflicting accounts describe his apprehension—some claim he surrendered voluntarily, others insist he was forcibly subdued. Once restrained, he was locked in the ship’s brig under armed guard. The Empress of Canada altered its course and continued toward Hong Kong, where local British colonial authorities took over legal proceedings.

In late June 1931, Bilas was brought to trial in Hong Kong. Despite the high number of injuries and multiple fatalities, the prosecution only charged him with the murder of Chief Engineer Chan Yue. During the proceedings, the ship’s surgeon testified that Bilas exhibited severe psychiatric symptoms in the hours following the attack. He was described as incoherent, refusing food and water, and standing motionless for hours at a time. The defense presented this as evidence of manic depressive psychosis (an outdated term that aligns with modern bipolar disorder or schizoaffective disorder).

A statement Bilas gave to authorities was also submitted into evidence. In it, he claimed he feared that Japanese passengers were plotting to throw him overboard—a delusional belief indicating severe paranoia. In July 1931, the Hong Kong court found Graciano Bilas criminally insane. He was ordered to be committed to a psychiatric facility. The official records of his treatment and eventual fate have not been publicly disclosed. Whether he was repatriated to the Philippines, remained institutionalized in Hong Kong, or died in custody remains unclear.