Weekly Trinity journal. [volume] (Weaverville, Calif.) 1857-1972, 1864-12-03

THE SLAVE TRADE IN CALToRNIA.--Few, if
any, of our readers know that in California.
where SO much freedom is boosted, we have sys-
TEN of slavery equally degrading as the
. peculiar institution OF the South The trade.
although not regulated by our laws is governed
by laws as stringent as any enacted BY our Leg
islsturc, for the poor beings who are bought and
sold are kept in ignorance of the fact that there
arc laws other than those under which they were
born. In the center OF q block on Sacramento
street is yeritable slave-pen. In the front are
large stores, but in the court is pen, in which
there are from twenty to fifty persons daily ex-
posed for sale 20 the highest bidder. The slaves
are girls, and they are sold to those miserable
cid hags who keep houses of prostitution. Upon
the arrival of each vessel from Hong-kong. or
Shanghai, an invoice of slaves is received They
are generally young girls, from twelve to sixteen
years of age. Before being brought ashore they
ere dressed in male garb in order that they may
attract less attention. They are taken to the
slnve-house, where they are washed and dressed
in their best attire. They are then permitted
to remain III ease until customer arrives from
the interior or from the city. The girls arc all
summoned into the pen, where the dealer and
purchaser 90 together for the purpose of exam
ing the human cattle. Finding one to suit, the
purchaser demands to know the price, and upon
the payment of the sum the girl becomes his
property she being compelled to do his bidding
!
looking girls is generally about four hundred
dollars, but some Of them bring higher figures.
Should the supply become inadequate to the de-
mand tie dealers institute a system Of shang-
haing. They steal girls from the dens in the
city and ship them to the country, and steal
others in the country to fill their places in town.
But generally the right of property is respected,
the Chinaman believing IL to be the height of
dishonesty to NEEDLE with ancthers slave prop
erty. Some of these days shall give the
reader another chapter on Chinese customs in
California, but at present we have said enough
to satisfy any one that we have slavery in Cali
fornia.-S. +. Call.
A Box CARRIED TO SEA BY A CUTTLE-FisH.-
\ late letter from China contains an account of
the carrying off of boy, eight years old, by a
cutie fish, which is about as horrd an affair
we have read of for some time. 1t seems that
several children were playing near the shore,
and coming upon the cutie fish few rods from
the water, began to throw sticks and stones at
it. The fish at once retreated towards the wa
ter, the children following in great glee, and
raining missiles upon the creature, the like OF
which they had never before seen. As soon as
the cutie fish had got to the waters edge it
threw one of its long arms upon the arm OF the
boy nearest to it, and to his and his playtellows
horror. began to drag him into the sea. The
poor child struggled to get loose, and screamed
agonizingly, and some of the larger boys rushed
to his aid, but too late. His body almost
instantly dragged cut of sight beneath the foam ;
and from the well-lnown voracity of the fish it
was Of course understood that the child was
| speedily dcvoured.
THE Camp Douglas (Utah) I'edette announces