Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1870-09-24
The Girl Market Of China.
AN EPISODE OF oHrSr,E rnenArroS TO 4rrm

Russell writes from Hong Kong as follows
/ saw the sale of a family last week
for debt, where the husband and father
was in California aud, perhaps, can
do 10 better than tell you about 1t.
There was five ehildren-three girls and
two boys. We had passed them three
times iu our chairs during the day, as
they stood beside the road, dressed in
their holiday attire, of black. Tie ST.
lence they observed whenever any per-
son passed, and their dowDcast looks
created curiosity on our part to know
their business there. Arr Hung, our
waiter, was called up aud asked the
cause OF this little parade. "Why,"
said he, "the girls, and, perhaps, the
whole family are for sale" We stopped
our chairs, and stepped out TO have a
talk with them, using Arr Hung for all
interpreter.
The mother was wrinkled and gray,
aud hung her head, as if she was afraid
to look us IN the face. But the children
with the exception of the oldest girl,
looked cheerful, aud were quite pleased
with their holiday attire. The oldest
teen. SO said the gruff old broker WHO
had the party in charge, aud who seenl-
ed quite anxious TO dispose of his
wares. After a great deal OF qulzzing
and eyasive answers, the broker told Us
that the husband and father was iu
California, and had neglected TO pay his
note given for his passage, and that his
family was now offered tor sale TO pay
his debt. He hoped to be able TO pay
the debt With the sale of the two oldest
girls. But as yet he had received no
offers. lie said the family became Sc
curity voluntarily, and he never knew
case where they did not voluntarily
Offer themselves for sale if the note they
secured was.not paid.
In reply TO our questions he said
when customer bought child or per-
son, the person was at once made the
owner of the child, body and soul. No
Chinaman would dispute the purchasers
right to do what ever he pleased wi h
the human being he had paid for. The
boys would make good servants, he
salt, and, in few years, would be worth
fortune TO the owner. The girls would
are called in America. He would show
us their physical beauty would make
them sing and play tricks if we thought
of buying. How much would we give?
The oldest he would sell for S400 !; the
next one for 5000, and the little six year
old for $50. The boys he could not sell
until the girls were disposed of. We
thought the price too high. The market
was glutcd with salable girls, and he
must not think of getting over slGO for
the oldest and handsomest, while for the
little Que he must not expect more than
$40.
He sneered at that, and said that En-
glishmen always talked in that way
when they wanted to buy. While We
were talking, party Of blue robed Chi
ncse aristocrats came up TO inspect the
family. They opened the mouth of the
oldest girl, raped on her white teeth TO
see it they were sound, pulled open her
dress, lhumped her ribs, laughed at her
| little feet, told her 10 show them the
lrInkets that her mother had given her
as a parting gift. All the While ,ht
salesman kept up a constant .jabber, in
which we took no interest. Time pres
slug, we passed on, leaving the parties
disputipg about the price, and discussing
about the probabilities OF their running
away il taken to Hong Kong.
After making our call, we returned
The same day To learn the result vt the
sale-Only the mother and the boys
were left. rf
The debt was only $500, AMI $50 re-
mained unpaid. have often been told
by residents in China that the parents
would as soon sell their children as 4,
COW or a pig And began 10 think
that such was the case upon passing the
group the first time. Bat the scene had
changed. The girls had gone, and now
boy must go also. The mother sat il.
the door with her arms around her
youngest, willing in most pilieous
manner, aud, us Arr Hung said, cursing
the men who had sold her husband a
ticket to America tor 5000, which cost
them but $40. The broker sat listess-
ly by smoking his ipe and twirling his
cane looking as it Il was the smallest
matter of business with him.
TIE boys were crying and seemed
very much afraid of US, POW it was GER
tain thai one of them must go. But We
passed on and lett them in their misery.
We never learned whether the boy was
sold 10 childless man to be treated as
a son, to a Portuguese TO be carried to
the West Indies under contract, or to
a native land owner to be his slave. But
that one of them was sold into servtule
1or the sum of $3.50 there eau be no
doubt. The girls Mere doubtless pur
chased tor the vilest purposes, unless
they had the rare lnck TO fall into the
hands oi some native in search of a
Legitimate wife. ! am toll that the
price OF girls has gone up Within a
lew months, owing, perhaps, to the fact
that a less number of, emlgrants have
forfeited their bond i'm California than
was the case six months ago. i was
shown four bright, plunp, rosy'apPear-
ing gir,s yesterday. who were purchased
less than,a year ago ,(the whole lop tor
$50, Now they will sell readily for $500
each. ,,s sts.-s. ...f. d isi-ag rep sf3r1
Sixty-nine members of the last Con
gress served in the ULion, army--thir-
i I..... ~. "a 9s.a.s and tho hale non "a ahnd.