The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1870-09-02
The Chinese Girl Market.

saw the sale of q family last week
for debt, while the husband and father
was in California; and perhaps 1 cannot
do better than tell you about it. There
were five children-three girls and two
boys We had passed them three times
in our chairs during the day as they
stood beside the road dressed in their
holiday attire of black. The silence
they observed whenever any person
passed, and their downcast looks, crea-
ted curiosity on our part to know their
business there. Arr Hung, our waiter,
was called up and asked the cause of
this little parade. "Why," said he,
"the girls, and perhaps the whole fami.
ly are for SALE" We stopped our chairs
and stepped out to have talk with
them, using Arr Hung as interpreter.
The mother was wrinkled and gray,
and hung her head as if she were afraid
to look us in the face. But the children,
with the exception of the oldest girl,
looked cheerful, and were quite pleased
with their holiday attire. The Oldest
girl was sixteen and the oldest boy fif.
teen. So said the gruf old broker who
had the party in charge, and who
seemed quite anxious to dispose of his
wares. After great deal of quizzing
and evasive answers, the broker told
US that the husband and father was in
California and had neglected to pay his
note given for his passage, and that his
family Xunr rn too,v pffarad fnr 90 IL, fo now
the debt. He hoped to be able to pay
the debt with the sale of the two oldest
girls, but as yet had received no offers.
He said that the family became securi.
ty voluntarily, and he never knew of q
case where they did not voluntarily of.
for themselves for sale if the note they
secured was not paid. In reply to our
questions he said that when customer
bought child or person, the person
was made at once the owner of thechild
body and soul. No Chinaman would
dispute the purchasers right to do as
he pleases with the human being he had
paid for. The boys would make good
servants, he said, and in the course of
few years be worth fortune to the
owner. The girls would make good
Farmers" Tor nurses, as they 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 giveP
The oldest girl he would sell for $4OO;
the next one for 5000, and the little six
year old for fifty. The boys he could
not sell until the girls were disposed of.
We thought the price too high. The
market was glutted with saleable girls,
and he must not think of getting over
500 for the oldest and handsomest, while
for the little one he must not expect
more than 80. He sneered at thai, and
said that Englishmen always talked in
that way when they wanted to buy.
While we were talking, a party of blue.
robed Chinese aristocrats came up and
began to inspect the family, they opened
the mouth of the oldest girl, raped on
her teeth to see if they were sound,
thumped her ribs, laughed at her little
feet, told her to show the whites of her
eyes, ordered her to sing and to show
them the trinkets which the mother
had given her as parting gift. All TIN
While the salesman kept up constant
Jhbber, in which we took no interest.
Time pressing, we passed on, leaving
the parties disputing about the price,
and discussing the probabilities of their
running away if taken to Hong Kong.
After making our call, we returned the
same way to ascertain the result of the
sale. Only the mother and the boys
were left. The debt was only $500, and
$50 of it still remained unpaid. / have
been often told by residents in China
that the parents would as soon sell their
children as COW or pig. And ] had
begun to believe that such was the case
upon passing the group the first tima.
But the scene had changed. The girls
were gone, and now boy must go as,,.
The mother sat in the dirt, with her
arms around the youngest, wailing in
a most piteous manner, and, as Arr
Hung said, cursing the men that sold
her husband ticket to America at
$500, which cost them but $40. Il; e
broker sat listlessly by, smoking his
pipe and twiring his cane, looking as Il
it was the smallest matter of business
with him. The boys We're crying, and
seemed very much afraid of us, now il
was certain that one of them must go.
But we passed on, and left THEM in thrii
| misery, We never knew whethar tbo
boy was sold to childless man, to bt
treated as son, to a Portuguese to be
carried to the West Indies, under a
nominal contract, or to a native land.
owner, TO become his slave. But that
one of them was sold into servitude for
the sum of $50 there can be no doubt ;
The girls were doubtless purchased fol
the vilest purposes, unless they had the
rare luck to fall into the hands of some
native in search of a legitimate wife. |
am told that the price of girls has gone
up within few months, owing perhaps
to the fact that less number of emf
grants have forfeited their bond in CAL
i fornia than was the case six months
ago. was shown four bright, plump,
rosy appearing girls yesterday, who
were purchased less than year ago, the
whole lot for $50. Now they will sell
readily for $500 each,-Hong Kong Cor
re$pondence Boston TraveNer.
"lF you do not close that window
. | Uaifpr | shall dia from, tho ,lrouoIt u