Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1870-08-17
EVENING STAR.
1HE GIRL MARKET.
. scene I'm ChIna-An EPISODE Oh
n.nese TmigraffOn 20 America.

.RnsseII,, writes from Hong Kong as TO-
Iows.-ss saw the sale OF FANNY lAst "eek iCf
debt. where the husband anu a. S,,ss ~ ~ -
III ycu shout IT, There were five children
tbTee girls and two boys. VIZ had passed them
three times in our chairs during the day, as
I'M, ,hIye sto%J beside the road dressed in their
boIiiav attire of black. The silence they OBJ
served " henever any person passed, and their
TnUnrast looks, created curiosity on our part
~ InoW their business there. Arr Hung, our
waiter. vas called up and asked the cause of
tbis little parade. Why said he, 'the girls,
and perhaps the whole family, are for SALE We
sorieCi our chairs, and stepped out to have talk
with them, using AYR Hung a. an Interpreter.
The mother was wTinkled and gray, and hung
her head as II she was 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 oldest boy fifteen. so said
the grufI old broker who had the party in
charge. and who seemed quite anxious to dis
pose OF his wares. After a great deal of quiz
ring and evasive answers. the broker told Us
that the husband and father was in California,
and bad neglected to pay his note given for
his passage, and that his family were now of
fered for sale to pay his debt. He hoped to be
able to pay the debt with the sale the two
Oldest girls. But as yet he had received no
offers. lie said that the family became
cuTity voluntarily, and he never knew a case
where they did not voluntarily offer themselves
for sale il the note they secured was not paid.
In reply TO our questions he said that when a
customer brought child or person, the person
was made at once the owner of the child. body
and soul No Cinnamon would dispute the pur-
chaSeT's right to do whatsoever he pleased with
the human being he had paid for. The boys
would make good servants, he said. and in the
course of n few years be worth fortune to the
owner. The girls would make good "armers,"
OF nurses a. they are called in America. He
would show rs their physical besuty-would
make them sing and play tricks il we thought
of buying. How much would we give? The
Oldest girl he would sell for 900; the next one
for 500. and the little six year old for $50. The
boys he could not sell until the girls were dis
posed of. We thought the price too high. The
market was glutted with ssleable girls, and he
must not think Of getting 800 for the old
est and hand>cmest, while for the little
one he must not expect over SO. He sneered
at that, and said that Englishmen always
talked in that way when they wanted to buy.
While we were talking, party OF bfue-robed
Chinese arlstOcrats came up and began to in
spect the family. They opened the mouth of
the eldest girl, raped on her white teeth to see
If they were sound, pulled open her dress,
thumped her ribs, laughed at her little feet
her TO sing. and TO show them the trinkets which
the fond mother had given her as parting gift.
AL the while the salesman kept up q constant
jsbber, in which we took no interest. Time
pressing, We passed on, leaving the parties dis
putting about the price, and discussing the prob
abilities OF their running away IL taken to Hong
Kong. After making our call, We returned the
same day to ascertain the result OF the sale Only
the mother and her boys were left The debt " as
only $500, and SO OF IL still renamed unpaid.
have often been told by residents in china
as a COW or a pig. And had begun to believe
that such was the case upon passing the group
the flrst time. But the scene had changed The
girls were gone, and now a boy must go also.
The mother sat in the dirt with her arms around
the youngest, waiting in q most piteous manner,
and as Arr Hung said, cursing the men that sold
her husband a ticket to America at $500, which
cost them but SO. The broker sat listlessly BY
smoking his pipe, and twirlipg his cane. looking
g. If II was the smallest matter of business wi h
him. The boys were crying, and seemed much
afraid OF US, now il was certain one of them mus,
90. But viewer on and left the m in their misery
We never knew whether the boy was sold to a
childless man to be treated as q son, to Por-
tuguese to be carried of TO the West Indies I'M
der a nominal contract, or to q native landown-
er 10 be his slave. But that one of them was to
be sold into servitude for the sum Of $50, there
can be no doubt. The girls were doubtless pur-
chased for the vilest purposes, unless they had
the rare luck to fall into the hands OF some ma
tive in search of legitimate wife. 1 am told
that the price Of the girls has gone mp within a
few months, owing, perhaps, to the fact that a
less number of emigrsnts have forfeited their
bond In California than was the case six months
ago. was shown four bright, plump, rosy APP
pearing girls yesterday, who were purchased
less than year ago 1.-THE whole LOTT for $50.
Now they sell readily for $500 each.