Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1870-09-07
THE GIRL MARKET.
a Scene I'm ChiGe-An E pisod of Obi
ness emigration to America.

nese Ema grafton to America.
"Russell" writes from Hong Kong as
follows: 81 saw the sale of family last
week for debt, while at husband and faith
er was in California; and, perhaps, can
do no better than to tell you about it
There were five children three girls nnd
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 created cariously on our
part to know their business there. Arr
Hung, our waiter. wes called up and asked
the cause of this itileparade. 'Why, said
he, the girls, and, perhaps the whole fam
lily are for sale We stopped our chairs,
and stepped out to have q talk with them,
using Arr Hung as an Interpreter.
The mother was wrinkled and gray, and
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 cheer
full, and were quite pleased with their heli-
day attire. The oldest girl was sixteen,
q oldest boy fifteen, who said the gruff
old broker who had the party in charge,
and who seemed quite anxious to dispose
of his wares. After great deal of quiz
zing and evasiye answers, the broker told
us that the husband and father was in Cali
fornia, and bad neglected to pay his note
given for his passage, and that his family
were now offered for sale to pay his debt.
He hoped to be able to pay the debt with
the sale of the two oldest girls. But as vet
he Lad received no offers. He said that
the family became security voluntarily, and
he never knew a 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 that
when customer bought child or person,
the person was at once made the owner of
the child, body and soul. No Chinaman
would dispute the purchasers right to do
whatsoever he pleased with the human be-
ing 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, or nurses SIS they are called in
America. He would show as their physical
beauty-would make them sing and play
tricks if we thought of buying. How much
would we give? The oldest girl he would
sell for $500; 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 saleabie girls,
and he must not think of getting over S100
for the oldest and handsomest, while for
the little one he must not expect over SO.
He sneered at that, and said that Eng
lishmen always talked in that way when
they wanted to buy. While we were talk
ing, party of blue robed Chinese aristo-
Gratis came up and began to inspect the
family. They opened the mouth of the
Oldest girl, raped on her white teeth TO
see If they were sound, pulled open her
dress, thumped her ribs, laughed at her
little feet, told her to show them the trink-
cts which the fond mother had given her
as a parting gift. All the while the sales
man kept up constant iabher, which we
took no interest. Time pressing, we pass
ed on, leaving the parties disputing about
the price, and discussing about the prob
abilities of their running away if 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 was only $500, and $50 of it still
remained unpaid. [ have often been told
by residents in China that the parents
would as soon sell their children as COW
or a pig. And | had begun to believe that
such was the case upon passing the group
the first times But the scene had changed.
The girls were gone, and now a boy must
go also. The mother sat in the dirt with
hers arms around the youngest, wailing in
most piteous manner, and as Arr Hung
said, cursing the men that sold her hus-
band ticket to America at $500, which
cost them but $40. The broker sat listless-
ly by smoking his pipe and twirling his
cane, looking as if it was the smallest mat
ter of business with him.
The boys were crying, and seemed very
much afraid of US, now it was certain that
one of them must go. But we passed on
and left them in their misery. We never
knew whether the boy was sold to child
less man to be treated as son, to Por-
tuguese to be carried to the West Indies
under a nominal contract, or to native
land owner to be his slave. But that one
of them was sold into seryitude for
the sum of $156, there can be
no doubt. The girls were doubt
less purchased for the vilest pur-
poses. unless they had the rare luck to fall
into the hands of some native In search of
legitimate wife. am told that the price
OF girls has gone up within few months,
owing, perhaps, to the fact that less num-
Der of emigrants have forfeited their bond
in California 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
lo0 for $50. Now they sell readily for
$500 eaoh