The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-08-15
THE GIRL MARKET.
A Soene In Chlna-An Episode Of Chinese EtnI-
Rrallon TO America.


A sceps In ChIna.-An Episode of Chinese EmI-
grafton To America.
'sRussell writes from Hong Kong as fol-
loves saw the sale of family last week
for debt, where the husband and father was
in California; and perhaps can do no better
than tell you about it. There we're five chill
dren-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, created 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
be said, the girls, and perhaps the whole
family, are for sale. We stopped our
chairs and stepped out to have talk with
them, using Arr Hung as an interpreter
The mother was wrinkled and grey, 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 cheerful
and were quite pleased with their holiday
attire. The oldest girl was sixteen, and old
est boy fifteen. So said the gruff old broker
who had the party in charge, and who seemed
quite anxious to dispose of his wares. After
a great deal of quizzing and evasive answers,
the broker told her that the husband and
father was gone to California, and had ne
and that his family we're 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 yet he had received no offers He said
that the family became security volun-
tarily, 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 a child or person, the
ID nj fho - tI,o
child, body and soul. No Chinaman would
dispute the purchasers right to do whatsoever
he pleased with the human being he had
paid for. The boys would make good SER
wants, he said, and in the course of a few
years be worth fortune to the owner. The
girls would make good ''armers, or 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 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 disposed of. We thought
the price too high. The market was glutted
with salable girls, and he must not think of
getting over $500 for the oldest and hand
soonest, while for the little one he must not
expect over $40.
lie sneered at that, and said that English
men always talked in that way when they
wanted to buy. While we were talking,
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 white teeth to see if they were sound,
pulled open her dress, 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 fond
mother had given her as a parting gift. All
the while the salesman kept up a constant
jabber, 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 dfv to ascertain the result of the sale.
Only the mother and her boys were left. The
debt wa only $500, and $50 of it still re-
NAMED unpaid. have been often 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 ground the first time.
But the scene had changed. The girls were
gone, and now boy must go also. The
mother sat in the dirt with her arms around
the youngest, wailing in most piteous man.
ner, and as Arr Hung said, cursing the men
that sold her husband ticket to America at
$500, which cost them but $40. The broker
sat listlessly by smoking his pipe, and twirl-
ing his cane, looking as If it was the smallest
matter 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 a childless man
to be treated as a son, to Portuguese to be
carried to the West Indies under a nomina
contract, or to a native landowner to be his
slave. But that one was sold into servitudt
for the sum of $50 there can be no doubt
The girls were doubtless purchased for the
viest purposes unless they had the rare luck
to fall into the hands of some native in search
of legitimate wife. am told that the pric,
of girls has gone up within a few months
owing, perhaps, to the fact that less number
of emigrants have forfeited their bond il
California than was the case six months ago
was shown four bright, plump, rosy appear
ing girls yesterday, who were purchased les
than year ago (the whole LOTT for $50. Nov
they sell readily for $500 each.