Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1872-03-06

I
were set aslant, running in toward the nose, and
were turned on me with heSitating and anX-
ions mien. 'NO matter for your name then" [
SAID, rather careful not to disturb my subject,
only it's hard, you know, TO write ANYTHING
about you without calling you something"
well tell YOU" was the reply, "there are
many John Smiths in this country. so MANY no
man can count them. Kin. in China, is any
body's name-you call me Kin-so when peo-
pie in your paper read about me, so many peo-
pie called Kin, that nobody will know me-" and
here he smiled.
| expressed myself perfectly satisfied with
this modest alias
q was horn, he continued, "at San-Sing,'
my knowledge of geography, especially of Chi
nese towns, being limited, and the sound of it
resembling somewhat quite a familiar one in
the state, begged him to repeat it. Taking
my pencil he wrote it down San-Sing very neat
ly. You don't know San-Sing? 1t is a big
town-a very bic city. You say 100000 or
100000 people here in New York. San-Sing
bigger nor that 1t is a seaport in the province
of Quon-tone. Some English and American
ships 90 there, but Chinese vessels come there
most. 1t does trade in everything, but prin-
cipally in teas and silks. When | left there |
was little boy. My father and nv mother
were dead NY father, as far as l recoect, must
have been well to do. He kept thirty looms
going, and bis business was to make silk rib.
bons AMI tapes, and what you call bindings
here. / went TO a good school, and could read
and write very well before | left home. had
an uncle who was my guardian. We did not
love one another. might have been bad; all
know is that he never gave me a holiday. [
rather think | was wild, and that was the reason
why he licked him. | could not stand it. re-
membering how kind my parents had been TO
me, so one day | took boat that was sailing
away and ran off TO Macao | staid there two
months. How lived don't know; think
starved good deal there. One day Spanish
agent found me, Offered me S12 if | would 90 to
Cuba, and took his money and went What
does poor China boy know about what Cuba,
or America, or where any place is? There was
five hundred of my people on the ship. She
was Spanish vessel They treated us badly:
just like animals. There was enough to eat, but
it was of the worst kind, and the ship was like
house of swines, what you call pig-pin. Many
of my people were as young as me, and some
younger. Not many die, however, only two or
three. Well, got to Cuba, and hoped for good
times. They put me straight in prison-bar-
racks, but only stayed there two days After
that, somebody engage me, and went away off
into the interior of the island on sugar plapta-
ton. ! was fortunate enough not to be placed
in the fields, but was taken into the sugar-house.
| worked very hard night and day for many
years, may be as much as sixteen wears. By
and by, little by little rot better place until
| got to be an in9enio, that's what you call me-
chanic. But Cinnamon have no chance in Cuba
After had served out nv time, by saving all
SOulu NCut IhlO tllC Alsll hGt. DN Ul0uln2 NV
business, | got along quite well. | saved a
good deal of money; when | left | had
$4,000, at least. | kept a grocery. Most
OF my money was in horses and wag-
ons. | left them ali behind me- | had to
20 on account of the revelation there. Many
of my friends, the Chinese, were on the side of
the Cubans, and as | had found them more kind
to me aud my people than the Spaniards, sup
pose liked them best. When | came to Cuba.
they gave me Spanish name. | am not poiuG
TO tell you what ii was, for the same reason that
will not give you my Chinese name. | said TO
myselt-if you stay here, and Spanards see YOU
so comfortable, they will say you help your PEG.
pie Many of my friends were arrested; some
were shot, Others had their neckS twisted. One
fine day make up my mind not to stay more.
| only take with me what | could put on my
back, my worst clothes. That was two years
ago. You see Chinee have a long head, think
if things 60 bad now, they will be worse in two
| three years; and was not mistaken. | 20 to
| the coast, small sailing ship come. say, "Want
| cook, cabin boy, anythingp and they say eyes"
and come here, and am glad, This good
country. No slaves here; no down on China
| man. Only in California, my countrymeu tell
| me, Chinaman have poor luck there How that
| happen? Not the same country, not the same
mandarin there as here2 Here | find trade al
most right off. make cigars; can make as well
| as any Cuban man. | get sometimes, when
| work hard, and work hard all the time, three
/
"What do you do with your money, put it in
| savings banksP | asked. Savings banks?
| What for? | read newspaper every day, First
| thing do is to read news from Cu6a, next thing
| | read is savings banks, one, two, three busted
| l think one likely to bust every day. No, Sir;
| keep my own money"
| Can you tell me anything about the condi-
| ton Of the Chinese in Cuba2" Again there was
| the same appearance of dread at making any
disclosures, and the fear was expressed of com
| promising himself. "You see if tell YOU all, [
| know Spanish people take all have left there
no expect to see my money more there, but it
might happen that get it. Now, you make me
| talk, and maybe l talk all my money away.
Chinaman taught early to keep tongue still"
| 1t took some time 10 assure him that his pset-
donym Of kin and his own insigni6cance would
| protect him against further loss, when he con-
tinued in much more excited way:
| Il tell you, Chinaman have no chance in
| Cuba. You see, we make bargain for 81 month
for eight years If we go on plantation, we
| get every year two pants, two shirts, one hat and
TWO pairs shoes. Some OF our people are great
| gamblers, and at the end of that time have no
| money. But most all of us are very saving
| Many go through their eight years having saved
all their money and more besides. The bargain
was that we should be taken back if we wish it,
You think they do that? No, sir; Chinaman
have to stay. You work eight years and try to
90 back. Policeman take you. He say to you,
What you do you lazy dog; why you not
work. You say, very much afraid 'Me done
work; me work eight years-make sugar. He
say: Must work again.. But | want to 90
home, and can pay my passage to China He
say: No ships 90 there, aud you must stay.'
Then he take you by the collar May be, if
You got money, you give him half an ounce,
or an ounce, OF gold, and he let you 90 hut in
FIVE minutes somebody else have you.
and say just the same thing. End come
all the same. You have to 90 TO plan
frVt 4,,
like when You first come, and you work eight
years more. Niggers bad enough in Cuba. but
Chinaman is worse. Some chance of niquer
being free, but none for Chinaman. Beautiful
country; bad government Suppose you saw,
No, will not 90 to plantation You do fool,
ish thing, Then they put you on government
work, and you get nothing at all but blows with
stick and nothing TO eat. Cinnamon kill
themselves all the time in Cuba. So many Chi
namen there that there are many bad ones.
wicked peopleln all countries, You want story
about plantation? You write it for newspGper?
Well l tell you. 1t is true-if you think not
true, you ask people who know, aud they saw
what | say. On a plantation a bad oyerseer
was murdered. Machette most cut his head off
Some bad Cbinaman did it, no mistake there
Nobody but Cinnamon work there. One China
man we all know do it, and Spanish man who
own plantation know it too This Chanaman
was a bic strong man, good worker, cuts more
cane in one day than other man can in two.
three day. You think they punish this man
No, sir. He too good hand. When cane sea-
son come, work behind hand, if you kill him.
what they dO2 Somebody must be killed be.
cause overseer had his throat cut. They look
around and pick out one, two sick Chinaman,
so weak he sure to die soon. 'You are bad fell.
lows they say, you kin overseer, you come
and get garrotted,' and they twist the necks of
these two sick men, who not good to cut cane,
and the big, strong man got off That true
story, you write Kin say So"
Would you like to 20 homer" / asked.
The cigar he was smoking was more rapidly
puted. II interviewing the ordinary Chinaman
is somewhat difficult task, FIRSTLY because he
| is not very communicative and secondly. for
the reason that pigeon English, with a Spanish
| tiayor lin this particular instance) is rather a
| hybrid and monstrOus language, when speaking
| to him about his home, his tongue becomes sud-
| denly wonderfully loOsened. He smoke some
| Spanish, little English of the ornitbologicai
| character and, for what we know, a little Chi
nese $50 to Gilman All, yes. When make
cigar, now that am much happier, me think
OF 1t. When | burn in the sun chOp, chop
cane, think OF it. want to see the graves of
my father and mother. ! work for that. and
viii go back there some day, This good country:
but China ever so much better" ''Wbat would
be called rich man in China?" asked.
"a man having $4,000 year in the class
was born in would be Immensely rich. With
500 year could live splendid. Could afford
five wives, and no end ofchildlen. NY country