The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1876-05-28
CHINESE WOMEN.


\ A. Sargent Of California, for a COP,
OF his very able aud exhaustlal speed
upon Chinese immigration, II is AZ
unusually interesting speech In speak
ing OF the lnilie IN females for prostl
tuition, the senator remarked
Task your attention TO the peouliarltle,
OF the traffic In Chinese females. IA,
women are bought, young girls, Of theil
parents or owners IN China aud semi
thence 10 San Francisco under contracts
Tor continuous prostitution made nom,
ihally with themselves, Really thew
are the passive victims These girls are
not prosllluteswhen purchased Tor these
purposes, and IN most instances are ylr.
guns when they are shipped or landed
~ the end Of their voyage. The mer.
ehandise Is Intended 10 be delivered 10
the purchasers IN good condition; but
once delivered over 10 their taslS.mas,
ters they are subjected 10 all the hone.
less mlseries Of tho meanest prosttu,
ton,
nave here translation Of contract
Tor prostitution, given in evidence be-
fore u legislative commission now sit.
ting in San Francisco, II reads AS fol.
lows
An agreement to assist the woman
All llo because coming from China to
San Francisco she became indebted TO
her mistress for passage, All Ito her.
self asks Mr. Yee Kwan 10 advance her
$3.50, for which All llo distinctly agrees
to give her body TO Mr. Yee for service
as u prostitute for term Of four wears.
There shall be no interest on the mon.
ey All lilo shall receive no wages. At
the expiration of fouryears All lilo shall
be her own master Mr. Yee Kwan
shall not hinder or trouble her. lfAh.
lilo runs away before her time IL out
her mistress shall find her aud return
her and whatever expense is incurred
IN finding and returning her All IIo
shall pay On this day OF agreement
All llo, with her own hands, has re.
ceiyed from Mr., zee Kwan 5000. III
All lilo shall be sick ut any time for
more than ten DAYS, she shall make up
by an extra month Of service for every
ten days sickness. Now this agreement
has proof-this paper received by All
llo is witness, TuNG cnrr.
TwellthyeOr, ninthmonth and four.
teenth day, (obout the middle of Octo.
ber 1879
The Chinese women when landed by
the hundred from the ships are put in
barrUcoons, rs in the old slave times.
and there kept until distributed to
their masters. After distribution they
are kept at their degrading work by
fear Ignorance and superstition. They |
believe the contracts good and binding,
and lear the consequences ofNn attempt
at escape.
The police testified before the com.
mission referred to that il is notorious
to them that women are bought and
sold They obtained several conyic.
tons under the ordinance named but
effective prosecution is prevented in
most cases by tho ignorance or fear Of
the victim and the mondacity of the
witnesses, When Chinese woman es.
capes from her servitude she is brought
back by persuasion or force. Some.
times process of the courts is used to ct.
feet return of the woman, These are
arrested on charges of petty larceny,
etc, and worried into returning TO their
kidnapping is frequently re-
sorted to by the owners in case Of cs-
cape or marriage. Rev Mr. Gibson tes-
tilted before the commission;
The women are slaves. They are
bought or stolen and brought here as
slaves. They contract ostensibly to re-
pay alleged borrowed money to prosti-
tute their bodies for four or five years,
the proceeds to go to the master, At
the end of that time no change occurs,
but women are retained for another
period for more debt, but in reality be-
ng owned by certain men. Where
woman is sold and found to be pregnant
within month, or epilepsy she is re-
urned and the purchase'money is re-
unded
1t is with difficulty that read this
estimony, ] cannot read it all, and
AVE endeavored to select that which
vas most fit for the ear of the Senate,
md vet give some idea of the horrors Of
his Chinese traffic.