Omaha daily bee., 1889-10-27
STRANGE CHINESE SIGHTS.
The Big Pacific Steamships Trans
formed Into Joss Houses.
FATE OF THE IMPORTED WOMEN.
Senator Stewart Brought Into Court
for Contempt-Sir Edwin Arnold
Talks of America The
National Grange.
Gossip from the Coast.


SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 22.-[Special
TO THE BEE. l-"If you'll come with me
into the forecastle OF the ship, I'll show
you something worth looking at" said
custom house inspector to your COR
respondent on the deck of the City of
Peking.
They went, the inspector leading the
way through gloomy apartments until
the nostrils of the pilgrims were filed
with that indescribable odor of which
Cinnamon have monopoly, and the en-
trance to the forecastle yawned grimly
wide before them.
The floor of the room was bounded by
triangle whose verteX was the stem of
the ship. The floor was half covered
with chests constructed after one pat
tern and OF the same size. Upon six or
seven of them the owners were reclin-
ing smoking Chinese pipes aud gazing
with ''rapt admiration" at black and
sooty ''god" inclosed in gorgeousIy
painted shrine. Before the shrine a
lamp was burning, shedding smoke and
stencil through the ill-smelli ling room.
THAT is what | wanted to show you,"
said the inspector, land my reason for
showing it was that | read recently in
an eastern paper that q gentleman con-
nected with the Pacific Mail company
had given large sum of money to u
Chinese missionary. ! would like to
know whether he is aware oil the fact
that the Pacific Mail company's steam
ships are joss-houses."
CHINANIEN EVERYWHERE.
The inspector said nothing about the
employment of Chinese by the subsi-
died company in the place of Ameri-
cans, made no allusion to the fact that
American workingmen are taxed to sub
size these ships on which cheap aud
filthy pagans are employed; while
American seamen stand idle upon the
wharves, or are compelled by want to
seek the chilly aid that charity gives.
Cinnamon we're scrubbing the decks,
Cinnamon were hauling the freight out
OF tho hold, Cinnamon were flying
hither and thither at the command of
tho officers, and Cinnamon were wor-
shipping their god in the forecastle OF
ship whose subsidy was largely paid by
the II 900 900 workingmen of America.
The Pelling brought to port thirty
five Chinese, an unusually small num-
ber, of whom eight were young girls,
destiued to drag out their wretched
lives in the dens OF Chinatown If the
United States courts permit them to
land. One of them was apparently
under fifteen years of age, and none of
them more than twenty. The inspect
ors spoke to them In English, but they
did not understand the language.
"Suppose | show you what becomes OF
who come to this country and are passed
as such by the United States courts"
remarked prominent interpreter OF
Chinese to the correspondent.
"Where do you propose to gc?" was
asked.
Right through Chinatown, and in
the most questionable houses l will
show you number of women who have
recently been landed and some who are
simply out on writs of habeas corpus
and who have not yet had hearing u
Although the assertion that such a
thing could be done was no news to the
reporter, no objection was made to the
proposal OF the interpreter, and a tour
OF the Chinese quarter was made. The
guide walked ahead, and whenever he
came To den that contained new ar
rival he pointed out the woman. On
every notorious alleyway that is in
tested by these women were located
from two to five merchants wives,
engaged openly in their nefarious call
ing.
''The pitures of these women are in
the custom house, together with theil
descriptions" suggested the reporter
"and why cannot the United State.
authorities identify these women and
have them returledl"
''That is sonnet thing that no fellow car
find out" replied the guide with shrue
OF his shoulders. perhaps they do no
know that they are here, and, again
perhaps they do. There is one thinl
that do lnow,and that is that they ar'