Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-08-18
TALE OF A CHINAMAN.
How Jim Wing Lost a Bride by Bid
ding Too Low for Her.
His 11-YEAR OLD SWEETHEART
Captured by Others Who Desired to Convert
Her to Christianity.
HOW AND WHY HE CAME TO AMERICA

Mr.. Jim Wing, laundryman, of Lacock
street, Allegheny, was yesterday interviewed
by q curious reporter. Mr.. Wing 'can
spleakee Inglis," but only very little. A
brother member Of the catalambanising
profession, however, chanced to drop in,
and he turned out to be quite proficient
in the harsh Saxon speech. His name
was Ho Lee, but he announced that he much
preferred the more aristocratic designa ton Of
Charley" He has been ten years in this
country, and. during the early period of his
stay, endured no little persecution out West
He described how party of angry Califor-
mans once enticed him into house and cut
of his pigtail-the greatest indignity which
can befall Chinaman. Since then he has
not worn plgtail, and, as he lately donned
European dress, he believes he will become
an American all out. He lives somewhere
out on Penn avenue, and is an old friend Of
Jim Wing. They come from the same vii
lage in the Flowery Land. not far from the
port of Shanghai.
THE STORY HE TOLD.
"Charley" said that Jim Wing 8 story was
worth hearing, and offered to interpret it for
the reporters benefit. The offer was accept
ed, and the story began: Mr.. Wing. when
of age sufficient to wed, looked around him
and made his choice among the maidens Of
the village of Foochin. This choice was a
lovely creature, whose name sounded some
thing like Lu Wee, and whose parents were
extremely anxious to dispose of her to the
highest bidder. Her feet - Mr.. Wing
averred through the medium of CHARLEY
were smaller than the buttonholes Of a
dudes dress shirt, and her face the exact
shape of the peaks of his turned-down col
lar. Altogether she must have been very
charming, and her age was but IL years.
Mr.. Wing had saved up a little fortune in
'.taels, I" and he handed over the greater por-
ton of this to Ming Wo, Lu Wees father,
on condition that the old man would give him
his daughter. But
OLD MING wo WAS CRAFTY,
and wanted to realize on his daughter. The
house of the "white priests with black
robes" presumably the Shanghai Jesuit
Missionary College, was near at hand, and
they also offered the old man a sum Of
money for Lu Wee, whom they wished to
hand over to the nuns, and convert to
Christianity. Ming Wo informed Mr..
Wing that he must bid higher, or lose the
girl. Wing staked all his remaining
''taels," but the Jesuits bought the old man
box of old postage stamps, which the
Chinese are passionately fond of, and which
they use for house decoration, Old Wo was
tempted by the stamps, and as Wing had
no more money, the young lady was handed
over to the Jesuits.
Wing then asked for his taels, and Wo
refused to give them. He sued him, but
could produce no evidence and was SEN
fenced to be whipped for bearing false wit
ness. He received 100 strokes, and was in
carcerated in the street cage or pillory for
over a month. When released he went to
the Je,uits' house and told his sad tale.
They gave him little money as a recon-
pense, and he set up as "a street fortune
teller. In this business he amassed enough
to pay his passage to San Francisco, and
came across the continent to Pittsburg.