Omaha daily bee., 1889-09-07
A CRUSADE ON CHlNAMEN.
The Troubles of a Matrimonially In
clined Chicago Celestial.
FINED FOR WANTING TO MARRY.
Chicago Justice Exceeds His Au-
tbority i'm Law But Is Sus-
tanned BY That OF Com
mon D.cency.


CHICAGO, Sept. 6.-[Special Telegram to
THE BEE. The originality of the average
Chicago Justices decision Is only exceeded
by its fragrant violation OF all law. In his
zeal to discourage the growing tendency OF
the American maiden to seek in wedlock the
insinuating Mongolan laundryman Justice
LaBuy has become local lion among indig-
Dant mammas and irate papas. Notwith-
standing this, however, his action in assess
ing fines of 500 each against Frank Lee,
Chinamau, and Jennie Engerbritzer, young
girl who wanted to marry him, has caused q
great deal of adverse criticism. 1t may not
be a very wise or nice thing for white girls
to wed Cinnamon. but there is no law against
it, and good lawyers are at loss to know
upon what precedent Justice LaBuy would
send them to the bridewel.
reporter called on Judge LaBuy this
morning to ask him what authority he had
for his sentence, and the justice admitted
very readily that he had not tried to punish
the parties for their matrimonial intentions,
which were the only real grounds of COM
plant against them. 81 sent the Chinaman
to the bridewel." he said, "because he had
sworn to a marriage license clerk that the
girl was nineteen years old, when she was
under age"
''How long is it that perjury has been
crime punishable by a justice of the peace"
The question was rather disconcerting, but
the justice contented himself by insisting
that the Chinaman deserved the sentence.
"Why did you sentence the girl!" he was
asked.
because her parents said she was willful
and would not mind them"
AS dispenser of sentences Justice
LaBuy possesses liberality that must sur
81 I,, rhsa
hrst place, If the Chinaman had really con-
mitted perjury in swearing out the license
the most that the justice could lawfully do
was to hold him to the grand jury. In the
second place there was no formal complaint
against the girl, and to send her to reform
atory institution was high handed outrage
and II disregard of personal rights. But Chi
cago justice shop law is peculiar, and Mr..
T.aBuy's dispensation of it is as fair, perhaps,
as that of any of his colleagues.
Heavy as were the fines levied against the
Chinaman and his betrothed, they were not
large enough to satisfy the officers in the
case. Officer Engstrom took out a warrant
for Mrs Della Belle Lee Sing, in whose
house 1t had been shown that Lee met the
little German girl. She was charged with
disgusting conduct and brought before the
police magistrate this morning. Miss Sing is
o white woman, but has now been married
six years to Lee Sing Sing kept Laundry
in Denver, Colo, AT that time, and Della
Belle lived in the same block. They saw a
great deal of each other, fell in love ana
were married by a justice after the usual
fashion. The evidence showed that one day
recently Miss Englebretzen went to Mrs.
Sing and said: 81 am in love with Frank
Lee. think those eyes of his are the pref
tiest have ever seem"
"Why don't you marry him if you love him
sos" asked Mrs. Sing
"Oh, he is Chinaman, and everybody
would talk"
Let them talk; guess if / loved man
would marry him." said Mrs. Sing.
That evening when the couple met at the
residence of Mrs. Sing the marriage was ar
ranged, only to be subsequently thwarted by
the Chinaman's prospective mother-in-law.
After hearing the evidence Justice LaBuy
said he would fine Mrs Sing 800 for allow
ing such proceedings in her house. He said
it was dangerous matrimonial agency and
ought to be squelched.
The Chinese are very much excited, and
have joined together to secure the release of
all three persons fined by securing writs of
habeaS corpus.