The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-03-23
SLAVE GIRLS FROM JAPAN.
Brought Here Under False Promises
and Sold Into Bondage.
San Francisco Bulletin.

Brought Here Under False Promises
and Sold Into Bondage.
San Francisco Bulletin.
1t Is definitely learned that young Japanese
girls are held in this city in large numbers a.
slaves. The attention of persons engaged in
missionary work has been called to this matter
1t is reported that forty Japanese girls were dis.
covered to be held in bondage in one street.
when the police made a recent raid. There is
one Japanese girl in the Presbyterian mission
home on Sacramento street, who made her es-
cape There is in this city o former Buddhist
priest who came 70 this country some time ago
and persuaded q young Japanese girl to come
here with him. promising her remunerative EN-
ployment He started a Japanese restaurant
here in which he compelled the girl to work
hard all day and at night, after the restaurant
was closed she was compelled to dance under
cruel threats for a refusal, for the amusement
OF the friends of the ex-priest. The girls. as a
rule, are brought here under the pretext that the
employment OF a large number of JAPANESE
young men in this country makes a demand for
large number OF young girls to polish lacquered
work. But when the girls have arrived here
they have been sold into slavery
A report has recently been published in
Chicago paper that there is an auction room here
where Japanese girls are sold by an old crone.
II is difficult to find out whether such is tho
fact Those who are much among both the
Chinese and Japanese seem TO be not wholly in.
eredulous on this point, although no informs
ton locating such place could be secured by
questions today. 1t is said, credibly, however
that there was such place here at one time,
and that one young girl who refused to be dis.
played Tor auction was MANNED for life
The coming of japanese women to this city Ia
subject that will soon have TO receive some at
tention at the hands of the proper officials. No
steamer from Yokohama fails to bring some of
them over, aud If the present state OF affairs is
10 serve as criterion. the sooner the women
are prevented from coming the better. II
is TACT undisputed that the houses OF ILL.,
fame in this city are being filed with
japanese women. On their arrival the
statement is made that they are ..domestics."
but such statement is only made for the pur.
pose of getting the women ashore. Ont 81
every 100 that arrive here, within few monfhs
fully ninety five OF them are forced into life Of
shame, and if one is 10 believe one-half of whst
is told concerning the life that the women lead
there is room in some of the prisons for JAPANESE
who conduct the business of procuring unfor
tunate young girls for this ueiarious business
The women have no difficulty at the present
time in getting ashore. as there 10 some conten
ton over the position Of the state imuiyration
commissioner, now filed by W. H. Thornley,,
and the persons interested in landing the woraen
are getting as many ashore as they can before
the difficulties are settled.
The immigration commissioner deriyes hi.
authority from the state, and is furnished with
his credentials as federal official from the seq
rotary OF the treasury. On receiving the latter
be is supposed TO work with the collector of the
port aid the two officials pass upon the rights Of
q petitioner to land The collector of the nort
cannot proceed without the immigration com
missioner, and the latter Official is Handicapped
II be has not the aid Of the collector of the nor;
During the past year the number of japanese
women arriving in this city has been very large.
and The trafhc in females for immoral purnosea