Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1891-03-27

/ time or slavery had expired. She feared
/ however. this would never be. as her keep
/ er had all the passports. and without them
/ she could not return. The writer refrains
/ from giving the individual stories of the
different girls from the fact that it would
| only make their nardshipS greater. Were
I he TO tell the stories 50 that the individuals
| could be identified IL would only make
| them the objects of attack by this inhuman
boss and bring them under more strict
| and rigorous conStralnt; for this fellow Is
able to read, write and speak English with
great huency. He was educated at an
American missionary school in Japan.
Some instances we can give in general
way:
One of the girls had been induced To
come to Seattle with the idea that she
would lind good place as a servant wait
my her In an American family, and when
she arrived IN Seattle the only position she
found was one such as she has now. With
out money. friends or knowledge OF the
language, what else rould they do?
Several of them told of their turning
over to the hated boss $500 or $500 in a
month as the proceeds of the disgusting
traffic. Of this they were allowed a mere
beggarly pittance of IS or So most of
which they sent home to their parents or
relatives, but they did not know whether
their letters ever reached home. as they
were sent by 'the boss Their clothes
were all bought for them and were of the
cheapest articles. One of them showed us
that she only had on some very thin un-
derware and a flannel gown. hardly enough
to keep warm in under cover. and certain
ly not warm enough for house wear in this
severe winter weather This was al! she
had, and with enough for change of
underwear was the whole of her
wardrobe. Another said that
they were obliged to submit to the atten-
tlons of Cinnamon, colored men and dirty
drunken iOaterS of all sorts that were able
to ay for the privileges, and that too. at
all times in spite of bodily fatigue, peri
odIcal In lis position or any other empedl-
ment short of actual prostration. A third.
who was widow, said she had baby in
Japan which she had left in her mothers
care, hoping to earn for it good living.
She was very sorry that she could not prO-
vide for II better She spoke wl}u dJNu
cast eyes and a suodued quiver of the hp
which was enough to move the heart of
anybody not wholly caIlOused. One of the
poor things had died just before our visit
and the funeral expenses of the poor uu-
fortunate were contributed from the sCant
pIttance OF her still more unfortunate liv-
ing companions.
Think of dying amid the squalor and
nOlsOme surroundings. the sounds OF loud
oath and drunken snutches of
song from the visitors of the hole. 1t NAV
be urged against these facts that they only
rest on the testimony offraii women which
Is apt to be unreliable. and that finding us
sympathetic, they worked on us for the puI-
pose of exciting our interest But the
writer OF this Is no tyTO and thinks he is
able to distinguish between p bid for
sympathy by means or a sensational tale.
and the reluctant telling of disiointed
facts, which bear all the imprint Of truth.
both IN matter and manner of telling. Then
we had the experience and knowledge of |
the people. which the young man who
was eur guide, had gained by living in
Japan, and through learning the language.
The sound OF their native language spoken |
by Il friend opened their hearts to us and |
made them ready to tell their stories Cast !
among stra 1gers with an unknown lam |
guage, and only hearing their own from lips |
of which they had reason to be suspic-
lous, as spies, or from those of hard and |
brutal master, it was no wonder they re-
Sponded gladly to our friendly queries. |
ent girls given without any knowledge of |
what had been told us by any of the others. |
all agree IN their main points. They all |
cOncurred to show up the boss as a most |
unprincipled, and cold biooded scoundrel |
with no more heart Or warmth of ClrCula- |
ton than a rattleSnake, and whose sOrdid- |
ness and cruelty would discount that of an |
Algerine pirate. 1t makes one shudder |
with horror to try to imagine the mental |
make up OF such creature. 1t certainly |
passes comprehension how such monster
can exist in this age of the world and how !
he can emanat9 from people wEo are |
celebrated wherever known fOr their simple |
light hearted honesty and their kinduc.> !
of disposition and hospitality. They are |
the most polite people on the earth, with a |
true politeness which is not mere con- |
vention, but which is born of Kindness of |
heart and good will No where can one |
go and have the sane polite and kindly in |
tefeSt taken in ones affairs as in the land |
of the fairy people of 'Dai Nippon"
Many people who are ignorant of these |
folks confound them with the Chinese As |
well might one confound the polite and |
cultured New Yorker and the ugly Cal |
muck of the Russian Steppes, because they |
both belong to the great Caucasian race;
while the japanese are cla3sed as Mon |
golians they are mostly as fair as Ameri- |
cans, and will compare favorably with
them IN all ways. Though blush for my
land when see it, It's people could learn
many things from this so-calIed heathen
nation and our country has much they
would blush to own; such d state Of
affairs as we have been describing for
instance.
If the facts above set forth shall have
the effect of calling the attention of the
good people of Butte to this foul traffic in
human flesh and blood that is carried on in
their midst, the purposes of this article
will nave been attained But a further
duty devolves upon the officers of the law
to suppress the traffic if possible, and upon
United States officials at ports of entry Oh
the Pacific coast to prevent the landing Of
these hapess and helpless victims. They
should be freed from the tyranny Of their
masters, and the latter should be given the
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