Los Angeles herald., 1891-07-30
Shall Taxpayers Contribute
Toward Filling Slave Pens?
The People Must Pay for the
Prosecution of Nee Lee.
Persistent Attempts by Highbinder
Slavers to Use the Courts.
Little Nee Lee In Great PeriI-She is
Likely to Become Chattel-A
vigorous Statement Of the Le-
gal Points in the Matter.

The Nee Lee case took another phase
yesterday. This is the affair referred to
several times of late in the HERALD, in
which it is plain that Chinese slavers are
endeavoring by means OF the courts to
gain possession Of the person of Nee
Lee, young Chinese girl, whose value
to the slavers, if she could be seized by
them and put in house of prostitution,
would be up in the thousands of dollars.
Yesterday the highlander, who swore
to the complaint charging the poor girl
with petty larceny, and the Chinaman
All Yuen, whom she was to have mar
ried on the day she was arrested, ar
rived in the city from San Diego. 1t is
now thought that All Yuen, the lover,
has been induced, by threats against his
life, or other means, to cease opposing
the plotters, so the chances are that un-
less the authorities interest themselves
in the matter, the girl will be turned
loose and seized by the highbinders and
made as much of chattel as any horse
or dog in the city.
Justice Owens has so far been able to
resist the schemers who are figuring on
getting valuable slave for nothing, but
the case must come to an end sometime
and as any peace officer we'll knows if, as
will be the case, no foundation is found
for the complaint of petty larceny,
worked up against her, Nee Lee will
have to be turned loose and will be at
the mercy of the highbinders who covet
her person. And further, the taxpayers
will have to pay the expenses of case
started for no other purpose than to en-
slave a pretty young girl and force her to
become prostitute.
The following letter on the matter,
from lawyer, will be found of interest
EDITORS HERALD: Heretofore you
have given the details of a Coolie in
trigue, by which coterie of highbind-
ers have endeavored to obtain possession
of the person of one Nee Lee. To the
credit of the city government, a judicial
officer, in the person of Justice Owens,
has thus far baffled the conspirators.
But is it not about time that the district
attorney should come forward and take
charge Of this business? We all say and
feel that it is disgrace and dishonor to
our laws and our civilization that such
dastardly proceeding should be at
tempted, and the would-be perpetrators,
so far from concealing themselves and
accepting defeat, should persist in their
infamy, unchallenged by the authority
Of the people.
Sec. 1872 Of the penal code provides: !:
III two or more persons eonspire-1, to
commit any crime; 2, falsely and mallic-
iously to indict another for any crime or
to procure another to be charged or ar
rested for anv crime; 3, falsely to main
tain any suit, action or proceeding; A. to
cheat and defraud any person of any
property by any means which are in
themselves criminal, or to obtain money
1r property by false pretenses; or, S, to
commit any act injurious to public NOR
ais, or for the perversion or obstruction
of justice, or due administration of the
laws, they are punishable by imprison-
ment in the county Jail not exceeding
one year, or by fine not exceeding $1,000,
or both"
Why, then, it may Justly be asked,
under a statute 80 broad as this, are not
some steps taken to suppress these coolie
plotters and their more criminal white
advisers and abettors?
Perhaps it will be said that no one has
complained of them. Very we'll but it
is the duty of any peace officer, or of any
prosecuting officer to whom the facts are
reasonably we'll known, to make the nee
essary complaint.
Or it will be urged that conviction
might not be obtained, and the expense
would be entailed upon the people. But
how about the expense to the people of
the several bogus criminal proceedings
instituted by these highbinders. 1t ap-
pears that the people must pay to stock
a Chinese slave-pen with Chinese girls,
but would not be willing to pay for the
conviction of the abductor and his col
leagues. This is fallacy. A vigorous
prosecution of the highbinders, either as
periurers or conspirators, although it
should fail of conviction in every case,
would be very certain to suppress the
highbinder and his white(?) factotum /;
and no prosecution will be complete, or
worthy of the name, that will fail to
embody in the Indictment, or informa-
ton, the names as we'll of the agents and
advisers CT the highbinders as Of the lat
ter themselves. LEX.