The morning call., 1894-10-15
A DIRE DILEMMA.
Wong Gee Must Part With
Wife or Son.
COLLECTOR WlSE'S ORDER.
The Woman Is Comely and Young.
Her Spouse Is Old.
HIS PUNISHMENT FOR PERJURY.
Discouraging Result of an Attempt
to Land a Coolie as Native
of California.
COLLECTOR wIsE's ORDER.
HIS PUNISHMENT FOR PERJURY

Collector John II. Wise thinks that
when King David said "all men are liars"
the misanthropic psalm-snger had Just
returned from voyage to China. Long
and bitter experience has taught the Col
lector of the Port that a Mongolian's word
is generally as good as his bond. which is
Of straw, and he has decided to give the
Mongolians few lessons that will teach,
them that lying and perjury are sometimes
punished in California.
The last Congress gave Collectors of
Customs and Inspectors of Immigration
power to admit or disbar auy alien who
endeavOrs 10 enter the country. The law
was aimed al the Chinese coolies, who in
the guise OF merchants were frequently
permitted to land. When the merchant
coolie arrived the Collector examined him,
and If be could not produce evidence that
he had been merchant he was orde red
back. Then the immigrants friends in
Chinatown bestirred themselves. A writ
OF habeas corpus was obtained for the
: oolle on tie ground that he was a mer-
ch ant entitled to land and unlawfully re-
strained by the Collector. The pagan
came ashore and before his case could be
reached In the courts witnesses had been
found ready and willing to swear that he
was a merchant. This was not a difficult
matter. as witnesses willing TO earn dis
honest dollar are by no means scarce. The
Collectors deputies say that the witnesses
were pail $40 head for teslifying in Chi
nese cases, and received an additional $40
II the coOlle was landed.
The new law disturbed the false wit
nesses-the importers of coolies and the
lawyers who have become rich by teach
ing the pagaDs how to viOlateand evade
the laws of the land-but the disturbance
was of short duration. The Collector can
disbar aliens, they argued. but he cannot
shut out native of the land. The consti-
tuition of the United States gives every
citizen, and Chinese born in the United
States is citizen, the right to enter the
country on petition for writ of habeas
corpus if he is refused. Hereafter the
coolies must come as native sons.
No time was lost by the Chinese and
their lawyers. A native son"-Tom Kaw
was the name he gave-arrived on the Gaelic
one week ago. He informed the Collector
that he was IS years of age, ana that he
had been born in California. The Col
lector knew how the Chinese were going to
evade the law, and promptly declared that
he would not allow Tom Kew to set foot
ON The sacred soil Of California. Tom
Kew's hackers at once procured a writ OF
habeas corpus and Two witnesses laden
| with proof that the young man was a
Californian.
One of these witnesses declared that he
| was Tom Kew's uncle, and the Other who's
| known as Wong Kee, swOre that he was
| the travellers father. The two old men
appeared before the Collector Saturday
| evening and told him how dearly they
| loved the youth and how full the measure
of their joy would be if he were allowed to
land and repose on their yearning bosoms.
| The Collector in unguarded moments
swears, bul he felt that he could not do
justice 10 this occasion, for the old man
posing as the youths father was known to
MIN as peTjurer.
Several mOn tbs ago a bewitchiDg young
woman came from China declaring that
she was the old mans wife. Her proof
was gilt-edged and she was landed. Six
weeks later another woman came-a
woman old, lean and ill-favored like the
klue seen by the Egyptian dreamer. She.
TOO, declared that she was Wong Gees
wife, and when the case was tried before
Judge Morrow she proved her claim. The
Collector then knew that when Wong Gee
swore that the young woman was bis wife
he perjured himself. So when the aged
pagan appeared to claim Tom Kew as his
son the Collector spread a snare under his
feet.
''This is what I'll do with you." said
the Collector, grlmly. IF You 60 into
court and swear that Tom Kew is your
son. I'll send your young wife back 10
China. I'll have her deportsd for enter
ing the country in violation OF the exclu-
sion law. Now CO.,
And Wong Gee went. He must make
his decision known 60 the Collector to-day
So be spent yesterday in tie house of his
joss. In fasting and supplication he spent
the golden hours before his papier mache
dignity, and when night came his will was
like ship on a tenpestuous sea. He
could not make up his mind to lose his
young wife or to abandon his native son.