The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-10-25
MRS. HULL PLAYED JUDGE
A TRIAL AT WHICH HIGHBINDERS
WERE PUT TO SHAME BY
TWO WOMEN.
SHE AND HER JEWELRY ARE Now
WELL ON THEIR WAY TO
CHINA

Just as the gangplanks were being
drawn in and the moorings Embossed from
the China, last Tuesday afternoon, a car
riage dashed up to the Pacific Mail dock, a
white lady, accompanied by Chinese
woman muffied in dark clothes alighted,
and hurried to the steamer, where the
Chinese lady was hustled on board.
1t was to escape being arrested that Qui
Fou made her exit from San Francisco in
such hurried manner. She and Mrs.
Hull had made the drive from the Metho-
dist Mission on Washingt on street down to
the foot of Brannan street in a quarter OF
an hour in order to Guido the villain who
pursued her.
1t is about month sincesQui Fou first
! sought shelter in the Methodist Mission,
and from that time till the date of her set
| ting sail things were kept pretty lively
| there by her creditors, her alleged cousins,
whose name was legion, and the villain.
! For the first few days after entering the
| mission, Qui Fou did not excite the inter
! est that Younger girl would have done.
| She was "a years old, which is well on
toward middle age in the life of Chinese
woman, and she had no personal beauty to
! boast of. 1t seemed difficult to realize
that she could be the victim, as she stated
OF stern determination on the part of q
| highlander, one Leong Shing, to marry
| her whether she consented or not.
| When Qui Fou became better known
| however, she was found to have very in
teresting personality, and her story was in
vestigated and was found to be so pathetic
| that Mrs. Hull determined to stand BY
her, though she was above the age of most
of the girls whom the mission receives
| Qul Fou, who comes of respectable parents
| In China, was lured to this country ten
years ago under the pretext that a rich
| husband would be found for her
When she landed, a child of IA
| without protectors or friends, she found
herself a slave and was sold into a disrep-
utable house. She had enough considera-
tlo2 for her parents not to tell them of hel
wretched plight, and though she sent them
| money every month it was ALWAYS from
her mythical husband.
Qui Fou managed at last to buy her free.
dom, and as she had always been popular
enough to be the recipient of many valu
able presents she came out of slavery with
| 1ewelry and money to her credit in China
Qul Fou resolved to return home for the
| anniversary and spend the rest of her day:
in China. At this point Leong Shing,
highlander who owns number of female
slaves. announced his intention of msklne
her his wife number four and appropriat
ing her property.
She had never been one of his chattels
and, stoutly asserting her independence
Qui Fou continued her arrangements fol-
her Journey. The highlander and hi.
friends then began systematic persecu
ton, and, finding that her life was in dan
ger, the woman fed to the mission.
At all hours of the day Leong Shing. his
tribes of cousins and streams of alleged
creditors used to ring the bell and ask tf
see Qui Fou. The bills the woman owec
were paid, but the highbinders continued
to come like locusts At last Mrs. Hui
hit upon rather novel expedite nt. Sh,
announced her intention of holding
tribunal and summoned Leong Shing and
his henchmen to attend, accompanied by
a good interpreter. The highlander
with a dozen or SO of his parti
zans, were in attendance at the trial
all prepared to swear that Qui For
was Leong ShiDg's wife and that she ha(
stolen his jewelry. On the other side Gu
Fou was her own advocate, and had n,
henchmen to support her simple testimony
Mrs. Hull filled the office of Judge; sh,
also examined the witnesses and conducted
the cross-examiuations. The confession
was finally wrung from Leong Shing tina
he had dealt in slaves, though he insisted
that that was in the remote past. TIL
judge, however, had posted herself Sh,
knew that the impeachment was equally
applicable at that moment.
Then Qui Fou took turn at telling he
compatriots what she thought of them
and they were tongue-tied before her. II
| were real Judge would hang you on ,
gallows as. high as Haman," said Mrs
Hull, and when the highbinders hearc
that they silently stole away.
Leong Shing afterward confessed tina
the female tribunal had crushed him q
he had never been crushed in his life be
fore.
'If we had known that the Sing Son,
(teacher) would have talked to us lik
that we would never have gone near her,
he SAID. The highbinders did not go t.
the mission after that, but they swore on
warrant for Qui Fou's arrest on tn
ground that she had robbed them.
They we're on the qui viye when tn
next steamer sailed. Qui Fou did no
20, however. She deferred her journey
and when their vigilance had relaxed sh
escaped on board the China. She and he
Jewels are now far from the clutches O
Leong Shing.