The San Francisco call., 1896-04-14
THE WORK OF RESCUE.
Romance of Keng Wing and a
Duck That Flew Away With
Her Husband.
MISS CAMERoN's EXPERIENCE.
How a Well-Educated Woman Was
Dragged Into the Tolls and
Rescued by KinShip.

Human slavery in the United States was
abolished by force of arms more than
thirty years ago, yet it exists in California
to-day.
Human beings are bought and sold for
cash, and these slaves are imported into
this State, and successfully pass through
the hands of the revenue officials (there
being no duty on slaves, and the Imml-
grafton Commissioners have let down the
bars TO the pseudo wives of pseudo Chinese
merchants. And slave and mast er pass in
Indian file with their tongues stuck de-
risively in their cheeks through the flimsy
barriers erected by a powerful Government
against the importation OF criminals, pau
pers, prostitutes and slaves.
Not only this, but these so-called mer-
chants wives after being herded into vile
dens, in vile alleys for vile purposes, are
not only allowed TO exercise their calling
in the broad glare of day, but they are
protected by white men paid by their
masters and wearing silver stars express
ing the police powers vested in them by
the authorities of this City.
1t was an easy thing to drive out the
denizens of Morton street. George, the
strangler set the ball rolling with Mamie
McDermott, while the fool, who a week or
two afterward sent a bullet through the
skull of another Fantine and wiped him self
from off the earth with another bullet fin
ished the job. But it is not so ca sy q task
to wipe out the evil in Chinatown. In
fact, the opinion of that portion of the
public most interested in political affairs
seems TO favor the confining of the evil to
the Chinatown quarters, where there is no.
body TO be shocked except Christian men
and women. who believe that a China
mans soul is Just as much worth saving
as that of white man.
Ever since the Chinese set foot upon the
shores of California human chattel slavery
has existed. The army of Custom house
officials, the immigration Commissioners,
the laws of the land, the whole power of a
united Christian sentiment backed by the
moral sentiment of the entire community
have thus far been but portiere of cob
webs across the Golden Gate, so far as ex-
Guiding these yellow slaves is concerned.
The churches unable to stay the influx
OF this tide OF moral leproSy have at
tempted to dc the next best thing which
is to rescue such OF those slaves as NAV be
willing TO accept the hospitality and the
kind and loving care of the gentle Chris
tian women OF the missions. Much good
is being done. but, severe as may be the
reflection against the lack of intelligence
and the lethargy of the governing
power OF the City, whatever good has been
accomplished has been done with private
funds. The kind hands which are lifting
the weeping slaves out of the gutter are
those of private individuals, actuated bv
the desire TO follow IN the footsteps of the
good and gentle one who challenged q
bowling mob that wolf-like snapped and
barked at sinful woman covering at his
feet.
Miss D. NJ. Cameron told last night
about some episodes of Chinese slave life
in this City. She is Miss Culbertson's as
slstant in the Presbyterian Chinese Mission
on Sacramento street. She told the story
of keng Wing, a Chinese woman, who.
contrary to the usual custom, had been
well enough educated at home to write in
the classics of her native tongue. This
was about the only respect in which the
story OF Keng Ying differed from a thou
sand and one stories told by Chinese
women who have been brought to this
country in slavery.
heng 4lng was married in China with
the usual Mongolian ceremonies. After
she and her husband had lived together
Tor while, he made up his mind to 60 to
Portland, Or, where he would open a gen.
eral merchandise store and become rich in
q lSh tdlS
That's what he told his wife. Prepara-
tlons for departure were leisurely made,
husband and wife went on board the
steamer, and few minutes before the yes
sci was about to steam away from the
dock, this loving husband remembered
something that he had forgotten on shore.
he would be back in three flaps of ducks
wing, he said, in the beautiful imagery of
the plgtalled civilization. But the duck
flew far away over the horizon and the
steamer followed the duck, so that Keng
1lng, being deserted and alone, bowed
her head and allowed the big briny tears
TO stain her silken bloomers. She was
very angry at the Taoist priest to whom
she had gone for advice, because the
ladestone anklets and bracelets she had
bought from him bad not brought her
good fortune. While she still went in the
close steerage a yellow hand with long,
dirty nails was laid upon her shoulder
and a falsetto voice piped like desic-
eating north wind into her ear: "Let the
falrest rose OF the Mandarin's garden weep
no more The gods have blessed her. In
stead OF an ungrateful husband they have
given her kind and indulgent MASTER
Then he leered at her with bleared and
a