The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-08-15
SAN FRAN1](O SLAVES.

With her back covered with scars from
the soaring, blistering application of
red hot iron; with her arms and legs
showing effects of brutal lashings; with
her mind half imbecile from continued
neglect and cruel treatment. Tsau Kuk. a
13-year-old girl. who was taken from a
family house in Chinatown, is a living
evidence of the extent 20 which Chinese
slave owners abuse the poor creatures
who are held in bondage.
In the Methodist mission house on
Washington street are II girls who have
been rescued from slavery in San Fran
cisco. and each and every one of them
tells story of cruelty and abuse that
shows the terrible condition of the I'M
fortunate human beings who are still held
despite the law and despite the TACT that
officials deny that slavery exists in this
city. They are living object lesson, and,
while most of them are now in good
health, several are cripDleS and several
are suffering from the effects of disease
contracted while they were held as chat
tells.
The story of Tsau Kuk or ..ToDsy'' az
she is Familiarity called at the mission
house, is sufficient in itself to condemn
not only those who hold possession of the
girls, but also of the officials whose sworn
duty 1t is to see that such crimes are
abolished. Many of these girls have come
INTO the country since the exclusion act
went into effect, and all of them have
been held in bondage since the passage of
the 18th amendment to the constitution,
which prohibited forever the holding of
slaves within the borders of the United
States.
Tsau Kuk. with her marks of soaring
and branding; Ian Ying, a physical
wreck: Yuk Ying crippler and physically
incapacitated for labor, and TsOi VI on
the verge of the grave through mall
treatment, present a quartet of those who
have suffered almost to deaths door, and
are but a small fraction of the hundreds
who are still held and who are still I'M
dergOing the fortunes which only bruteS
can devise for the punishment of their
cnattels. On all of their persons are the
evidences of crime-evidences of torture
and all OF them say that better treat
ment than they get is the exception
rather than the rule in the dark alleys in
Chinatown, where the law of the nation
ana the city IS daily def1ed and set at
naught.
The story of these II girls read like
some romance brought from the dark
| ageS-like story of slave driving away
] back before the war when slavery was
done away with. when the cotton and
sugar plantations of the far south were
/ TILED by black men and women in bond
when Miss Hull of the mission went to
rescue the half demented Tsau Kuk, the
little girl held out her wan arms, covered
with bruises and scars, and cried for de-
/ liyerance. When she reached the mission
house she barred her back.a the terrible
scars and burns told a pitiful story which
the scared brain could scarcely form
words to repeat as the ehild endeayored
10 show how she had beeen punished in
| the den where she had been kept as a
slave. For every infraction of rules of
| the house she was beaten; for each child
/ ish slip she was dashed until the blood
ran; for graver miSdeeds in the eyes OF
/ her master and mistress she was scared
| with a redhOt iron across the back and
| shoulders. and then, when almost faint
/ ing with the agony, she was lashed on
To her work.
The story of Kwan Ho the child who
was rescued from the Chamber of
~ T-cA
/ starve and die after having her back so
beaten with an iron rod that she was
/ crippled for life, was told in the Call of
I last Sunday. The story of Shun Ho who
/ was the property of a widow. who needed
/ her to sell TO the keeper OF a brothel in
order to get money to live on in China,
! was told in a later edition.
In the group of IL are many pathetic
! stories. The little slaves of and 4 years
I old even have not escaped An Seuys who
/ is about 5 years old, was sold, with her
two older sisters, by her father in order
to raise money to pay for medical attend
ance and medicine. The child was rescued
/ father made an unsuccessful attempt to
/ get her away from the mission in order
| that ne might return her to her owner.
He even went 10 the extent of offering
! Mrs. Lake $500 if she would give the child
| back TO him.
Little An sau. but years old. was
pawned, with her two sisters, by their
| mother. The older children were redeem
ed by the mother, but the infant was left
in brothel for the $50 and was doomed
to a life of Servitude and degradation un-
til she, too was rescued.
All So 13 years old, was the property
of a noted Chinese procuress, and was
rescued just as she was about being solo
| again to a brothel keeper.
/ Yuk Wing, aged II, was taken from a
! house on Sullivan alley, where she was
kept for immoral purposes. Tsoi vi, aged
= was taken from a brothel on Bartlett
! alIev a physical wreck. and was almost
| dernented from the terrible Treatment to
| which she had been subjected.
| Wan Kan, who was CONSIDERED the great
| beauty of Chinatown, received no bad
| freatuneTpt as she was too valuable. She
| vas sold by her brother in China to a
| brothsi keeper here and she was sent in
| last year She refused to obey the orders
| Of hsr master and finally succeeded in
| making her escape to the home where
she remains. Her price was $1.700. and her
| former master has made repeated at
+emnts to recover her.
Tsoi Sing, q; All Chun, aged 16: All
| Kwai aged IS: Kan Yau. aged p; TSau
| Van. a widow, aged %. whose relatives
sold her after her husbands death: Woo
/ Fling aged 20; ShOn Ho, aged 10; and
! SneT Fung aged II. complete the list of
/ those who have refuge in the Methodist
mission while 80 others are cared for at
the PRESBYTERIAN mission in Montgomery
! street Each one has been d slave, and
! ali with the exception of one whose
| heautv made her of such value that It
vronId have been a bad investment to i'll
/ freaf her. have been sbjected TO criminal
abuse.-San Francisco Call