The Winslow mail., 1897-12-11
In SLAVERY'S BONDS.
CONDITION OF CHINESE GIRLS
IN SAN FRANCISCO.
muggled Into This Country from
Their Homes in the FIowery King
dom and Sold to Keepers of Iniqui-
tons Dens of Large Cities.
Held in Boudaqe.

Held in bondage.
In these closing days of the nine
teenth century, when we are wont to
boast of our civilization and enlight-
enment, it seems beyond the bonds of
belief that there should exist in one
of the largest cities of this country a
system of slavery that is infinitely
more hideous and degrading than that
which brought about the civil war;
Almost in the heart of San Francisco,
the metropolis of the Pacific coast,
young Chinese girls are bought and
sold to live in some of the foulest dens
that disgrace the fair name of our land.
For forty years, in spite Of all manner
of laws, regulations and restrictions,
Chinese women have been brought in
to IAN Francisco branded as slaves
and chattels. The police officials are
aware of the existence of this traffic
in human beings, but they seem at
loss to devise some means of putting
stop to it. No system cal be enforced
that can get the better of the slave
traders and highbinders and the traffic
to-day flourishes probably as 1T never
did before. There are now said to be
500 girls living in absolute slavery in
San Franciscos Chinatown.
Several ways have been devised
since the restriction act went into
force to set these women into the cOun-
try. One plan is to land them at Vic
toria and then smuggle them over the
border into the United States, but 1t
has been abandoned for the easier
method of claiming that The woman is
a native of this State, or the wife of a
local merchant, and, therefore, en-
titled to land. When the latter plan is
decided upon, a letter of instructor is
forwarded to China so that the ;irl
may learn its contents by heart on me
way over. Plenty of Chinese will be
forthcoming n her arrival to swear
to the facts detailed in the letter of in
struction and if the custom house en-
ployes be not too searching in their in
quirieS the woman is landed. She as
SumeS the name Of SON. child who
was born prior to the enactment of the
exclusion act and is taught just what
to say. Once landed, she Is placed
with a family for few days and is
then turned over to .he owner of den,
who dresses her in the gaudiest Of
Chinese raiment and forces her to lead
the life for which she was purchased.
Over one-half of the Chinese women
in San Francisco are said to be in
bondage. They are divided into two
classes. The first is composed of those
who are sold into slavery for domestic
servants. 1t is a custom in poor Chi
nese families to sell one or two of their
daughters to wealthy families as ser
wants, the price depending upon the
personal appearance of the girl, though
about 5000 is the regular appraisement.
The purchaser must provide her with
clothes and food until she is of mar
riageable age, when he is in duty
bound to find her husband. Once
married, she becomes free.
The other class exist in the most
pitiable and abject misery. Not frorl
choice do they enter this life. Punish
ment, the fear of death and the i'm
possibility Of escape, force them to
obey the behests of their masters.
Most of the girls of this class are
bought in China from their poverty
stricken parents. No stipulation being
made in the contract as to the disposi-
ton Of the girl, the purchaser is free to
do with her as he chooses. Now and
then a girl is kidnapped or decoyed from
a good home in the absence of her par
ents. 1t now costs nearly $4,000 to
bring a woman from long Kong, and
it is an open boast in Chinatown that
any woman or girl in China may be
landed in San Francisco for this sum-
To this must be added the ORIGINAL
cost of the girl ranging from 5000 to
$500, according to her looks, while
the cost Of her passage and other ex-
penses still further increase the
amount required. The Chinese main
tain that four out of every five women
who apply for landing at San Fran
cisco are slaves, although they are
coached and instructed to represent
themselves to be the wives of mer-
chants.
Nearly all of the business of landing
these women and gathering their
earnings is carried on by society of
highbinders, assisted by Chinese cap
italists. To some Of the slave girls is
held out the hope that when they earn
their purchase price, and a good big
profit on it by way Of interest, they
will be released, but none has ever
been found who won freedom in this
way. The San Francisco police not
long ago raided $500 save dens and
sixty women we're taken to the Pres
byterian Mission House. Thirteen of
the youngest were detained there,
while the rest were given their liberty,
but returned to their masters.
HENRY CLAY AT SIXTY-FIVE.