The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1898-11-03
COIN PAID....EOR.
]. ADMISSION OF !.
. !. {. d" SLAVE !. GIRL |.
Several Hundred Dol
lars for.Her: Release. :.
TO 7. A...cHf /! INSPECTOR
INVESTIGATION INTO METHODS
FL i. OF THE BUREAU.
Efforts Made. 10: Smother the Facts
: Brought Forth by Reputable
/: {. =. =: Caucasian and" Other ::
:. - :. :. 3: Witnesses,
TO A==cHlNEsE:.:.* INSPECTOR
INVESTIGATION INTO METHODS
s.. +. ....s*- OF THE BUREAU.

e. .
: Since the. escape. Of; the noted Chinese
:procuress, Feng ..Suey Wan. a good deal
=. Of evidence has f1oated: to the light: con-
:eerning: the peculiar manner in which tbs
: Chinese. Bureau has been: managed under
dts chief. Ben II. Meredith; and. it is ex-
.-Pected }:l1l: view of recent disclosures made
ITO Federal. officials, that the Secretary OF
the: :Ireasur before many: days will Or
!: der an Investigation. 80
"F'ong: Suex Wan. is, ana has been for
years,,:an iInporter of Chinese girls into
California. :. She is the wife of KWan
:: Leung5 former partner of Little Pete, the
: Notorious :Chtnat town boss and slave
:: dealer: Little Pete was cut down in the
: prime %of+h .disrepute by the bullet of a
:highbindef:, and: -KWan .LeUng was left as
= thehead of the Chinese. Slave Importing
@ASsocfation:.> :. Fong Suey.:Wan- made a
=" trip to China. once a year ard: made the
!: necessary. arrangements, for: importing
: sia We; girls into :. California She pur+
Chased, these at. from 5000 to $500 per head
Mexican money. and sold: them in the
!. San F FRANCISCO market. at prices ranging
= 3roIl:$loOg TO $500 eas4F in United States
gold e:Coln.::: =. =. -:
/. The. escape. of .Feng. Suey. Wan: under
!. the.nose OF the: Chinese Bureau, and I'M
= der circums sta noes. explainebfe only on the
? theory that "a: bride was. used to smooth
her: Vi ay: TO Freedom has been the subject
:: OF: q k.edeTaI investigation; hut for some
,:OcculL::T reason. the: result of that inYesti-
cation: has been. kept from the press.
Major Moore in conformity with an or
:. der received from the Secretary OF the
Treasury. q short time ago.. investigated
1.-The; matter and forwarded his report to
.NYashingtons. but the newspaper GORE
->=spondents. have. mot been able 10 obtain
:. :eyen%a glimpse of:the document which is
said to* impIiCate more than one Federal
:. Major Moore himself: Declines to dis
;: cuss the affair or to give the press any in
: formation .WhateVeT. .Iie 'clingS to the
.IaedteVaE idea that affairs OF state are
: secret and not to be communicated to the
: people. 1t is believed that. strong: politt-
cal inffuepce. has, been brought to bear. on
- he:2TreaSury Department to hush up the
" details Of the.s oardalous affair. -
-. WITNESSES .:who gave. their testimony to
3. the Special agent: of the Treasury have
;: not; been so: Feticent. and. have murmured
!: loudly against what. they believe to. be a
?. e, Meredith of the Chinese Bureau: he
being the person who is held to- be re-
sponsible. for the. escape of the procuress.
!. Other stories: eropped out in the investi-
CATION OF the Fong -Suey Wan episode
(which pr0sse that corruption exists in the
bureau aid that its record for the 1888
former years. It has been shown that
money has been paid to secure the adrnis-
sion of -&Chinese slave women to-. this
country. and that the same cells in the
State. Prison which confined former Chi.
nese Bureau .boodlers should be tenauted'
by. some. others of the"s same kind. -
p: Here:is one. of the statements; made by
a reputable: white man. an insurance
agent. 10: jor- Moope:>: This: man a lit
tie more than a. year ago visited a Chi
*neseL merchant for the purpose of writ
-;ing"a fire. Insurance policy. on. his. store
: and personal. Property. In apologizfng
for the comparatively small risk he was
taking the Chinese: MERCHANT said he was
short. of moneys he having but q few days
before. been obliged to: pay a bribe of sew
:eral: hundred dollars to obtain the ,I;t ad-'
he teld the following. remarkable story to
his visitor His wife was taken for safe
keeping TO the Presbyterian Mission i'm
:mej1iqtely: Upon her Arrival here; pending
III e: Il necessary fnqJiry. by the. bureau and
the: decision by. the Collector. He: was
home and requested his lawyer to-. see
neither money could be used In the matt
ter: The lawyer reported to him that IT
would :cost;'a certain -suIl1-seVeral hun
dred. .doliars-te- obtain. the speedy ;adfnis-.
sion:.of. his wife. The merchant agreed
to. pay: the sum demanded but with ORR
:enta[' caution and diStrust = demanded
that*4ie be. allowed to. witness the pay;
irert.0f the .Inoney. The attorney :agreed
and; on the day before Collector OF Gus:
toms Wise went out of office the China
man was *secreted In Ibis lawyers: Office.
in a. position to- see and. overhear all that
took place without being seen himself :
Chinese. merchant knew to be a Chinese
INSPECTOR -eTitered: the office and was in
formed by the lawyer that the money. was
.'5Bft..,. said the lawyer :::'thats rather
a stiff price: especially since my client.
SAYS: at. his. wife is ENTITLED to-. land
Cant help IT,: returned the inspector,
= orlI; know: how hoggish the old man is.
=. The mon ey:. was. paid to the inspector
without any further protest.
:, Within three Quarters of an hour after
the money was: paid in the lawyers Of
fee man called at the Presbyterian Mis-
l. Il Hsea ~ M
informed Miss. Guibertson, the matron,
that the woman .(naning the MERCHANT
:wife) had been discharged and that he
had come to release her. The woman was
accordingly: sturned over to him and was
taken: to: the home of her. husband.
! Other statenents' were made concern
reference. to: the admission of Chinese
into this port by means of bribery: Cases
were mentioned in which old women
for. $4,000 girls who had been. ordered to be
;deported, the: girls remaining with their
masters in the chinatown alleys and the.
old women: getting. q free TIDE home to
There is an interesting story Of an orgy
following "a Chinese BANQUET in. which
al member of. the. bureau was the prom
lnent figure. He got into disfavor with
-lIfs:. Chinese: hosts by. slipping away with
q pretty Chinese girl who could not. be
The incident spoiled the digestion of the
party. :. The, peculiar actions of certain
attorneys and brokers who FREQUENT the
bureau, the. fact that. transcripts; of ties;
:timony taken: :by the: bureau have been
Seen, in possession of. Chinese IN China
TOWN; the: capture of. letters from. Chi
>nese slave dealers in which. they BOAST
that. they have: :s'fixed'' customs officials
land can*obtain copies. Of the testimony,
have. been explained by:ev4dence now In
Possession. of the Special Agent. but
winch. he refuses. to divulge and which
Will remain.in infrocuous desuetude until
the .Secretary of :the Treasury shall :de-
:mand an: Investigation
: Genuine..tortoise 3.lell goods at about
one hah the usual prices. Hair pins !
from 8 lac to So so; combs, several |
STYLES; from Doc to s27 So: brushes from
sc rs to SO. !: Sale for this week New:
man & Levinson, 1SI Kearny' street: /