The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1900-10-27

duee.
(From the Northwestern Christian Ad-
YocaEe
A number of years ago Ro Tung, An
Fee ana Chi Fee, three Chinese citizens
Of Rock Springs, Wyo., were walking
down the principal street Of the town one
afternoon. Suddenly and without warn
ing No lung was seized from behind
ana his head split open with a hatchst.
AS he fell to the ground a dozen or more
white men, citizens Of the United States,
pounced upon his body, riddled it with
bullets, rended the clothes from it and
heaped all manner Of insult upon the
quivering mass. Meanwhile All Fee and
Chi Fee, without the slightest knowledge
as to why their companion was SO as
sailed. fed up the street toward the town
marshal's Office. They knew a little
something Of American customs and
ways and believed that if they reached
the place where the officers Of the law
held forth they would be safe from VIC
lence. All Fee was the first to reach the
entrance to the marshal's Office. But
just as he placed his hand upon the knob
Of the door, 1t was pulled open and a
man from within discharged a shotgun at
him. All Fee fell dead within the very
portals Of the sanctuary Of American law.
As Tor Chi Fee, long before he reached
the marshal's Ottlce he was caught By a
mob Of white men and beaten into Jelly.
When they were through with him his
body was tossed into the waters of Bit
ter creek.
These Cinnamon had committed no
offense against the laws Of the United
States, of the territory Of Wyoming, Of
the county of SWeetWater or the town of
Rock Springs They had been br ough
to Rock Springs by the then largest rail-
road corporation in the United States,
and put to work In the coal mines It
is tru5 that in securing work in these
mines they displaced American laborers,
but subsequent investigation never re-
vealed that they instigated this move
ment. In fact, the entire responsibility
for their employment rested upon the
American railroad company which owned
and operated the Rock Springs coal
minss. Prior to the arrival Of the Chin
csc great many Americans and some
Italians had been employed as miners.
For a time a fair scale of wages was
maintained for them, but as the mines
developed the owners deemed it wise to
employ Chinese labor. The Chinese ex-
clusion law was not then in force In
California, Nevada, Utah and other
western states there were large bodies of
Chinese coolies suitable for mining work,
They could live on ten cents a day, were
peaceful, did not drink, were not mem
tr,-~~ - NoN-r
lions and, while called barbarians by
their employers were yet regarded as
highly superior in every respect to the
American coal miner.
At frst only a few Cinnamon were
brought into Rock Springs, and these
we're so distributed that their presence
did not arouse the suspicion Of the white
miners. These few quickly mastered tn g
essential details of sOtt-cOal mining and
were soon capable of becoming sub-fore-
men. Then more Cinnamon were brought
in, and more, until Of a sudden the white
miners found themselves Outnumbered
| and Rock Springs being rapidly changed
into a Chinese settlement. The town
lies short distance east OF Green river,
and In the days written of was very dis
tant from law and order. There were
more Americans IN Rock Springs than
any other nationality save Chinese. A
large percentage Of these Americans were
western born and raised. They belonged
| to the bully order OF pioneers and
possessed many traits OF character which
might have made them diplomats if they
had been born in a higher walk of life.
These men took the initiative in making
trouble for the inOffensive Cinnamon Of
Rock Springs. At first they simply beat
them. Afterward they destroyed a few
Of their shanties. Then they cut of the
cues. They reviled their religion, their
rice-ssting habits, their clothes, and,
IN truth, everything that was decent or
sacred to a ChinRman, This made life
Wearisome for the coolies but, being
philosophical, unyieldipg and long -suffer-
ing, they went on reforming their daily
duties and hoping that the liberal laws
Of America, framed to protect all men
living under the flag, would step in and
protect them, AS the Chinese minister
a Washington said. after the tragedy was
ended: Were not my cOuntIymen
brought there by an American CORPORA
t1On, and were they not entitled to the
protection of laWsY Does the Christian
make one law for himself and another for
i the ChinamanP'
Matters went from bad to worse at Rock
! Springs, one day a massacre OF Chinese
took place there more horrible from q So
| called civilized point of view than what
has taken place in Pekin IN the last few
weeks. For from the civilized point of
view the threatened massacre at Pekin
has been provoked by alleged barbar1ans
for whom the excuse OF ignorance can be
offered, but the massacre at Rock Springs
was perpetrated by alleged citizens of
average intelligence, brought I'D under
Christian laws. The Cinnamon of Rock
Springs had few Of their native women
with them, but those that were there
were killed. 1t is probable they were as
dear to the coolies as are the white
women in Pekin dear to the men who
love them. The Cinnamon of Rock
Springs Wers chased through the streets
like dogs by bowling mObs. They were
shot down. They were hacked to pieces.
They were pursued into the mountain
gOrges and all mannersOf outrages perpe-
trated upon their bodies. When they fell
upon their. knees and begged for mercy
and life, they were laughed at and killed.
Their property was destroyedEby fire, and
not until aft tardy action on the part of
the United States authorities did their
slaughter cease. Troops finally came,
and they and others gathered up the
bodies OF several hundred. In all it was
estimated that 1D00 were wounded or
killed. No one in particular was ever
punished for the massacre. The railroad
COmDanV built fort AFT its own ax0e0co