The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-07-29
THE cIvrLrzryG OF 10 WING FONG.

! nuun Z given IHt Nldthl u iiN va
and didn't think anybody else had.
THE C%IvILTzTNG OF 10 WING FONG.
He Became q .'Meiican Man. In Earnest and
Proved It by HIS Works.
Can a Chinaman ever be civilized1" asked
the New York man IN a general way after the
little group In the broadway hotel had dis
cussed the situation in China on the basis Of
every rumor that could be remembered.
lie can" said tho man from Fremont, Neb.
confidently; he was"
The others waited In the questioning silence
| that follows 80 bald and unexplained a declara-
ton. and finally the Fremont man went on.
when he came TO Fremont In 1877 he called
himself Wing Fong and wore blue burlap clothes
and a pigtail. Inside Of q year he had pre-
fixed 'Jo' to his name and cut bis hair. and his
clothes were the latest Fremont style. I was
| County Clerk in 1880. The town was more or
less torn up over the Presidential campaign
and Joe got to going IL strong for 'Glafel and
well. I wouldn't attempt to tell you how he pro-
nounced Arthur with all its RS. At any rate
he strolled into my Office one day and said:
Me want votee Glalel, ssvee? Makee
me Mclean man alice same. I gotee tlee dolla;
you makee mi Mclean man.
"'Oh.' l said, you want to be naturalized'
-'Allce same. allight. said he; bully 70 lou.
You gimme leceipt can vote. / give you tlee
dolla.'
Joe was the oniy ohinaman IN Town ana
everybody humored him. I got him a n~aturali-
his m.rt Than T Iouh.d anna sasIi,9 Wv
hS marx ihen ! oouoeu SOME esi"s wax
on it and stamped ii. Never mind the money.
Jo.' l said, This Is a free country
| - Mich IlI,n .atI L. ,.at, Alnn In lapplU
M"ch phse' sa'u 90 you uop III 'auhiS
"Arter This ia .rt Forr became the ohisf
-, - 80, L. r,auan, nc oarrsaoraru
ooJec'" nl,ei,'' frenpohV, ,ouisoe'eiy
The Democrats tried TO convert him TO Ham
oock hut no s,,d mo Isnnhlican alias TINA
COCK, Out lie ssu me Lepuohcah anee uihe'
and he was. A German friend OF his named
schraver taught hin Yankee Doodle and the
ctor Sronglad pannsr and no usad % ain. than
o'ai opaiseu hiir ah' ~. g " eln ,ne
in a voice like a Chinese fiddle at Republican
ratification meetings to the great Joy OF him
self and ali ,ba rest
sen 81, aD w. al .oma'niu. 30 mail. ,o, ,,,.s =,
cry, you didn't exactly know which, to see him
on n FROM scat n, ons n, ,bese meetinos hi. facs
oa saor NO ,ha, ., = noin,sr %oa .s,ordina, .
as Keen AZ tnat Oh u polhter uog sahuihg q
prairie chicken, waiting for a chance to ap-
MAUD Ar tha fo,ptes, siUn M a cbeer mr. a
hand clan Jo would turn In and stamp his feat
and heat bis hSnSs together and Veil 'bulleb'
iii ba WA hiacL In tha faca M co,rsa ho
VA nc q n"N !" ~
never uhGerstooa a Woru Oh the speech, put
nobody VINO ,s wat ba a1,d hi m S Wo9 }nr tSs iGr a
minute thst ne q oe gag 10 oie LOT tne speaker;
PROFESSIONS 20 prahced aiopg IN me iront ranks
ana nus face snone OUT Us nappy as ,nat OF an
anger When tne unsteaoy gieh.hs % the kero-
sene IorGnss Ra's youa souu '.xn'o.i "
vi eiectiVn uay ~ Wv ~ 40 III .me
morning ana Went over 10 wake 5cnraser np
70 go anu vote. oCnfaeeI WVuiuht ~ u9
then ana 20 SAT 0n the porcn tnree hIuTs aLo
wai,ed ior MN. hIpi uley lac voteu 70 iockep
up ms iaundry, Nent 70 tHe nNeIy stapie; hItu
a morse ana DuRRy ano diove aDout all Gay.
lie mao on apairoi orieht yeiiow uosskin eioVes
ana held is reiis up rlgnt uhder ms chin. IL
was me Only time ANYBODY N fremont ever
saw nun ariye a morse. IN lhe evening he
Went INTO the plggest saloon III town ana pounded
on q table tIl everybody stopped business al q
varied
'hullah 10 Wing Fong. Mclean man. vote
nepubhcan ticket stlalght all a time. he cried.
NY tleat. Evlybooy step up
lhey all cheered nm and drank with him
and ne sang Lankee Doodle. and 1t was great
night Tor lremontand China.
Some days after thlsJo took ~ INTO his head
that, TO still further carry out his plan OF be-
coming a Melican man. he ought to join The
Fire Department. so he went around TO the
engine house hand engine), and found the man
that polished the brass and took care of the
hook and ladder. and made his application.
The man tolu him all right and In a week or 20
10 astonished the natives by marching down
street IN the red shirt and white cotton gloves
which constituted the main portion Of a Tre-
mont freman's uniform.
In those days the town had one fire bell
m upcianf ripUar that huA haap dts,orIal