The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-10-14
CHINESE SLAVE WOMEN
TsIEs oF DEGRADATION FROM
THE CALIFORNIA MISSION
RECORDS
SOLD TO HIGHEST BIDDER
Societies That Control the Traffic
Invoke the Aid of Law and High
binders. and Have Also AP-
peRIcd to Their CONSUL.

When the slaves were emancipated dur
ing the Civil war it was supposed that
slavery had ceased in the United States,
Yet within a short time a missionary Ii
California has asked aid for a most Pc
culiar purpose, says Pasadena, Cal.
correspondent of the New York Times.
The recital was as follows:
All Kan, an honest Chinaman of the
state of California, in 1898, desired 10
marry woman who was the property
of another Chinaman The latter agreed
to sell the wife for $1,000, on the install
ment plan, taking part down and a note
for the balance, secured by the first chill
Gren the pair might have. The singular
marriage was solemnized, and as a re-
suit of the union girl was born. Times
were hard, and the husband defaulted
in his payment, putting off even the in
terest until the child was six or seven
years of age, when the creditor seized his
security, took the girl, and prepared to
sell her to the highest bidder. At this
5uncture the missionary interfered, and
endeavored to save the child by selling
her picture and in this way raising the
amount Of the mortgage and interest. 1t
was urged that the child be taken by
force, but the reply was that this would
have disastrous effect upon the religious
work that was being done among the
Chinese in that section of California.
The incident is cited to illustrate the
fact that slavery still exists in the United
States and within ten years has fiourshed
in all communities where Cinnamon con-
gregate. 1t exists today, though carried
on with great secrecy. The history of
the slave trade in this country during
the past twenty years is an extraordinary
chapter which has never been fully ven
tilated, and which, if probed to the bot
tom, would show the Chinese in America
as adopts in the art of defying American
laws and traditions.
The preponderance Of males among the
Chinese in this country is suggestive of
the insecure tenure of their residences
here. But few Cinnamon bring their
wives with them, as they are here mere
~ to earn competency, when they will
return, and all their money, or the great
er part of it, is sent to China. Yet there
is demand for women, and about It
has grown up a business which a few
Years ago was the most valuable traf-
fic in which the Chinese were engaged in
America. 1t was fOstered and carried on
with the greatest care and secrecy; thou
sands Of dollars have been employed in
buying the women, bribing officials, de-
Tending suits, supporting fighting men,
and in defeating the missionaries.
THE CHURCHS FIGHT.
If the law had been left alone to fight
slavery on the Pacific coast it is fair TO
say that almost nothing would have
been accomplished and the trade would
have fiourished; but its decline is due
to the efforts of the various churches
the Methodist, Presbyterian, Baptist,
Episcopalian, Congregational and others
that have persistently arrayed them
selves against 1t and maintained on the
firing line a garrison of workers who de-
voted their lives to the cause often while
under sentence of death or threats of the
incensed slave dealers.
Such trade carried on in direct de-
hance of American law required no little
degree of finesse, and it has a special So
ciety, known as the Kwang TAX Tong
to foster and protect it. 1t was organ
lied to attend to the importation of the
women slaves, while another society, the
On Leong Tong, concerned itself more
particularly with the barter and sale of
the slaves after they had landed 1t
was this society which for some time
supported sale room known as the
Queens Room" where women and
children were knocked down to the high
est pIuuer. IneSe SOeletleS We're well
equipped and are in existence today. They
had perfect organization, issued com
missions to men who fought for them,
who We're as well cared for as soldiers
tnasmuch as they received salary
and were pensioned if wounded or killed,
and defended and protected in every
way. They We're soldiers, yet if a no.
Nitate could prove that he was an ex-
pert blackmailer, liar, false witness, or
Il1sfeg -.
the On Leong, as this was the work cut
out for these Valient soldiers.
The methods of the work in the United
states We're so numerous that to give
them all would be impossible, but the
slaves We're of two general classes, those
who We're abducted in China and were
brought to the slave room in ignorance
of their fate, and others who were
bought outright by bill of sale, many
of whom would be consigned to the Wa
Ting Shan Fong, which means "fiowery
arbor mountain booth''-a society for the
conduct of speculation in slaves.
That slave dealers should have a regu
lar salesroom, or exchange, would seem
almost incredible, but the we'll known
Queens Room on Dupont street. San
Francisco, was the slave mart, and here
members of the Leong Tong and others
interested in this traffic could be found,
and here the slaves We're exhibited and
sold, the prices ranging from $500 to So O09
the latter having been paid for a hand
some girl of eighteen years. Sales were
not the only transactions carried on here.
Brokers, go-between, Ratchet men, and
highbinders had slaves to rent printed
contract being given with such a slave.
The majority of the valuable slaves were
obtained by kidnapping in the following
manner, the instances quoted having been
obtained from the records of one of the
q mic
HOW GIRLS ARE ABDUCTED.
A young girl, who may be called All
Kim, though this was not her name, was
betrothed at the age Of fifteen to a man
in Hongkong. She had never seen him
as her mother made all the arrangements
according to Chinese custom. The man
was an agent, or member of the On
Leong Tong, on the lookout for you1ie
girls, and doubtless the mother was de-
ceived; yet, according to the Chinese Gus
tom, she probably sold her daughter III
the man for certain sum after beins
assured that he was a merchant a good
man, and that he would treat the cir
well. This is the supposition vet the
girl in question could not prove the
money had been paid for her While
the mother was away from home WON
called on the girl, stating that she
was a friend of her betrothed and had
been delegated to take her to him. Tbs
girl desired to wait until her mother re.
turned but the woman was insistent, an(
she was finally persuaded to go.
They went to Hongkong, but the hus
band did not appear, and the man witt
whom the girl was left explained that hs