The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1904-01-28
MARRIAGE OF WONG WA FOY
THE TRUE STORY OF A STOLEN BRIDE.
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Ey j. Il. EMERY.

! neSe mlnG. Tens of thousands OF Chi.
| nese women are born simply to be
! friends" Few Of those brought tG
America occupy a higher position.
With no hand in the shaping of their
destiny. they usually accept the inevi-
! table without question, 1T is our an
cient custom, it is our Chinese way"
Two weeks later Wong brought his
heather sweetheart and placed her in
my care. She was bright and attrac-
tive. spoke and read English fairly
we'll, and seemed perfectly at home in
her new surroundings. She listened
with Difference to all had to say, but
absolutely refused to be married in
Chinese costume. Her plum-colored
tunic and wide-fowing trousers must
be exchanged for American clothes;
only her jade stone earrings and silver:
tipped bamboo bracelets We're retained,
together with the jeweled darts that
held back her purple-black hair.
Close questioning convinced me that
this was true love match-no bargain
and sale, as I had feared, such as is
common on the Pacific Coast. All
they asked was American protection
and freedom from molestation.
With painstaking care, matrimonial
responsibilities, moral and legal, We're
explained. and minister engaged, who
helped Wong secure his license. The
ceremony was set for half-past two,
and the young couple departed to Sc
cure suitable garments.
With amused impatience the clergy
man and few invited guests waited
till 5 p. N. for the chief actors. At last
they appeared, in full conventional
dress, gray kid gloves and fashionable
hats, the poor little bride struggling
painfully with her unaccustomed
skirts.
Without further preliminary, these
two members of an alien race were
made one. What God has joined
together let no man put asunder."
Then came an unexpected hitch. In
the marriage certificate "Na 10y" was
the name given the bride by the clerk
of the court. To this she objected, say
ing, "My name not so, my Sunday
school teacher say right name A-n-n-a,"
and Anna only would she sign.
Vainly the newly married pair
searched for respectable boarding
place among the whites. No one would
take the Chinese pair. Lodgings were
secured, however, in the American part
of the town, and they settled down to
housekeeping.
At this juncture I was suddenly
called East Before leaving I took
Wong and his wife to church, and be-
spoke the kindly interest of the Ladies'
Missionary Society in their behalf. I
also impressed upon them that the min
lister would befriend them in case Of
need. Then. secure in the thought that
these two heather at the door would
be we'll cared for by workers in the
hidden field" I took my departure.
Six weeks later I returned to find
that the Chinese bride had been
claimed by a Chinese Free Mason CT
Butte. as his friend and chattel. valued
at $500. and spirited away, while her
husband had seemingly been swept
from the face of the earth. as not the
faintest trace of his whereabouts could
be found.
Chinatown. though racked to the
centre, blindly smiled at the inquisitive
reporters, and refused all explanations.
My own anxious inquiries among my
Chinese friends were met with polite
cvasions or abject apologies. eve alice
so!ly Wong make Miss Ellery so much
trouble. He steal him wife" To my
indignant protests that Ma 10y was
lawfully married and should be pro
tected by the courts, they answered.:
Wong know better than so to court.
Wong so to law, no wiR alice lite. he
pay cost. You help Wong win, then
Chinese paper say. One thousand dol
lars for some one stick knife in
Wong You not know what Chinese
paper say. No one kill for one thou
sand, paper say, Two thousand. three
thousand Some night Wong dis. No
one know, Flee Mason pay, Six Com
pany pay. Wong Flee Mason. Ma 10y
b'long to Flee Mason. Wong steal him
wife; tell much big lie. Velly bad"
Somewhere in Butte Montana, a
Gweet-faced wife, worse than widowed,
drags out her hopeless days in degra-
dation and shame. while her marriage
certificate is filed away by the clerk
Of the court.
Sufficiently enlightened to understand
that America was the home of the free,
where no slavery could exist. these
simDle-minded children had sought ull-
! .le,. protection of our laws to evade
Chinese customs. Ma 10y, the chattel,
had run away from bondage, believing
that in this Christian land she would
be permitted to lead a clean, virtuous
! life as the wife Of Wong Wa Foy.
What could I do? What could any
one do single handed with the sword
of Damocles hanging by hair over
| their heads?