Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-01-13
STORY OF PONG BOW.
How He UnWittingIy ExiIed Him
self From America.
MADE THE TRIP TO CANADA
Not Allowed to Re-Enter the United
States.
NOW IN THE EXCLUDED CLASS
Officials Of the immigration Bureau
Without Discretion in the Matter,
but Must Administer the Law.
NOW IN THE EXCLUDED CLAs.
BY WILLIAM E. CURTIS.

BY WILLIAM E. CURTIS.
Written for The Star and the Chicago Record
Herald.
The necessity Of some such amendment
to the Chinese exclusion law as Secretary
Metcalf recommends in his annual re-
port. to permit Chinese citizens of this
country to leave and return without being
interfered with, is illustrated in most
striking manner by the extraordinary ex-
perience of Pong bow, a resident Of Terre
Haute, Ind.
Pong-bow, according to his own state
ments, came from Hongkong to the United
States in 1887, and finally drifted to Brazil,
Ind. where he was a laundryman. Eight
or ten years ago he removed to Terre
Haute and carried on the same business
there until July, 1901. when he opened a
small shop in front of his laundry for the
Eale of Chinese goods, and, taking out IL
cense. peddled teas. silks and fancy arti-
cles from house to house. He afterWard
became a laundryman again, although his
work was interrupted by poor health and by
an operation for appendicitis. The rec
ords of the court at Brazil show that on
December 81 1900 he made declaration of
intention to become an American citizen,
and stated in his affidavit that he was born
in China and was twenty-Seven years OF
age which shows that he must have been
fourteen years of age when he came to
this country. But he has never registered,
as required by the laws of 1892 and 1893,
and the immigration officials have never
been able to ascertain how he obtained ad-
mission to the United States. Therefore
under the laws of Congress and the rulings
of the courts, he is an unlawful resident
of this country, and such a person as, I'M
der the oath of office which the fmmigra-
ton officials have taken. 1t would pc their
duty to arrest and deport to his ma
tive country promptly as possible. When
he made application for NATURALIZATION pa
pers the clerk of the court explained 10 MN
that they could not be granted, because no
member of the Monaghan race can become
citizen of tile United States.
PCng-bow is therefore an outlaw. He has
committed no murder; he has not stolen
ANYTHING; he has not injured anybody; ne
has been an honest, Industrious orderly Cit
izen of Brazil and Terre Haute. and there
are people in those places who claim to
have known him some fourteen and some
seventeen wears He is, however, guilty
of a crime for which he cannot be forgiven,
and that crime is his presence in this coun.
try for nineteen years in violation or what
is known as the exclusion act
Pong-Bow's Visit to Canada.
On August % 1904, Pong-bow Joined an
excursion to Niagara Falls and on his way
back from the Canadian side he was stop
ned by the United States inspector. The
latter reports to the bureau of immisra-
ton that Pong-bow had on his person a
return ticket to Terre Haute and letter
from the mayor of that city recommending
him Ito whom 1t may concern, ana STAY
ing that he was going TO Niagara Fans
and would like to visit friends at toronto
if he could so do without trouble. Unfor-
tunately Pong-bow did not present this
letter to any United States official when ne
crossed the border nor is there anythins
to show how he managed to evade the ON
Gals on the other side and enter Canada
II head
sessed on all Chinese by that government
Niagara Falls not being port of entry
for Chinese, the American inspector III
charge would not permit him to cross the
river, and on the following day Pong-boW
went to Toronto, where he has friends anc
where he Immediately reported himself tt
and asked the advice and assistance or tne
United States consul.
THE latter interested himself so far as
to make inquiry of the immigration inspec
tors, who advised him that Buffalo and Nj
agara Falls were not ports of entry for chi
nese and consequently they could not ever
consider an application to pass Pong-boW
They suggested that he make his applica
ton at Malone, the nearest port of entry
but We're doubtful whether the officials
there would let him pass because he haC
not complied with the laws relating to Chi
nese laborers desiring to leave the Unltet
States and return thereto.
Reply to the Department.
After receiving this discouraging infor
nation Pong-bow wrote to his friends II
Terre Haute. who appealed to Rev. D. b
Cheney, pastor of the First Baptist Church
and the latter, in turn, sought the inter
yention of Representative Holiday of Bra
zil In September last Mr.. Holiday ad
dressed a letter to the Secretary of The
Treasury, who referred it to the Secretary
of Commerce and Labor, who referred 1t t
the bureau of immigration. This was tht
fret int Commissioner Sargent
ceived on the subject, and he Immediately
replied to Mr. Holiday stating that Mr.
Cheney's letter was not sufficiently eXplici
to make possible an investigation of the
complaint If Mr. Holiday would state
when and where the Chinaman departed
whether he was a merchant or a laborer
and, if the latter, whether he had com
piled with the requirements or the eXclu
sion laws the subject would have promp
attention Representative Holiday wa:
also informed that Mr.. Cheney was neces
sarily mistaken in asserting that Pong bow
was a naturalized citizen, as no person
of Chinese descent can be naturaliZed UNI
der the laws of this country" To this com
munication no reply was ever received
from either Mr. Holiday or Mr.. Cheney.
Last March Pong-bow evidently solicited
the assistance of the American consul a
ST Thomas. Ontario, because the latter
made inquiry of the Chinese inspector a
Niagara Falls as to how the unfortunate
(,hinaman could get back to his own home
and was advised as to the laws and reguIa
tons Thus Pong-bow was for secone
time notified that he could not enter th'
United States at Niagara Falls, and wa!
given the reasons why. Notwithstanding
this. in September last he attempted tt
sneak across on a train on the Crank Trunt
railway, and was arrested by the imm
grant inspector. Then occurred a ridcu
lous situation, and poor Pong-bow was sus
pended, as il were, like Mahomets coffin
between heaven and earth He was takeI
off the train at Black Rock, station neal
Buffalo. and was directed to return to Can
ada. But the Canadian officials would no
allow him to do so unless he paid the $50t
head tax imposed by Canadian law.
Commissioner Sargent Explains.
Commissioner Sargent explains the situa
ton as follows: 1.-The Chinaman having en-
tered the United States in violation of law
and the Canadian officials having failed tC
permit him to recross the boundary. no al
| tentative remained except to place him un
der arrest, which was accordingly done by
| authority of a warrant from the United
| States commissioner. and deport him direc