The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1907-07-07


turns the glrl to her owner he is hunted
down and assassinated Every slave
owner, importer and agent belongs TO
one of the two powerful tongs-the See
YuP Tong or the Suey Sing Tong-and
TO his tong he reports the loss of his
slave girl
There is always market for the
long before they arrive from China,
and for two weeks before a steamer
bearing victim docks tho girl IS flu
ture owner plasters the dead walls of
Chinatown with haring red announce
ments that he will soon have a new
slave IN his den.
Ignorant of Their Fate.
fhe girls know nothing about the
fate that awaits them. Having been
delivered by their parents into the
hands of the agent in China, they come,
in nearly every instance. trustingly and
docilely. Once having been sold INTO
servitude they would try TO escape but
for the fear of death kept always in
their minds by their owners, 4 con
siderable number of them have been
rescued by the officers OF the mission
homes, but even when safe from the
vengeance Of their masters within The
walls Of these Christian institutions.
they live in terror of being recapture,.,
For long time the mission workers
have been striving to check this cruel
traffic, but despite their efforts ~ has
grown to alarming proportions. The
missionaries have been greatly handi-
capped by the inability Of the girls 10
speak the English language, and the
refusal of watchmen 10 allow them near
the slave prisons. but they have man
aged to save a good many of the girls
by bold rcscues and by kidnapping them
on the streets when they are out under
the shadowing of the old women.
Those of the slave girls rescued have
told hcart-rcnding stories OF the abuse
and cruelty 10 which they were sub.
iected by their Chinese masters and,
though ignorant, as only the women OF
interior Asia can he, they have been
found TO shrink with horror from the
immoral existence from which they were
snatched
One little girl, Sue Lew. was brought
over from China after she had been
purchased lust outside the city of Can
ton from her aged father. She was told
that she was TO live with her cousin IN
San Francisco, so she came happily and
expectantiy. Two weeks after she had
been landed from the steamer as the
sworn wife of a native Of America she
was taken on the street by agents of
The TrcsEvtcrian Mission home. She
could not speak English, but she was
taken 10 the mission home and kept
there. Through an interpreter she told
a story of having been cruelty hogged
bccs dsc she refused 10 lead the bfc INTO
which size had been forced, She was
cnly IL years of age ana without
friend in this country. except the hu-
mane workers who had rescued her
from her heartless owner
Puzzling Problem
I'm the care of these girls. even
Yheu they have succeeded in taking
them from the Infamous slave dens, the
mission workers encounter n pulZllng
nrohlom The immigration law de
hands that the girls be deportcd, but
in nearly every case the parents of the
victims have been parties to tho en-
| slayement. hence the futillty of sending
| her back 10 China for proper care
and nroicction. These mission work
crs have seen girl brought twire into
| INC country az the ostensjble wife OF
. Chinese having her LII custody, each
| time under a different name. When the
| child was dcported, the slave agent
! followed her back TO China and took
! her into custody Immediately upon hef
J arrival at the Chinese port. returning
y,,,h hnr in the course Of a month
| OF 30
II might he thought that the United
| States immigration officials are hope
Iess]v incompetent or lax in the per
| formance of their duties TO allow tins
outrageous system TO grow and flourish
through violation of the laws they, are
| supposed 10 enforce. The trouble, how
ever. lies mostly with the interpreters
engaged by the government for The I'M
migr9tion bureau. The Chinese dialects
arc very difficult to learn. The man
DARN. or official, language Of the chI-
uese empire is not spoken :'y the nm
MIGRANTS 10 America; their conVersa-
! tion is all in one of the Cantonese
dioIetrs. hence il has been necessary
for fine immigration service TO employ
half.castcs. who have been born 10
the iargon. The experience IN san
FranSiseo, the chief port of entry for
! Chinese. has been that these interpre-
tstors are approachable whenever 1T is
trvmep, The immigration officers are.
i'm yrcat measure, AT The mercy OF thelr
! ;nterpretcrs, however Jealous Lhey may
he in The performance of their duty.
The bringing Of tho Chinese girls
overI,nd into the United States srte"
tbcy have becn landed 1L Mexican
ue,ls is much less difficult Of deteg-