The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1911-05-09
Slaves" in YuCatan May
Be Brought to the
Territory.
FOUR THOUSAND MEN
Say They Were Shang-
haied--- --GOuntrymen to
Raise Funds.
tFrOm saturday,a AdvertIser.l

Raising money to bring the Yucatan
Koreans to Honolulu, their local coun.
trymen are now endeavoring to release
them from what they allege to be prac-
tically slavery on the sisal plantations
of the southern Mexico peninsula. In
order to increase this fund the residue
of the funds that were raised to de-
fend the Korean who killed d. w.
Stevens and also Hung, murderer of
Prince Ito, are being utilized and will
be forwarded at once to Mexico.
Very little of these funds, which
were contributed by the San Francisco
and Hawaii Koreans jointly, has been
spent, and the money will 60 long
way towards bringing their countrymen
in Mexico to the Islands. There is said
to be about 1000 of than on the sisal
plantations, although the present plans
provide for but a quarter of these.
1t appears now that these men were
really destined originally for Hawaii,
but were, the Koreans claim, sold into
"slavery'' on four year contracts
under the Mexican peonage system by
the japanese. 1t is alleged that the
Japanese inveigled them on board ship
in the Orient, promising to transport
them to Hawaii, but that they never
saw the Hawaiian shores az all, being
deposited in Mexico under false pre-
lenses. How much Of the story Is true
remains to be seen on the arrival Of
the immigrants here, but e is certain
that whatever their adventures have
? been they will make sensational read
ing.
Letters Received.
Letters are being continually re-
ceived by the local Koreans from the
Bisal laborers now that communication
has been established between them and
fair idea of what the men in Yuca-
tan must undergo has spread around
the local Korean community.
These men are probably political
offenders against Japan, or SO it Is
claimed, before the time of the Korean
annexation, as are many of the Ko-
reans residing here, and it is probable
that the YIcatan community corre-
spends closely with those here in Homo
lulu and on the plantations.
Once in Japan, after being shang-
haied" by the wholesale, as they
claim. from their native country, they
were railroaded across the southern ex'
tremity of the continent, believing as
they were told that they were being
taken to country much more pleasant
than Hawaii.
Saw Thev Were Sold.
Once in Yucatan they found them,
selves suddenly under the direction of
Mexican overseers, part and parcel in
every way of the ''peonage" system
Mexico's polite substitute for actual
slavery. What their ''friends," under
whose guidance they had commenced
this immigration, made out of the prop
osition they don't know, but all assert
just the same that they were actually
sold.
They write that they are paid but
eight cents day, Mexican money
equal to half the amount IN American
coin, and out of this wretched stipenC
they must clothe and feed themselves
They are permitted to utilize the sisa
for their clothes and have woven shor
skirts out of the raw material. Thei
only food is poor corncake.
Wearing little clothing out of neces
sity, if not by reason of the seorchini
sun, they say they look like Africai
negroes, burned black, and add tina
the mosquitoes there are as "big a
birds"
Raising Funds.
The San Francisco Koreans hav
joined in the raising of the money tina
added to the other and unused funds i
TO bring the fund for their transports
tion up to the requisite amount. Thi
will be considerable, as the one thou
sand, most of whom are men, will hav
to be railroaded to San Francisco Q
to one of the Mexican ports touched q
by the steamers on the South America
route of the Toyo Kaisha and the
taken by steamer to Honolulu.
The exodus will have to be made b
small parties, and it is expected tha
these viii begin to arrive in a con
paratively short time. The loci
Koreans say that their eountrymen
Mexico, through their experience, wi
make good laboTers here.