🚀 go-pugleaf

houses for the detention of
kidnaped people." They declare that these

    "inveigle virtuous women or girls to come to Hong Kong, at first
    deceiving them by the promise of finding them employment (as
    domestic servants), and then proceeding to compel them by force
    to become prostitutes, or exporting them to a foreign port, or
    distribute them by sale over the different ports of China, boys
    being sold to become adopted children, girls being sold to be
    trained for prostitution." "Your petitioners are of opinion
    that such wicked people are to be found belonging to any of the
    [neighboring] districts, but in our district of Tung Kun such
    cases of kidnaping are comparatively frequent, and all the
    merchants of Hong Kong, without exception, are expressing their
    annoyance."

Accompanying the petition was a statement of the situation:

    "Hong Kong is the emporium and thoroughfare of all the neighboring
    ports. Therefore these kidnapers frequent Hong Kong much, it being
    a place where it is easy to buy and to sell, and where effective
    means are at hand to make good a speedy escape. Now, the laws
    of Hong Kong being based on the principle of the liberty of the
    person, the kidnapers take advantage of this to further their own
    plans. Thus they use with their victims honeyed speeches, and give
    them trifling profits, or they use threats and stern words, all in
    order to induce them to say they are willing to do so and so. Even
    if they are confronted with witnesses it is difficult to show up
    their wicked game.... Kidnaping is a crime to be found everwhere,
    but there is no place where it is more rife than at Hong Kong....
    Now it is proposed to publish everywhere offers of reward to track
    such kidnapers and have them arrested.... The crimes of kidnaping
    are increasing from day to day."

Thi