Two Chinese Men, Forged Papers, and the Exclusion Law's Long Reach
Federal officers in Seattle charged Wah Ah Ling and Wang Chong with being in the country illegally, setting off a paper chase over certificates, residence and a Washington Street address.
Wah Ah Ling and Wang Chong, the two Chinese captured in this city by Inspector Loftus and Deputy Collector Burns, were brought before United States Commissioner Emery yesterday afternoon on a charge of being illegally in the country. Ling claimed to have been a resident of Gee Lee's place, on Washington street, for three months.
Gee Lee denied this statement, saying that he did not know the prisoner and was quite positive that he had never stayed at his place.
Chong had some British Columbia papers in his possession, although he claimed to have come from San Francisco. When asked where he got the papers, he said he picked part of them up on the street in Portland and the rest in Seattle.
The officers are confident that the certificates held by these two Chinese are forged, and that they have a clear case against them. Commissioner Emery continued the cases until 1 o'clock today, so as to give the officers a chance to obtain some further evidence.
“Ling claimed to have been a resident of Gee Lee's place, on Washington street, for three months.”
Chinese exclusion turned ordinary paper into a weapon: certificates, witnesses and street addresses could mean freedom or deportation. The case echoes today's fights over documentation and belonging, and reminds us that immigration enforcement has long depended on neighbor testimony and official suspicion.
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