Bow Kum (1888 – August 15, 1909) known as Sweet Flower was a Chinese-born slave girl who belonged to the

Hip Sing Tong The Hip Sing Association or HSA (), formerly known as the Hip Sing Tong (), is a Chinese-American criminal organization/gang formed as a labor organization in New York City's Chinatown during the early 20th century (perhaps c. 1904). The Canton ...

and later to the

On Leong Tong The On Leong Chinese Merchants Association () or simply Chinese Merchants Association, formerly known as the On Leong Tong (), is a tong society operating out of its territory in Mott Street in New York's Chinatown. Established in November 1893 ...

around the turn of the 20th century. Her murder was one of the most well-publicized and notorious crimes in New York's history and was the cause of the year-long

Tong War The Tong Wars were a series of violent disputes beginning in the late 19th century among rival Chinese Tong factions centered in the Chinatowns of various American cities, in particular San Francisco. Tong wars could be triggered by a variety o ...

between the On Leong Tong and its rivals the Hip Sings and the Four Brothers.

Early life

Bow Kum was born in

Canton, China Guangzhou (, ; ; or ; ), also known as Canton () and alternatively romanized as Kwongchow or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of Guangdong province in southern China. Located on the Pearl River about north-northwest of Hong Kong ...

, in 1888.

Chinese Tong slave girl

As a young girl, she was sold by her father for only a few dollars and brought to San Francisco around 1907, where she was purchased for $3,000 by Low Hee Tong. Tong, a high-ranking member of the Hip Sings and Four Brothers, lived with her for four years until he was arrested by police. When he was unable to produce a

marriage license A marriage license (or marriage licence in Commonwealth spelling) is a document issued, either by a religious organization or state authority, authorizing a couple to marry. The procedure for obtaining a license varies between jurisdiction ...

for Bow Kum, she was placed with

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

missionaries A missionary is a member of a religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thomas Hale 'On Being a Mi ...

under

Donaldina Cameron Donaldina Cameron (July 26, 1869 – January 4, 1968) was a New Zealand-born American Presbyterian missionary who was a pioneer in the fight against slavery in San Francisco's Chinatown, who helped more than 2,000 Chinese immigrant girls and wom ...

, a Scotswoman who spent much of her life helping young Chinese slave girls escape from

tongs Tongs are a type of tool used to grip and lift objects instead of holding them directly with hands. There are many forms of tongs adapted to their specific use. The first pair of tongs belongs to the Egyptians. Tongs likely started off as b ...

.Bonner, Arthur. ''Alas! What Brought Thee Hither?: The Chinese in New York, 1800-1950''. Madison, New Jersey: Fairleigh Dickinson University Press, 1997. (pg. 144-146) Bow Kum eventually married Tchin Len, a truck gardener and member of the

, who took her back to New York as his wife.Klein, Alexander. ''Empire City: A Treasury of New York''. New York: Rinehart and Company, 1955. (pg. 63-64) Asbury, Herbert. ''The Gangs of New York: An Informal History of the New York Underworld''. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1928. (pg. 289-290) Lewis, Alfred Henry. ''The Apaches of New York''. New York: G.W. Dillingham Company, 1912. (pg. 181-197)

Murder and 1909 New York Tong War

Len was eventually confronted by Low Hee Tong, who demanded compensation for the money he had "invested" in the girl, but Len refused to pay him. Low Hee Tong then petitioned the Hip Sings and the Four Brothers in a letter explaining his grievance. The Tong leaders felt his claim was justified and made demands upon the On Leong Tong on Low Hee Tong's behalf. When the On Leong Tong ignored them, the Hip Sings and the Four Brothers declared war. A few days later, a Tong hatchetman slipped into the

Mott Street Mott Street () is a narrow but busy thoroughfare that runs in a north–south direction in the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is regarded as Chinatown's unofficial " Main Street". Mott Street runs from Bleecker Street in the north to C ...

residence of Tchin Len on the early morning of 15 August 1909, and brutally murdered Bow Kum. Her body was found in their bedroom, stabbed three times in the heart, badly mutilated, with some of her fingers cut off. The war between the Chinatown Tongs would continue for over a year before a truce was arranged through mediation by the US government and the

Chinese government The Government of the People's Republic of China () is an authoritarian political system in the People's Republic of China under the exclusive political leadership of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). It consists of legislative, executive, mili ...

Notable Chinese tongs

Bing Kong Tong The Bing Kong Tong () was one of the powerful Tong (gang), Tongs in San Francisco's Chinatown, San Francisco, Chinatown during the early 20th century. Since most, if not all, Chinatowns founded in the 19th-century United States were founded by mi ...

Suey Sing Tong The Suey Sing Association () is a historical Chinese American association that was established in 1867. Formerly known as the Suey Sing Tong (), this was changed to its current name in 1920. In early 1994, the Suey Sing Association became the firs ...

Hop Sing Tong The Hop Sing Tong () is a Chinese American Tong that was established in 1875. Branches The Hop Sing Tong has several branches in the United States including in: * Boise, Idaho - 706 Front Street ''(defunct)'' * Denver, Colorado - 4130 E Colfax A ...

Early life

Chinese Tong slave girl

Murder and 1909 New York Tong War

Notable Chinese tongs

See also

References

Further reading