The Life of Yee Jock Leong. III: Return to America

MECHANICSVILLE, Va. (DML) — The family began preparing for Yee Jock Leong’s return to the United States before his departure from China. Yee Jock Leong, by virtue of being born in San Francisco, was by the U.S. Constitution an American citizen. The challenge was in proving his citizenship.

From what I can tell from the CEA file, the family began preparing before Yee Jock Leong left China. Immigration authorities began interviewing Yee Kim Wo and associates in April 1903. The goal of the interviews was to determine: 1) whether or not Yee Kim Wo was actually a merchant (see above); and 2) whether Yee Jock Leong was Yee Kim Wo’s son. Yee Kim Wo, in his affidavit, attested to both. Four white businessmen—William J. Gardner, Horace Scott, James R. Keutzel, and J.P. Hughes—attested in an affidavit that Yee Kim Wo had been a merchant with the firm of Kow Kee Jan & Co. for at least one year. Yim Fook Fim attested in his affidavit that Yee Jock Leong was Yee Kim Wo’s son, and that he had visited Yee Jock Leong in China.

Yee Jock Leong returned to San Francisco on board the S.S. America Maru (right) on August 17, 1903. From what I can tell, the America Maru was built by Swan & Hunter Ltd., of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England in 1897-1898. The ship may have brought rats carrying Plague to Honolulu, Hawai’i in October 1899. Authorities burned down Honolulu’s Chinatown—where the outbreak was centered—in an effort to control the epidemic. The Chinese population in Hawai’i dwindled afterward.

The Plague outbreak in Honolulu was not the America Maru’s last encounter with history. The ship was part of the Japanese fleet at the Battle of Tsushima on May 27, 1905, picking up survivors of two Russian ships, the cruiser Svyetlana and the destroyer Buistri, sunk by the Japanese cruisers Otowa and Niitaka.

The America Maru’s career came to an end during World War II. For at time the vessel served as a hospital ship, but later in the war it was converted to a transport. America Maru was sunk by the USS Nautilus (SS-168) while the submarine was on its eighth war patrol. On March 6, 1944, Nautilus attacked a Japanese convoy about 420 miles north-northwest of Saipan and sunk the America Maru at 22°19’N, 143°54’E. Nautilus then endured but survived a counterattack by the Japanese torpedo boat Otori.

Yee Jock Leong was given a certificate of identity upon his arrival in San Francisco on April 17, 1903, but he was detained on the America Maru for several days while another investigation of his citizenship status was conducted. He was interviewed at length by immigration investigators on August 18, 1903. During that interview, he said he came back to the United States to learn English and business. His father, Yee Kim Wo was interviewed on August 21, as was Ow Yung You. James R. Neutzel and William J. Gardner, two of the white men who signed the affidavit attesting to Yee Kim Wo’s merchant status, were likewise interviewed on the 21st and 22nd, respectively.

The interviews of Yee Jock Leong, Yee Kim Wo and Ow Yung You were interesting. They were asked some of the same questions as a check of inconsistencies in their stories. There were some minor inconsistencies, especially regarding the details of the Yee house in Lee Yin Village, but none were apparently significant enough to raise the suspicions of the investigators. Leading questions were asked — such as about an alleged scar over the right eye of Yee Jock Leong’s mother, Wong Shee, to which Ow Yung You skilfully answered, “I never noticed that; it is impolite to stare a lady in the face.” An affidavit attesting that Yee Jock Leong was Yee Kim Wo’s son was drawn up for Ow Yung You’s signature following his interview. It also attested to the fact that Yee Jock Leong was a native-born citizen of the United States.

On August 22, 1903, Chinese inspector Ward E. Thompson recommended that Yee Jock Leong be allowed entry into the country on the grounds that he was both a native-born American citizen as well as a merchant’s son. Yee Jock Leong was landed, and was issued both a landing receipt and a certificate that would allow him to obtain copies of his immigration papers.

Some immigration official—his name appears to be O.P. Fadger—on August 24, 1903, requested permission to copy some of the documents in order to complete Yee Jock Leong’s file.

• ← The Life of Yee Jock Leong. II: Parents and Siblings
• The Life of Yee Jock Leong. IV: China and Marriage →