A Korean wedding circa 1900 / Robert Neff Collection

In the past, more so than today, small hometown newspapers were often filled with gossip, the more scandalous the better, alongside unsubstantiated accusations. Depending upon public interest, these tantalizing tidbits often graced the pages for an issue or two before they faded away into obscurity, leaving the issues unresolved.

In the early 1900s, Hawaiian newspapers, although relatively small, enjoyed a wide readership due to the islands' strategic position as a stepping stone between Asia and North America. Their stories were frequently reprinted in newspapers on both continents. Given the large number of Chinese, Korean, Japanese and Puerto Rican laborers on the islands' many plantations, they often became the subject of newspaper gossip — especially when the tales involved multiple nationalities and reinforced the prevailing stereotypes of the period.

In the summer of 1910, Hawaiian readers were captivated by what one newspaper described as a case of "white slavery" involving a Russian man, his stepdaughter and two young men — one Korean and the other Japanese.

According to the accounts, Teodor Kolishenkoff, a Russian veteran of the 1904-05 Russo-Japanese War, was the stepfather of 16-year-old Maria Kolishenkowa, whom he had cared for since she was 5. What became of Maria's parents is unclear, though Teodor claimed her father had been his friend. Maria became everything to Teodor, and he credited her with his survival during the war despite having been wounded seven times.

A Korean wedding circa 1920s / Robert Neff Collection

In late 1909, the Russians arrived in Hawaii. What brought them there remains unknown, but in court, Maria — who, with her golden hair, appeared much younger than her age — testified that her life on Maui had been pitiful, revolving around "implicit obedience to paternal instructions."

She avoided looking at her stepfather as she testified, her voice hesitant and barely audible at times. No tears fell as she recounted her experience with the two men — one Korean (Mr. Sik) and the other Japanese (Mr. Sakai), both "scarcely more than boys." She insisted that everything had been done at her stepfather's request.

Teodor, however, denied this, claiming it was Maria who wished to marry and that he had merely assisted her. He testified:

"She can marry anyone she wishes, whether Japanese, Korean, Hawaiian or any other race. I do not care as long as she wishes it. In Russia the young people are left alone, and so I left her alone when the Korean was in the house and stayed three nights. I found that he did not have the property he claimed to have and then I kicked him out at the end of four days. I compelled her to do nothing."

There is some question as to why Sik, the Korean, left. Teodor claimed that he had thrown the young man out, but another account suggests Sik left of his own accord, unwilling to marry Maria. As soon as Sik was gone, Sakai was invited to the house for his "trial" period of marriage.

Teodor insisted he had done nothing wrong, but the court disagreed. He and the two young suitors were bound over for investigation by a grand jury, each placed on a $1,000 bond.

Maria was placed under the care of the Salvation Army. The newspapers failed to report what ultimately became of her or the three men.

This was not the only matrimonial disaster to make headlines that year. On Nov. 16, 1910, the steamship China sailed into Honolulu harbor after an eventful voyage from Yokohama. According to The Hawaiian Star:

"[A] day after leaving Yokohama a heavy north-east gale was encountered, which continued for twenty-four hours. The China stood the rough weather well, though most of the passengers were seasick and a couple of ports were stove in. The storm reached its height on the second night out, and when the ports were smashed the carpenter's staff were kept busy for some time repairing the damage."

The ship was not the only thing battered. According to the vessel's manifest, traveling in second class was Pedra Sierra, a 24-year-old Puerto Rican woman who had boarded at Kobe, Japan. She declared only one piece of luggage — but she carried far more baggage than that and a great deal of deception as well.

Upon disembarking, the immigration officer described her as 145 cm tall, with a dark complexion, black hair and dark brown eyes. He also noted scars on both cheeks just below her eyes. She admitted that she was not 24 but actually 33, and while in Hawaii, she would be staying with her brother-in-law.

However, this was not her first time on the islands. According to The Hawaiian Star, earlier that year, Pedra had fallen in love with an unnamed Korean man in Hawaii, and they lived together as husband and wife. Believing him to be from a good family and unmarried, she readily agreed when he asked her to accompany him back to Korea. She gave him $150 — her entire savings — to help pay for their passage and looked forward to beginning a new life in East Asia. But the reality was far from what she had imagined.

According to her account, upon arriving in Seoul, she discovered that he was not only married but had several children. "He stripped her of her American clothes and sold them, making her his servant…. She was kept in an out-building with mud floors and walls, which was both dark and damp." He refused to give her "the commonest necessities of life or sufficient food" and frequently abused and beat her.

It is unclear how, but she managed to get word to the American Consulate. The consul general rescued her from starvation "just as her mind as well as her body appeared to be giving way."

The American consul in Seoul was quoted as saying, "Although she is not an American citizen, as a [Puerto Rican] she is entitled to the assistance and protection of American authorities." But there was only so much he could do. According to The Hawaiian Star, "generous Americans in Seoul raised enough money to return her to Hawaii where she could be with her relatives."

Apparently, her relatives were unwilling to accept her. Only a month after her return to Hawaii, the newspaper reported that she was friendless and without funds. Once again, she relied upon the kindness of strangers "to ease her burden of distress."

Unfortunately, I do not have access to consulate archives for this period, so I cannot verify her account. Nor could I find any mention of her in the gossipy correspondence and diaries of the American expatriates living in Korea. If her story is true, what became of her remains unknown.

Cultural differences — especially in matters of marriage — frequently caused trouble for the local authorities and provided ample entertainment for newspaper readers. One such case unfolded in December 1909.

According to The Evening Bulletin, a Honolulu newspaper, a Korean man had lived with a Korean woman for a number of years when another Korean man fell in love with her. When asked, the first Korean man denied having any claim to the woman and encouraged the new suitor to marry her. Relieved, the second man obtained a marriage license and they were promptly wed.

At this point, the first man reappeared with the sheriff and accused the woman of bigamy. He now claimed she was his legal wife, having married him in Korea according to their customs. He also denied encouraging the second man to marry her.

As with many of these stories, the newspaper never followed up, leaving us to wonder whether this was an elaborate act of revenge by a jilted lover or simply a fabricated tale meant to stir interest on a slow news day.

Robert Neff has authored and co-authored several books, including Letters from Joseon, Korea Through Western Eyes and Brief Encounters.