The Affray

On the morning of October 23, an attempt was made to assassinate Yo Hing. The only account we have of this event comes from Yo Hing himself, and was published in the Daily Star on October 30. Yo Hing claims that Sam Yuen hired six men to kill him. The men were to split $1,000, and be compensated $2 per day if they were arrested. Yo Hing also alleges Sam Yuen hired two Spaniards to testify in court that Yo Hing fired first. That Monday morning, Yo Hing was at “Charley’s” house on Negro Alley when Won Choy and Won Yu Tak came up and shot at him. Yo Hing escaped by running into Charley’s house. Won Choy was arrested by Jesus Bilderrain and Esteban Sanchez. And Yo Hing swore out a warrant against Won Yu Tak who was also arrested. Both men accused Yo Hing of firing first, so he was arrested as well. All three men posted bail with the promise to appear the following afternoon at Justice’s Gray’s office for a hearing.

Courtesy California Digital Newspaper Collection,
Center for Bibliographic Studies and Research,
University of California, Riverside.

The next day, after the hearing concluded in Justice Gray’s court, officers Emil Harris, George Gard, and Bilderrain escorted the parties back to Negro Alley. About an hour later, Bilderrain rode down to the intersection of Los Angeles street remained there for five minutes monitoring Negro Alley. He then went into Caswell and Ellis’ where Samuel Caswell informed him that he sold a large number of pistols during the last few days. Bilderrain left Caswell’s and proceeded to the Plaza and around Pico House. He met with Sanchez in front of Thomas Gate’s Saloon.

Ventura Lopez was in a bakery on Negro Alley between 4:30 and 5:00 when he heard a gun shot and saw a Chinese man fall. Ah Ling was standing on Negro Alley and saw it was Won Choy who had been shot. Adolf Celis was there, standing on the east side of Negro Alley, he saw Sam Yuen and another man running away; both were armed with six-shooters. Celis grabbed the unidentified man, but released him when the man attempted to shoot Celis.

According to an article published by Sam Yuen, Won Choy was "eating his evening meal at a back part of a house on the east side of Negro Alley and heard a fuss, went out to the front door; Yo Hing and three others were around with pistols, and one of them shot Ah Choy in the neck. Yo Hing and the others then ran down the stairs at the corner."

Bilderrain and Sanchez were on horseback when they heard the shots. They rode down Arcadia and saw six or seven men in the corridor of the Beaudry building shooting at each other. Bilderrain dismounted and ran between the men. One group of men ran into the Beaudry building but Bilderrain was able to capture one man with the help of Ventura Lopez and Juan Espinosa. The other group of men had retreated to the front of the Coronel Adobe and were shooting at Celis and Sanchez.

The Beaudry Building C. 1900
Courtesy Los Angeles Public Library

 

Bilderrain was leading his prisoner towards the jail when he noticed a man with a gun standing in the doorway of Sam Yuen’s store on Arcadia street. He left his prisoner with Ventura and Espinosa and started towards the door. The man retreated into the store and closed the door. Bilderrain then went into the Adobe through Dr. Gene Tong’s door. Meanwhile, Sanchez followed a man who had shot at him trough a door facing Negro Alley. Bilderrain found his man in the corral behind the building and attempted to make an arrest. He grabbed hold of the man’s gun and was about to strike him with his pistol when he was shot by someone else. When Sanchez reached the corral he saw 15 to 20 men firing at Bilderrain and himself. He retreated back out to the corridor. Bilderrain retreated through Gene Tong’s store and supported himself from a post at the corner of the corridor. He blew his policeman’s whistle to call for backup. Three men came out of the building through Sam Yuen’s store and fired at Bilderrain but missed. One of the shots hit Jose Mendibles who was standing in the street.

By the time Sanchez reached the corner, he saw two men carrying Bilderrain away. A crowd in front of Caswell’s yelled at Sanchez, warning him to stay away from Sam Yuen’s store. Sanchez approached the door and saw Sam inside. He attempted to speak to him, but Sam and several other men fired at Sanchez, and Sanchez shot back, firing his last round. Bob Thompson arrived at this time and approached the door from the left. Sanchez warned him to stay back and then retreated to the corner to reload his gun. Thompson stood with his chest against the door and pointed his pistol into the store. Shots were fired and Thompson staggered back and said, “I am killed.”

Constable Robert Hester heard the gunshots from Durfee’s stable. He saw both Bilderrain and Thompson wounded when he arrived. As he approached, three men came out of Sam Yuen’s and fired at him, then retreated and closed the door. Hester went into the back corral and saw 25 to 30 men. He demanded they surrender, but they refused and proceeded to fire at him. Hester fired three shots and retreated.

Fifteen minutes after Thompson was shot, Pedro Badillo saw Sam Yuen in Beaudry’s building tending to Won Choy’s wound. Won Choy had been shot in the neck and would die two days later. Sam Yuen and his brother then disguised themselves as cooks and escaped. Sam took refuge in Justice Gray’s office for several days. Yo Hing was seen running through the Blue Wing Saloon and hid in Alec’s barber shop that night.

Marshal Frank Baker arrived and instructed Sanchez to guard the door to Sam Yuen’s store and not let anybody leave. He then setup a guard around the Coronel Block and behind Beaurdy’s building with the same instructions. Thompson was taken to Wollweber’s Apothecary on Main street where he would die an hour later.

According to Sam Yuen, after the initial shooting, Yo Hing ran through the Coronel Adobe, specifically the Win Chung house, and the police followed him.  The men at the Coronel believed Yo Hing had come with others to kill them, so they fired in defense of their lives.

Image courtesy USC Digital Library

 
Sing Yu
Marshal William Warren
The Torture of Sing Yu
The Carriage Event
False Accusations
The Abduction of Yut Ho
Commentaries on Chinese Prostitution
The Anatomy of Los Angeles in 1871
The Affray
The Chinese Massacre of 1871
The Aftermath
Analysis
Anti-Chinese Rhetoric
Anti-Chinese Violence
Anti-Chinese Sentiment In Advertising