The Chinese Massacre of 1871

The events on the evening of Tuesday, October 24, 1871 would evolve over the course of four hours. What started as an assassination attempt, became a gunfight between agents of the Nin Yung company and two police officers, and it would eventually become a violent massacre of innocent members of the Chinese community. The Grand Jury, in their report to Judge Sepulveda, wrote that the initial affray “created an alarm, reaching almost, if not, to a panic, which opened the way for evil doers to create confusion, in the midst of which the worst elements of society, consisting of all nationalities, not only disgraced civilization by their acts, but in their savage treatment of unoffending human beings, their eagerness to pillage and bloodthirstyness, exceeded the most barbarous races of mankind.”

Marshal Baker was at the scene of the affray. He saw Bilderrain come stumbling out of Sam Yuen’s store, and Robert Thompson shot at the same doorway. After the door to Sam Yuen’s store was closed, Baker setup a guard around the house in an effort to prevent the shooters from escaping. The sun was setting, and it was starting to get dark. Baker wanted to keep the shooting parties confined until morning, when a “more efficient means would be used for capturing” the suspects. S. A. Butler and four other men were stationed on Sanchez Street, behind the house. Officers Emil Harris, George Gard, Robert Hester and Sheriff James Burns were stationed on Negro Alley. Marshal Barker and others were in the Plaza. Additional men were stationed on Aliso and Alameda streets. The guards stationed behind the building were instructed by Marshal Baker to “hail any Chinaman attempting to escape and in case he would not stop, shoot him.”

Yo Hing was seen at the Pico House, looking for Sam Yuen. And later, he was seen passing through the Blue Wing Saloon. Sam Yuen was seen at the Beaudry building tending to Won Choy’s wound. Won Choy would eventually be relocated to a washhouse on Main Street where he would die two days later.

People were attracted to the scene by the sound of gun fire. A crowd gathered at Caswell and Ellis. Another crowd gathered at Wollweber’s, where Bob Thompson lay dying. News of the event spread quickly. At least one person testified to hearing a rumor that “Chinamen were killing white men in Negro Alley wholesale.” And Elijah Workman told Henry Hazard that the “Chinamen were up in arms.” About 30-45 minutes after the affray, H. M. Mitchell said there were between 300 and 400 people on Arcadia street, Negro alley, and Aliso St.

It’s likely Nin Yung men were still in the Beaudry building following the affray. Charles Huber testified being on guard and seeing five or six men leaving Beaudry’s building, he made them turn back. Morris Le Vin saw a man run across the street and into Sam Yuen’s store. A man standing near the corner of Caswell and Ellis shot at him and missed. Later, a man named Ah Wing was seen running from Beaudry’s building towards the Coronel building. The crowd captured him and held him for Marshal Baker. The Marshal searched Ah Wing and found a four-barrel pistol in his possession; one barrel was empty. The Marshal took the gun and sent him back to the Beaudry building.

Agustus Cates was standing guard on Arcadia street in front of the Coronel Adobe. A door started to open. Cates told the occupants to close the door, but they didn’t. Officer Sanchez ordered one of the guards to fire his Derringer at it. The door was closed and Cates and the others moved away from it. When they had their back to the door, watching the other side of the street, the door opened again and three shots were fired from the door. Cates heard the shots whistle by distinctly, and turned around just in time to see the door close again. Officer Gard saw A. R. Johnson at the corner of Caswell & Ellis' store fire across the street at the crowd on the opposite side of the street. Harris took Johnson’s the pistol from him.

At about half past seven, Ah Wing was seen leaving the Beaudry building a second time. The crowd attempted to capture him again. This time however, Ah Wing was armed with a hatchet. A Chilean man named Romo Sortorel was cut in the arm while trying to arrest him. The crowd overpowered Ah Wing and turned him over to Officer Emil Harris. Harris, Officer Richard Kerren, and a man named Charles Avery escorted Ah Wing toward the jail. A crowd of approximately 100 men followed them up Arcadia and Main streets. Then, at the intersection of Main and Spring, Avery was hit from behind, the crowd took Ah Wing and restrained Harris, pinning his arms behind his back. The crowd led Ah Wing up Temple street towards Tomlinson's Corral against Harris’s protestation. A. R. Johnson, an Irish shoemaker, came back down from the corral asking for a rope. A carpenter named J. G. Scott went into Burdick’s store and came out saying, “Here is a rope.” Ah Wing was hanged from the cross beam of the corral gate. This was the same gate where Michel Lachenais was hanged less than a year before. Harris and Avery returned to the Coronel Building.

Back at the Coronel Adobe, men scaled the building with a ladder. Henry Hazard recognized Charles Austin as being the first to mount the building. Sheriff Burns counted 11 men on the roof. Initially, the men on the roof shot at the Chinese in the backyard. Then someone passed up axes and augers and the men started cutting holes in the brea roof. As the holes were cut open, men on the roof started shooting inside at the occupants. Officer Gard heard Jesus Martinez shout, “I have shot him”. A door on Negro Alley opened and Ah Cut, a liquor maker with the Sam Yup company, attempted to run across the street. Thirty or forty shots were fired. Ah Cut made it about 10 feet before he dropped. A fire broke out on the roof because a curtain around one of the bunk beds came into contact with a lamp and ignited. Gard, Harris, and Cates went up on the roof to assist with the fire. Gard handed his gun to “Curley” Crenshaw while he obtained a bucket of water. Louis “Fatty” Mendell grabbed a stick with a nail to pull the burning curtain out through a hole in the roof. Together, they successfully put the fire out. While on the roof, Gard looked through one of the holes and saw a Chinese man, lying face up with a gunshot wound in his head.

Some time around 9:00, a door opened and another Chinese man attempted to escape. A volley was fired at him. The man was hit and crawled back to the house. The crowd continued to shoot at the open door. J. C. Cox, a plasterer, was on guard with Officer Billy Sands on Negro Alley and volunteered to go in and get the man out. Cox obtained a ball dipped in alcohol, lit it, and threw it into the room. He then proceeded into the room, and carried the wounded man back across the street. The Chinese man was still alive. Charles Avery assisted Cox and gave the wounded man water. A large American man came to their location wanting to kill wounded man, but Cox pointed his gun at the American and said “when you pull, I’ll pull”.

At this time, members of the mob entered the house through the open door. Others used a large rock and long pole to force open the remaining doors of the building; starting from the Plaza end of the building and working their way towards Arcadia street. As each door was broken in, the mob forced the occupants out into the street where others led them away. The officers that were present, including Sheriff Burns and Marshall Baker, gave parties instructions to take the occupants to the jail.

Benjamin McLaughlin was on Negro alley when the tenements were broken into. The first Chinese man taken out was held by boys. McLaughlin heard some in the crowd say, "Hang him!" and others, "Take him to jail." He saw Johnson, the shoemaker take two or three men away. J. W. Brooks followed the group led by Johnson to the old corral. Johnson had a cocked six-shooter in his hand. When they reached the makeshift gallows, Johnson said, “God damn him, if you don’t put the rope around his neck I'll shoot him anyhow.” As Brooks walked away, he saw a Mexican man pulling on the rope. When Johnson returned to the Negro alley he was heard saying, "We've hung three of the sons of bitches.”

As the tenements were being cleared out, officers Gard and Harris searched the building. Gard saw a man under a bunk; who called to him by name. The man was wounded. Gard helped him out from under the bed. But before the man could be sent to the jail for safety, a group of Mexicans rushed into the room and discharged their pistols, killing the man.

Emiliano Acevedo followed a party with Chinese men in their custody. He saw Jesus Martinez and a man named Mateo leading a man up Temple street; one holding him by the nape of the neck and the other by the arm. When they arrived at the corral gate they shouted “Here is another one.” Acevedo also saw Johnson, the shoemaker, going ahead of a crowd who had a Chinese man. Johnson had a pistol in his hand warning every one not to approach him or he would shoot. He boasted that he had hanged five men, and he was going to hang the sixth. A group of men, consisting of Walter White, John Lazzarovich, and brothers Robert and Walter Widney, intervened. The four men went into the crowd and wrested the Chinese man away from Johnson. Johnson and a boy resisted very violently; but the four men finally got the man loose and rushed him to the jail. Billy Sands arrived, and with the help of Jacob Harned, confiscated Johnson’s gun. When the pistol was taken, Johnson said he could get another in two minutes, he had a plenty of them.

The crowd also took Chinese men from the Coronel Adobe to John Goller’s wagon shop on Los Angeles street. They started hanging them from the awning over the sidewalk. Goller admonished with them for killing men where his little children lived. An American held a rifle to Goller’s head, cocked it, and said "You dry up, you son of a bitch."

John Kress, an employee of John Goller, watched as three men were hanged on a wagon that he had built himself. Mrs. Grascey, an Irish woman who ran a boarding house across the street from Goller’s shop, cut down her clothes line for use as nooses. There were three men on the roof facilitating the murders. After one of the hangings, a man on the roof took off his hat and said, "here's another soul saved."

Henry T. Hazard saw the mob taking the Chinese near Goller’s, so he went there, mounted a wagon and expostulated with the crowd. He was pulled down by friends just as a shot was fired. He was told somebody tried to shoot him. Hazard saw Ramon Dominquez with two others leading a Chinese man, and he asked if they were taking him to be hanged. The men appeared abashed and released their prisoner.

Sheriff Burns and Henry Austin escorted a man to the jail. The crowd tried to take the man away, but failed. After the man was safe in jail, the Sheriff returned to the corner of Temple and Spring streets, stood on a barrel and addressed the crowd. He requested volunteers to return with him to the Coronel building to preserve the peace. As he was speaking, the head of the cask collapsed under his weight, and he dropped straight down into the barrel. The Sheriff returned to Negro alley with 25 volunteers, but the riot was already over. It was now 9:30.

The Sheriff and officers placed guards in and around the building. Marshal Baker appointed Louis Mendel to guard one of the rooms. Deputy Bryant warned the sheriff that Louis was a bad choice, as he had been recently prosecuted for grand larceny. Baker said it was no matter, and there were plenty of people to watch Louis. However, when Bryant returned to the room later, two trunks that had previously been locked were found broke open and emptied of their contents. During the night the police and their guards tried to prevent looting. Gard saw Jesus Martinez stealing property. Harris caught Andreas Soeur in Young Chung’s store filling his pockets. Souer had a bottle of cider and a chicken; he joked that he was going to have dinner at home that night. J. C. Cox caught a group of men stealing blankets and cigars and forced them to return the goods. And R. K. Sargent said he saw a Mexican man walking off with a clock in his hand.

The saloons were crowded after the riot. Some of the parties that took part in the murders boasted of their exploits. "Curly" Crenshaw was at Rapp’s Saloon and boasted of killing three men. A. R. Johnson was in Higby’s Saloon and said he was not going home while there remained any more Chinamen to kill. He said he had “killed five, by God.” Edward Crawford had been in Weldon's Saloon and said he had "been doing a dirty job," which was understood to mean he had killed somebody. And P. S. De Orney, was at Maloy’s with a Chinese man’s cue that had been cut from one of the victims.


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