October 31 – November 18, 1885
The Shadow of the Anti-Chinese Expulsions
1885 reports: Tacoma expels Chinese residents; Squak Valley acquittal.
7 reports in Seattle Daily Post-Intelligencer, October 31 – November 18, 1885.
The story
From late October to mid-November 1885, the Seattle Daily Post-Intelligencer reported on anti-Chinese violence and expulsions in Washington Territory. One report said a jury acquitted a man accused of murdering Chinese laborers in Squak Valley, prompting courtroom protests, while a later report described a defendant standing trial for the murder of a Chinese laborer. The papers also reported that a Tacoma mob forcibly expelled Chinese residents, that a Seattle Opera House meeting debated the “Chinese Question” as officials and labor leaders urged avoiding bloodshed, and that Chinese residents in Seattle were liquidating property and preparing to leave under pressure and threats.
Told from the 7 reports below. The reports are the record.
The archive grouped these reports automatically, by date, place and subject.
The reports 7
- Seattle Daily Post-IntelligencerThe Shadow of the Anti-Chinese Expulsions
As tensions boiled over against Chinese laborers in Washington Territory, a trial in Seattle reveals the deadly climate of vigilante violence and the complicity of local officials.
- Seattle Daily Post-IntelligencerThe Mob Violence Trial That Shook 1885 Seattle
A jury acquits a man accused of murdering Chinese laborers in Squak Valley, sparking chaotic courtroom protests.
- Seattle Daily Post-IntelligencerThe Mob Rule That Swept Tacoma
While city leaders in Seattle urged calm, residents in Tacoma forcibly expelled the Chinese community, marking a dark escalation in the regional movement to purge Asian workers.
- Seattle Daily Post-IntelligencerThe Violent Expulsion of Seattle's Chinese Community
In November 1885, following the forced removal of Chinese residents in Tacoma, a tense public meeting at the Seattle Opera House debated the 'Chinese Question' while labor leaders and city elites sought to avoid the bloodshed that defined neighboring towns.
- Seattle Daily Post-IntelligencerThe Forced Exodus: Seattle’s Chinese Merchants Face Expulsion
Under immense community pressure and threats of violence in 1885, Chinese residents of Seattle report on their forced liquidation of property and preparations to leave the city.
- Seattle Daily Post-IntelligencerThe Trial of the 'Squak Valley' Vigilantes
In a tense courtroom session in 1885, a defendant stands trial for the murder of a Chinese laborer, exposing the brutal reality of anti-immigrant violence in Washington Territory.
- Seattle Daily Post-IntelligencerThe Violent Expulsion of Chinese Workers from Tacoma
While Seattle officials debated the law, a vigilante mob in Tacoma took matters into their own hands, forcibly ejecting Chinese residents from the city.
From the pages
Seattle Daily Post-Intelligencer · Oct 31, 1885
Seattle Daily Post-Intelligencer · Nov 3, 1885
Seattle Daily Post-Intelligencer · Nov 5, 1885
Seattle Daily Post-Intelligencer · Nov 6, 1885
Seattle Daily Post-Intelligencer · Nov 7, 1885
Seattle Daily Post-Intelligencer · Nov 12, 1885
Seattle Daily Post-Intelligencer · Nov 18, 1885
Library of Congress, Chronicling America. Public domain.