A Violent Opium Sting Goes Wrong
An attempt by customs officers to pose as black-market buyers of 375 pounds of opium resulted in a brutal, bloody brawl that left three people hospitalized.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
A desperate hand-to-hand fight with knives and hatchets occurred yesterday afternoon at 512 Washington Street between customs officers and suspects accused of smuggling. Inspector G. T. McBride narrowly escaped death, and Ah How, Ah Yune, and Ah How's wife are in critical condition at Grace Hospital. The officers seized what they claimed was 375 pounds of opium, valued at $5,000, but subsequent investigation revealed the haul was mostly molasses and tar mixed to resemble the drug. Collector Wasson had been alerted that Ah How was attempting to sell a large quantity of smuggled opium. Inspector McBride and a 'stool pigeon' informant posed as buyers, agreeing to meet Ah How to exchange gold for the shipment. When they arrived at the Washington Street location, the officers were ushered through a confusing series of locked rooms. Realizing the money was fake, Ah How attempted to attack McBride with a hatchet. A violent fight ensued involving hatchets and daggers, leaving the suspects wounded and the officers bruised. The seized goods were later discovered to be fake, with only eight pounds of the entire supply being genuine opium.
“Ah How immediately proceeded to business and wanted Mcßride to count out the money on the table, but Mcßride refused and wanted to see the opium.”
This incident occurred in the heart of what was then Seattle's Chinatown/Nihonmachi area. The brutal framing of this event reflects the era's xenophobic obsession with 'the opium trade' and anti-Chinese sentiment, which often colored the reporting of police raids in the International District.
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