The Bloody Battle of Washington Street
A federal opium sting operation devolved into a chaotic, axe-wielding melee in a dark room in Pioneer Square.
The trial of Ah How, his wife, and Ah Yune on charges of opium smuggling began in United States court yesterday. The case centers on a June 11, 1892, raid at 512 Washington Street. Customs officers had posed as opium buyers to entrap the trio, claiming they possessed 352 pounds of the drug. When officers McBride and Wilson attempted to make the arrest, the room—a windowless space lit only by a peanut oil lamp—erupted into violence. According to McBride, Ah How grabbed a hatchet, leading to a struggle where the officer was choked and the woman struck him with a board. Wilson eventually incapacitated another man with a second hatchet. The defense argued that the Chinese family was not smuggling, but had been targeted by amateur detectives attempting to claim rewards. A baby was present throughout the court proceedings, held by Ah How in the dock.
“He shouted to me: 'You fool me, d—n you,' and grabbed up a hatchet and struck at me.”
This violent raid occurred in the heart of Pioneer Square, a district long defined by its underground economy and the heavy-handed tactics used to police it. Today, the tensions over surveillance and the criminalization of poverty remain a core part of the city's civic argument, even as the specific illicit trades have shifted.
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