Mob terrorizes Chinese store on Washington Street
A group of men and boys pelted a Chinese-owned store with snowballs, forcing their way inside and destroying property until the police intervened.
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.
Yesterday afternoon a gang of men and boys set upon several Chinamen with snowballs on Washington street. The victims fled to We Chong's store for safety. Not to be outdone, the crowd rushed into the store, terrorizing the occupants to an alarming extent. A door and several windows were broken and a quantity of goods was destroyed. Finally, one of the men made an exit through the back door and informed Constable Thornton of what had happened. The officer descended on the mob while they were still pelting the building. Seven or eight of them were taken into court and held while an appraisement of the damages was made. As soon as the total amount was figured, each man under arrest was assessed his pro rata share and released upon payment. We Chong is very indignant over the matter, noting that he pays his taxes and expects the officers of the law to protect his property from destruction at the hands of a mob.
“We Chong is very indignant over the matter. He says he pays his taxes and it is the duty of the officers of the law to protect his property from destruction at the hands of a mob.”
This incident of anti-Chinese harassment during a snowstorm in 1884 serves as a grim reminder of the systemic xenophobia that permeated the Puget Sound region during this era. Such violence was not a localized anomaly but part of an environment of exclusion that eventually led to the mass expulsion of Chinese residents from Seattle in 1886.
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