A Chinatown Romance Interrupted
When a young woman sought police protection to marry the man of her choice, the Chief of Police stepped in to mediate a dispute between the couple and her guardian.
Trouble has been at work in the Chinese quarter on Washington street, and for a time yesterday morning there was wild excitement over the prospect of a wedding between pretty little Ping Toy, a so-called ward of the wealthy merchant, Gee Lee, and 'Jimmy,' the manager of the Mow Lung Company. Gee Lee was opposed to the marriage on the ground that the girl was too young, but Mrs. Gee Lee thought it proper, as 'Jimmy' stands high in the colony. Little Ping Toy was so frightened over the trouble that she grabbed up her clothes and fled to the police station, where she cried as if her heart would break. The sight of a Chinese woman shedding tears was so rare that the jailer was affected and placed the case before Chief Rogers. The chief learned the social history of the Chinese in the quarter and brought them all together. It was decided that Gee Lee would withdraw his objections to the match if the ceremony was postponed for six weeks.
“The sight of a Chinese woman shedding tears was so rare that the jailer was greatly affected.”
This story highlights the precarious legal status of Chinese residents in 1895 Seattle, where 'wards' were often held in conditions of indentured servitude. While the Chief of Police acted as a mediator here, the underlying power dynamic reflects the systemic exclusion and lack of agency forced upon the Chinese community during this era.
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