Opium Raid on South Third Street
Federal authorities seized 50 pounds of contraband opium from a Chinese merchant's establishment in Seattle.
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.
Officers Gardner, Van Doren, and Murphy raided Quan Lung’s Chinese establishment on South Third street Sunday and succeeded in capturing 50 pounds of opium on which the duty had not been paid. The Chinaman in whose possession this opium was found was arrested and taken before United States Commissioner Smith, where he waived examination and was placed under $300 bonds to appear before the next Grand Jury.
“Raided Quan Lung’s Chinese establishment on South Third street Sunday and succeeded in capturing 50 pounds of opium.”
This event reflects the 19th-century federal crackdown on imported goods, specifically targeting Chinese-owned businesses through customs enforcement—a recurring theme of exclusionary civic pressure in historic Seattle.
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