Vigilantism and Intimidation Against Chinese Residents
An attempted assassination of two Chinese men in Seattle is thwarted by police, leading to the arrest of three 'highbinders'.
A number of Seattle Chinamen appear to be determined to carry to the bitter end their persecution of Lee Toy and Lee Sen, the recently acquitted Portland Chinamen. Last evening it was rumored that an attempt would be made to assassinate the two Lees, and there is little doubt that such an attempt was contemplated. It was, however, frustrated by the vigilance of the officials and the persecuted Chinamen were guarded until their departure by the boat this morning. Three of the highbinders, who were too eager in watering after their prey, were arrested during the evening, and on one of them was found a loaded revolver. In making the arrests, Constable Campbell received a severe blow on the head from some instrument in the hands of a pugnacious Celestial.
“Last evening it was rumored that an attempt would be made to assassinate the two Lees, and there is little doubt that such an attempt was contemplated.”
This incident occurred during a period of intense, organized racial violence against Chinese communities in the Pacific Northwest. The paper’s use of the term 'highbinders' and 'Celestial' reflects the period's pervasive dehumanizing bias, which historical record-keeping must confront to understand the depth of the era's exclusion and resistance.
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