The Sloop Louisa and the Contraband Laborers
A federal seizure notice reveals the 1890 crackdown on illicit maritime transport of Chinese laborers into the Puget Sound.
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.
In the District Court of the United States for the District of Washington, Northern Division. The United States of America vs. the sloop Louisa, her rigging, apparel, furniture, etc. A libel of information has been filed by the United States attorney, W. H. White, through Assistant United States Attorney P. C. Sullivan, against the sloop Louisa. The vessel is alleged to have violated the Chinese Exclusion Act on September 5, 1890. Under the command of master Anthony Watzke, the vessel allegedly did knowingly and unlawfully land certain Chinese laborers at a location unknown within the Puget Sound district, having transported them from a foreign port in the Province of British Columbia. Furthermore, the master failed to report the arrival of the vessel to the Collector of Customs at Port Townsend within twenty-four hours as required by law. Consequently, the United States Marshal has been ordered to seize the vessel and hold a hearing on January 15, 1891, to finalize the forfeiture.
“Said vessel did then and there knowingly and unlawfully, in and upon said vessel, land certain Chinese laborers.”
This notice serves as a grim reminder of the federal machinery used to enforce the Chinese Exclusion Act, a series of laws that institutionalized xenophobia and restricted movement in the Pacific Northwest for decades. It rhymes with today's complex, often fraught, discussions regarding borders, labor rights, and the human cost of immigration enforcement policies.
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