Sloop Louisa Seized in 1891 Over Accusation of Landing Chinese Workers
Federal authorities seize a vessel in Elliott Bay for the alleged smuggling of Chinese laborers in violation of federal restriction acts.
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.
Notice of Seizure. In the district court of the United States for the district of Washington, northern division. The United States of America, Libellant, vs. the sloop Louisa, her tackle, apparel, furniture, etc. A libel of information has been filed in said district court by the United States attorney, P. H. Winston, through his assistant, P. C. Sullivan, alleging that on the 10th day of September, 1890, the collector of customs of the district of Puget Sound, Charles M. Bradshaw, did seize the vessel Louisa at the city of Port Townsend. The libel alleges that the master, Anthony Ohrer, did knowingly, willfully, and unlawfully land or attempt to land Chinese laborers—whose names are unknown—who had arrived on the vessel from a foreign port, to-wit, the port of Victoria in the province of British Columbia. Furthermore, the vessel is charged with failing to report its arrival in Elliott Bay to the Collector of Customs within twenty-four hours as required by statute. The court has ordered that a monition be issued and notice posted regarding the seizure. The hearing for the forfeiture of the sloop Louisa is set for January 15, 1891, at 10:00 a.m. in the city of Seattle.
“The said sloop Louisa did then and there knowingly, willfully, and unlawfully, in and upon said vessel, bring into the United States and into the district of Puget Sound, certain Chinese laborers.”
This 1891 legal notice highlights the harsh enforcement of the Chinese Exclusion Act in the Puget Sound region, a period defined by state-sanctioned xenophobia and the criminalization of movement. Today, the geography of Elliott Bay serves as a major global trade hub, but the echoes of these exclusionary policies persist in contemporary debates over immigration, border militarization, and the treatment of migrant workers.
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