The 1885 Opium Raid on Washington Street
Constable Van Doren and the Knights of Labor descend upon Chinese opium dens in a bid to test the legality of territorial anti-smoking laws.
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.
Constable Van Doren, accompanied by a number of members of the Knights of Labor, raided two Chinese opium joints last evening, capturing all Chinamen and a number of smoking outfits. Two Chinamen were arrested over Yee Lee's store on Washington Street, and four in the wash house of Leo Ore, on Washington Street, between South Second and South Third. None of the Chinamen gave bonds to appear this morning at 10 o'clock and others went to jail. It seems the object of this raid was to bring the question of Chinese opium smoking before the Grand Jury in order to test the legality of the Territorial law, which prohibits it.
“It seems the object of this raid was to bring the question of Chinese opium smoking before the Grand Jury in order to test the legality of the Territorial law.”
This raid occurred in the heart of Seattle’s historical Chinatown district. It highlights the role of the Knights of Labor, who were notoriously active in the anti-Chinese sentiment of the 1880s, framing their hostility toward specific immigrant communities under the guise of civic morality and law enforcement.
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