The Mob Violence Trial That Shook 1885 Seattle
A jury acquits a man accused of murdering Chinese laborers in Squak Valley, sparking chaotic courtroom protests.
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.
The trial of Perry Bayne, accused of participating in the murder of three Chinese laborers at a Squak Valley hop ranch on September 7th, has ended in an acquittal. The jury, after deliberating for a short time, returned a verdict of 'not guilty,' triggering an immediate outburst of applause and foot-stamping from the gallery. Chief Justice Greene ordered the bailiffs to restore order and briefly threatened to hold three men in contempt for the unruly display, though he ultimately acquitted them after they apologized. Following the verdict, the Prosecuting Attorney dismissed two other murder indictments against Bayne. While some observers expressed surprise at the sudden termination of the case, others suggested an acquittal was expected from the start. The courtroom was packed, and the atmosphere remained tense throughout the proceedings.
“We, the jury in the case of the Territory of Washington vs. Perry Bayne, impleaded with Sam Robertson and others for the murder of Fang Woe, do find the defendant not guilty.”
This 1885 trial took place amidst the height of the anti-Chinese movement in Washington Territory, a period of violent labor unrest and xenophobia. It serves as a stark reminder of how systemic bias shaped the region's early legal history, rhyming with ongoing modern conversations about the unequal application of justice and the history of racial exclusion in the Pacific Northwest.
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