A Chinese Man Was Found Hanging Near Pomona

On June 30, 1884, an unnamed Chinese man near Pomona was found hanging after being accused of killing seven-year-old Bessie Eldridge and attempting to assault her. The San Francisco Examiner conceded that reporters could not settle the manner of death, writing that it was unclear “whether the Chinaman was strung up or whether it was a case of suicide.” The same report noted that local citizens said that “the Chinaman could be found hanging to a tree in a canyon” and that the act “seemed to be just what ought to be expected under the circumstances.” Two days later, Los Angeles Herald noted that local Chinese residents obtained permission to retrieve the body for burial, preserving a rare trace of the community’s response to the killing.