Anti-Chinese Rioters Killed Look Young

Narrative

On Halloween night in 1880, anti-Chinese rioters surged through Denver’s Chinese quarter, destroying laundries and homes, beating residents, and killing Look Young, a Chinese laundry worker. St. Albans Daily Messenger said Denver had been “in the hands of a mob for eight hours” and described 1,500 rioters attacking Chinese homes, while St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that “one Chinaman was lynched.” The riot formed part of a larger anti-Chinese campaign of expulsion and terror fueled by labor conflict, racial politics, and calls to drive Chinese residents out of the city.

Related Newspaper Article(s)

Mob Rule at Denver: Drunken Democrats’ Doings.

St. Albans Daily Messenger (Saint Albans, Vermont)

November 1, 1880 (Page 1)

A Denver dispatch describes eight hours of anti-Chinese mayhem on Oct. 31 1880: 1,500 rioters, fueled by election-season race baiting and drink, loot and burn Chinese homes, maim residents, attack firemen and police, mutilate one victim, and threaten lynchings while authorities struggle to regain control.

Denver Riot Against Chinese

St. Louis Post-Dispatch (St. Louis, Missouri)

November 1, 1880 (Page 4)

A St. Louis editorial condemns Denver’s 31 Oct 1880 anti-Chinese riot—fueled by a forged “Garfield letter”—that saw one Chinaman lynched, many beaten, and laundries wrecked, warning of labor-race violence when prejudice is politicized.

Mob Rule at Denver

St. Albans Daily Messenger (Saint Albans, Vermont)

November 1, 1880 (Page 1)

A violent anti-Chinese riot erupted in Denver following a political procession incited by anti-Chinese rhetoric and claims related to the forged Garfield letter. Mobs attacked and mutilated Chinese residents, destroyed property, and overwhelmed police and firemen.

A Serious Riot Occurred at Denver

The Tipton Times (Tipton, Missouri)

November 3, 1880 (Page 1)

An altercation between a Chinese and white man in Denver on Halloween night sparks a mob that sacks Chinatown: buildings are gutted, residents mutilated, one Chinese man hanged, and order restored only after firemen and special police intervene after midnight.

A Serious Riot

The Tipton Times (Tipton, Missouri)

November 3, 1880 (Page 1)

A riot erupted in Denver on October 31 after a Chinese man allegedly injured a white man. Mobs attacked the Chinese quarter, destroying homes and injuring residents. One Chinese man was lynched.

A Serious Riot Occurred at Denver

The Tipton Times (Tipton, Missouri)

November 3, 1880 (Page 1)

Following a violent dispute between a Chinese man and a white man in Denver, a mob attacked the Chinese quarter, killing one man, injuring others, and destroying homes.