Record 36 of 74
Wang Foo Was Hanged for Opening a Laundry
Narrative
On March 5, 1881, in Gothic, Colorado, Wang Foo was hanged by local anti-Chinese vigilantes after opening a laundry and refusing to leave town. The Evening Herald reported that he “was warned to leave” and then “called upon by a committee” and hanged, while the Kansas City Star printed the blunt justification: “He refused to go.” The Kansas City Star listed the three names of the men sealing the fate of the Wang Foo. These men were self-proclaimed members of an anti-Chinese organization. The killing was part of the purge-era drive to exclude Chinese workers and businesses from Western mining towns.