October 31, 1871 – Henderson Gulch, Montana: Chinese Man Hanged in the Gold Fields for Alleged Theft

In October 1871, at Henderson Gulch, Montana, vigilantes hanged a Chinese laborer accused of stealing silver ore. The incident was reported as far away as Glasgow, Scotland. The Anaconda and New Northwest reported on November 4 that the Chinese man was subjected a citizen’s court and “nn the question of hanging him the vote stood 19 ayes and 18 nays, and the sentence was thereupon carried into effect. The same article opined that the members of the citizen’s court should be “held to strict accountability before the courts, which are now adequate to a strict enforcement of the laws, and summary executions must be stopped.” We see that some newspapers questioned the practice of “rough justice” now that law and order was established in their communities. It should be noted that the Henderson Gulch lynching took place one week after the LA Chinatown massacre.