Los Angeles daily herald., 1888-01-13

The days of faro banking in
public places were over and the build
ling was turned into q dance hall
where the same class OF humanity
still spent its time. The gambling
tables had simply been removed to in.
liner rooms while the blood stained floor
was given over to lewd females and
their companions. Murders were a
little less frequent, but Mexican
dance-house such as this was, always
has its quota of shooting and stabbing
affrays. This particular dance-house
was notorious for the frequency of the
crimes committed by women in their
jealousy toward each other. Finally,
| in 1850 or 1857, the dance was given
up and Messrs. Corbett Il Barker
leased it. This firm carried on a
Wholesale grocery and drygoods store
within its walls and transacted the
largest business then south Of San
Francisco. Two or three years after
ward they moved out and several
other parties leased the building, the
last firm being that of Newmark &
Co., which used it as u storage house
for iron and hard lumber. When
the building again became vacant it
was leased by Chinaman, and from
that time until Tuesday morning last
it has been in the hands Of that race
OF people.
| THE MASSACRE.
This preliminary history OF the
building brings the time down to Oc-
tober, 1871, when the Chinese mas
sacre took place. AT the time Of it's
occurrence the newspapers spoke of
the massacre in unmeasured terms of
condemnation. OF this the darkest
scene in the history of Los Angeles,
the following facts have been gathered
from the newspapers of that time, and
those living to-day who took part in
endeavoripg to restore order. 1t APP
pears that there were then two Chi
nese companies in existence here, a
highlander company named VT Hing
and the Lu Yup company. The for
mer had stolen q girl from the
Lu Yup company, and the mat
ter had been taken into the
Justices court, before Justice Gray.
The trial had lasted forty-eight hours
the woman had been placed under
the protection OF Officers Emil Harris,
George Gard and Jesus Bilderrain.
There were at this time but six officers
on the police force of LIS Angeles,
Messrs. Harris, Gard, Bryant, Bidder
rain, Hartley and Sands. Into the
hands OF three of the pioneers OF the
police force OF the city was the Chi
nese woman given, and at dinner time
on the night OF October oath officers
Harris and Gard left Bilderrain on
watch while they partook of their
evening meal. While they We're so
engaged the trouble commenced, and
was described by the papers OF that
time about as follows:
HOW IT OCCURRED.
Yesterday evening about half-past 5
O'Clock the quarrel which had been
brewing for some days past, between
the Chinese companies in this city,
and which caused the shooting affair
between Yo Hing and All Choy, on
Monday, eliminated in shooting
ARRAY in Negro Alley between the
Cinnamon. Jesus Bilderrain, Sepul-
veda, and Esteban Sanchez and sew
eral others rushed in and separated
the combatants. Hardly had this
been done when the Chinamen COM
menced an indiscriminate firing,
shooting rapidly at the police, at each
other and at every man in sight.
One old heather who didn't seem to
be taking hand in the affair was no
sooner approached and advised to get
into a house out of the way of the
bullets which swept through the air
in all directions, than he pulled six
shooter from under his coat and dis
charged every barrel at persons
in his immediate vicinity. Two
others, one OF whom is said to have
been identified as All Choy, staid on
the porch in front of Coronel Block,
and emptied their pistols at the crowd,
which, attracted by the firing, had as
sembled on Los Angeles and Arcadia
streets. After twenty-five or thirty
shots had been fired and Officer Bilder-
rain had been shot through the shoulder
the citizens armed themselves hastily
and ran to the rescue OF the police.
About this time boy named Juan
Jose Mendibles was shot through the
leg whilst standing on Arcadia street,
and a man named "Joe" received a
ball in the hip. All the stores within
range we're closed, and the people
closed in on the accused pagans and
forced them to seek shelter in the
adobe dens of the Coronel Block with
a loss OF one killed outright, and four
wounded.
ROBERT THOMPSON KILLED.
Mr.. Robert Thompson, one of our
oldest residents and most quiet and
respectable citizens, was one OF the
first to gain the porch in answer to the
cries of the police, and received a
mortal wound from bullet fired
through the door of Chinese store,
and which struck him in the left
breast. above the heart, and probably
severed the arch of the aorta. He was
taken to Woolwebber's drug store, on
Main street, and expired after endur-
ing horrible agonies. BY this time,
the house in which the Chinese devils
had taken refuge, was surrounded by
citizens, armed with pistols, shotguns
and any convenient weapons. The
house is long adobe, with massive
walls, heavy brea covered roof, and
but few windows. The China
men barricaded every aperture,
and prepared to fight to death.
Don Refugio Botello, armed with
a shooter, assembled to the roof;
armed and terribly excited men
watched every means of exit. For
several minutes hardly shot was
fired. Suddenly q noise OF falling,
boxes was heard within the house
and under cover from volley Of his
comrades, one Chinaman left the
house and attempted to run across
the yard, but was knocked down by
the first bullets sent after him.
Another escaped. into Los Angeles
street, but was capturedby the crowd,
dragged through the streets to the
eastern part OF the old Tomlinson
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