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Los Angeles Chinese massacre of 1871

SOLVED1871Calle de los Negros (former Old Chinatown), Los Angeles, California3 SOURCESUPDATED JUL 2026
North end of Los Angeles Street and former Calle de los Negros, 1888 Sanborn map
North end of Los Angeles Street and former Calle de los Negros, 1888 Sanborn map — Credit: Sanborn Insurance · Public domain

On October 24, 1871, a mob estimated at approximately 500 white and Latino Americans attacked, robbed, and killed Chinese immigrant residents of Los Angeles in the neighborhood then known as Calle de los Negros, or "Negro Alley," in what is today referred to as the old Chinatown district. The violence followed a chain of events rooted in a feud between rival Chinese associations, the Hong Chow and Nin Yung companies, over the alleged abduction of a woman named Yut Ho. On the afternoon of October 24, gunfire during a related confrontation on Negro Alley left a Chinese man, Won Choy, fatally wounded in the neck. Police Constable Jesus Bilderrain responded and was shot while attempting to make an arrest inside the Coronel Adobe building. A civilian, farmer Robert Thompson, was also shot while assisting police and died roughly two hours later at an apothecary.

News of Thompson's death, combined with rumors that Chinese residents "were killing whites wholesale," drew a large crowd to the boundaries of Negro Alley. The mob besieged the Coronel Adobe, firing into the building, cutting holes in its roof with axes, and dragging occupants outside. Chinese residents were hanged at three locations near downtown Los Angeles: from the awning of a carriage shop, from wagons parked nearby, and from the gate of a lumberyard. Of the 19 Chinese immigrants killed, 15 were hanged by the mob; the others died from gunshots at the Coronel Adobe. At least one victim was mutilated, his finger cut off to remove a diamond ring. The dead represented more than 10 percent of the roughly 172 Chinese residents of Los Angeles at the time. The mob also ransacked nearly every Chinese-occupied building on the block.

A coroner's inquest and grand jury investigation followed, producing 49 indictments naming approximately 150 individuals. Ten men were ultimately prosecuted. In People v. Kerren, a constable was acquitted of assault charges. In People v. Ah Shaw, et al., two Chinese defendants were acquitted for lack of evidence in the killing of Won Choy. In the combined trials stemming from the death of Dr. Chee Long "Gene" Tong, eight men — Esteban Alvarado, Charles Austin, Refugio Botello, L. F. Crenshaw, A. R. Johnson, Jesus Martinez, Patrick M. McDonald, and Louis Mendel — were convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to two to six years at San Quentin State Prison. On May 21, 1873, the California Supreme Court overturned these convictions, ruling the indictment had failed to properly allege that Gene Tong had been murdered. District Attorney Cameron E. Thom declined to retry the cases, and the men were freed in spring 1873. Sam Yuen, a merchant accused of aiding an attack on police, was acquitted at trial in November 1872. A separate civil suit brought by Chinese merchants against the city for property damage was rejected by the courts.

The massacre drew national attention and was reported by East Coast newspapers, which described Los Angeles as a "blood stained Eden." Calle de los Negros was later renamed and absorbed into Los Angeles Street, and the Coronel Adobe was demolished in the late 1880s.

Key facts

Victims
Won Choy, Leong Quai, Ah Long, Day Kee, Ah Wing, Chee Long "Gene" Tong, Ah Waa, Ah Loo, Ah Cut, Wing Chee, Wong Chin, Ho Hing, Ah Won, Johnny Burrow, Wan Foo, Tong Won, Robert Thompson, Lo Hey, Wa Sin Quai, Chang Wan
Date
1871
Location
Calle de los Negros (former Old Chinatown), Los Angeles, California
Case status
solved

Case timeline

  1. 1871-10-23

    A shooting occurs in Negro Alley amid an ongoing feud between the Hong Chow and Nin Yung tong factions.

  2. 1871-10-24

    Won Choy is fatally shot; Constable Jesus Bilderrain is wounded attempting an arrest at the Coronel Adobe; farmer Robert Thompson is shot and later dies; a mob of roughly 500 forms and lynches or shoots 19 Chinese immigrant men.

  3. 1871-11-04

    Tong Yu, widow of Dr. Chee Long Tong, files a complaint accusing Yo Hing of inciting the massacre; a special Grand Jury is later convened.

  4. 1872-01-05

    Constable Richard Kerren is found not guilty in People v. Kerren.

  5. 1872-02-14

    Trial begins in People v. Ah Shaw, et al. over the killing of Won Choy; defendants are acquitted.

  6. 1872-02-16

    Trial of Curley Crenshaw begins in People v. Crenshaw over the killing of Dr. Gene Tong; jury returns a guilty verdict for manslaughter.

  7. 1872-03-16

    A jury is empaneled in the combined trial of Mendel, Alvarado, Austin, Botello, Johnson, Martinez, and McDonald.

  8. 1872-03-30

    Seven men convicted in People v. Mendel, et al. are sentenced to two to six years at San Quentin State Prison.

  9. 1872-04-07

    Convicted men are escorted to San Quentin State Prison.

  10. 1872-11

    Sam Yuen is acquitted at trial for aiding in the killing of Robert Thompson.

  11. 1873-05-21

    The California Supreme Court overturns the manslaughter convictions in People v. Mendel and People v. Crenshaw on a technicality.

  12. 1873

    District Attorney Cameron E. Thom declines to retry the cases; the convicted men are freed.

  13. 1874-01

    The California Supreme Court affirms a ruling against Chinese merchants seeking damages from the City of Los Angeles for property destroyed in the massacre.

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People

  • Won Choy

    VICTIM

    Fatally shot in the neck during the initial confrontation preceding the riot

  • Quong Wong

    ACQUITTED

    Acquitted of the murder of Won Choy in People v. Ah Shaw, et al.

  • Leong Quai

    VICTIM

    Laundryman; killed during the massacre

  • Louis Mendel

    CONVICTED

    Convicted of manslaughter in the killing of Dr. Gene Tong; conviction later overturned on appeal

  • Jesus Martinez

    CONVICTED

    Convicted of manslaughter in the killing of Dr. Gene Tong; conviction later overturned on appeal

  • Ah Long

    VICTIM

    Cigar maker; killed during the massacre

  • Day Kee

    VICTIM

    Cook; killed during the massacre

  • Ah Wing

    VICTIM

    Killed; lynched at Tomlinson's Corral

  • Sam Yuen

    ACQUITTED

    Acquitted in November 1872 of accessory charges related to the killing of Robert Thompson

  • Chee Long "Gene" Tong

    VICTIM

    Physician; killed during the massacre

  • Ah Waa

    VICTIM

    Cook; killed during the massacre

  • Ah Loo

    VICTIM

    Killed during the massacre

  • Ah Cut

    VICTIM

    Liquor maker; shot and killed at the Coronel Adobe building

  • Wing Chee

    VICTIM

    Cook; killed during the massacre

  • Esteban Alvarado

    CONVICTED

    Convicted of manslaughter in the killing of Dr. Gene Tong; conviction later overturned on appeal

  • Wong Chin

    VICTIM

    Storekeeper; killed during the massacre

  • Ho Hing

    VICTIM

    Cook; killed during the massacre

  • Cameron E. Thom

    LAW ENFORCEMENT

    Los Angeles County District Attorney who prosecuted the cases and later declined to retry them after convictions were overturned

  • L. F. Crenshaw

    CONVICTED

    Convicted of manslaughter in the killing of Dr. Gene Tong; conviction later overturned on appeal

  • Ah Won

    VICTIM

    Cook; killed during the massacre

  • Johnny Burrow

    VICTIM

    Shot and killed at the Coronel Adobe building

  • Patrick M. McDonald

    CONVICTED

    Convicted of manslaughter in the killing of Dr. Gene Tong; conviction later overturned on appeal

  • Charles Austin

    CONVICTED

    Convicted of manslaughter in the killing of Dr. Gene Tong; conviction later overturned on appeal

  • Jesus Bilderrain

    LAW ENFORCEMENT

    Los Angeles police constable wounded while attempting an arrest at the Coronel Adobe

  • Wan Foo

    VICTIM

    Cook; killed during the massacre

  • Tong Won

    VICTIM

    Cook and musician; killed during the massacre

  • Robert Thompson

    VICTIM

    Farmer shot and killed while assisting police at the Coronel Adobe

  • Richard Kerren

    ACQUITTED

    Constable acquitted of assault with a deadly weapon in People v. Kerren

  • Robert M. Widney

    LAW ENFORCEMENT

    District judge who presided over subsequent trials; attempted to calm the mob during the riot

  • Lo Hey

    VICTIM

    Cook; killed during the massacre

  • Wa Sin Quai

    VICTIM

    Shot and killed at the Coronel Adobe building

  • Refugio Botello

    CONVICTED

    Convicted of manslaughter in the killing of Dr. Gene Tong; conviction later overturned on appeal

  • A. R. Johnson

    CONVICTED

    Convicted of manslaughter in the killing of Dr. Gene Tong; conviction later overturned on appeal

  • Ah Ying

    ACQUITTED

    Acquitted of the murder of Won Choy in People v. Ah Shaw, et al.

  • Chang Wan

    VICTIM

    Killed during the massacre

Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.

Archival records

  • North end of Los Angeles Street and former Calle de los Negros, 1888 Sanborn map

    other document

    North end of Los Angeles Street and former Calle de los Negros, 1888 Sanborn map

    Credit: Sanborn Insurance · Public domain · Source

Places

Calle de los Negros (former Old Chinatown), Los Angeles, California

34.0620, -118.2380

View on the map

Common questions

What happened to the victim?
On October 24, 1871, a mob of roughly 500 people attacked the Chinese immigrant community of Los Angeles on Calle de los Negros, killing 19 Chinese men in what some 21st-century sources describe as the largest mass lynching in American history.
Where did the massacre happen?
Calle de los Negros (former Old Chinatown), Los Angeles, California.
Who was convicted?
Louis Mendel (Convicted of manslaughter in the killing of Dr. Gene Tong; conviction later overturned on appeal), Jesus Martinez (Convicted of manslaughter in the killing of Dr. Gene Tong; conviction later overturned on appeal), Esteban Alvarado (Convicted of manslaughter in the killing of Dr. Gene Tong; conviction later overturned on appeal), L. F. Crenshaw (Convicted of manslaughter in the killing of Dr. Gene Tong; conviction later overturned on appeal), Patrick M. McDonald (Convicted of manslaughter in the killing of Dr. Gene Tong; conviction later overturned on appeal), Charles Austin (Convicted of manslaughter in the killing of Dr. Gene Tong; conviction later overturned on appeal), Refugio Botello (Convicted of manslaughter in the killing of Dr. Gene Tong; conviction later overturned on appeal), and A. R. Johnson (Convicted of manslaughter in the killing of Dr. Gene Tong; conviction later overturned on appeal).
What is the current status of the case?
Status: solved.
More cases in California

Sources

  1. ENCYCLOPEDICLos Angeles Chinese massacre of 1871Wikipedia · 2026-07-07
  2. PRESSContemporaneous coverage — memory.loc.govmemory.loc.gov · 2026-07-07
  3. PRESSContemporaneous coverage — Los Angeles TimesLos Angeles Times · 2026-07-07

Record history

First published
JUL 07, 2026