Lum You

Lum You
Lum You
Born	ca. 1861[1] China
Died	January 31, 1902(1902-01-31) South Bend, Washington
Cause of death	hanging
Resting place	Pacific County, Washington
Residence	Bay Center, Washington
Nationality	Chinese
Occupation	cannery worker
Criminal charge	assault, murder
Criminal penalty	fine, imprisonment, execution
Criminal status	dead
Conviction(s)	assault, murder

Lum You (ca. 1861 – January 31, 1902)—sometimes spelled Lum Yu—was a Chinese laborer and convicted murderer. He is the only person to have been legally executed in Pacific County, Washington.

Biography

Lum You was among the many Chinese laborers who came to Washington near the turn of the century.^[2] A proud, sociable dandy, You was well-liked in the white community. He spoke a little English, and acted as an agent between the Chinese workers and their employers.^[3]

In 1894 You approached the South Bend police chief, Marion Egbert, complaining that a fellow Chinese resident by the name of Ging had threatened him. Egbert brushed You off and suggested he deal with the situation himself. You took this advice, attacking Ging with an axe. For this act he was convicted of assault; he was fined $500 and was sentenced to a prison term of six months.^[1][4]

In the summer of 1901, You was employed as a cannery worker and living in Bay Center. While playing cards on August 6 of that year, he was assaulted, threatened, and robbed by Oscar Bloom, a white man with a reputation as a bully.^[1][4] This time You did not approach the police, but instead immediately took matters into his own hands: he went to his room to retrieve his gun, sought out and shot Bloom in the abdomen, and then fled the scene. Bloom survived long enough to swear a deathbed affidavit identifying You as his killer.^[1]

Public sympathy for You was high, but white employers of the Chinese workers pressed officials for action to be taken against him. Accordingly You was arrested on August 7 and in October 1901 was tried and convicted for the murder of Oscar Bloom. Contrary to the jurors' belief that You would receive a light sentence, the judge ordered that You be hanged.^[1] The execution was scheduled for January 31, 1902.

Even after his conviction You continued to enjoy public support. A petition for clemency, signed by one of the jurors, was sent to the state governor John Rankin Rogers, though to no avail. County officials sympathized with You, supposedly leaving his cell door unlocked at night and encouraging him to escape. You eventually did escape, but was returned to jail within a few days, possibly after having given himself up.^[1][2]

Anticipation of the execution was so great that the sheriff, Thomas A. Roney, was besieged with requests to attend. Roney issued 500 invitation cards, some examples of which survive.^[1][2]

You was hanged as planned inside the courthouse of the county seat, South Bend, on the morning of January 31, 1902. His last words, to his executioners, were, "Kill me good."^[1][4]

You's was the first and only official execution ever to take place in Pacific County.^[5][2][1] A month after his arrest, a new act of the Washington State Legislature took effect which required executions for any future crimes to be carried out at the Washington State Penitentiary in Walla Walla.^[1]

Legacy

Lum You's trial and execution attracted a great deal of contemporary publicity in Pacific County, and has since passed into the realm of folk legend. His story has been researched and recounted by local historians Ruth Dixon, Willard R. Espy, and Sydney Stevens. Espy, also a nationally renowned poet, memorialized You in a humorous epitaph.^[6] You was also the subject of a biographical play, The Hanging of Lum You by the Oysterville-based Shoalwater Storytellers.^[1]

References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 1.10 Stevens, Sydney (June 7, 2011). "Behind Bars in Old Pacific County, 1902: The Hanging of Lum You". Chinook Observer. Retrieved August 18, 2013. 
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Espy, Willard R. (1976). Oysterville: Roads to Grandpa's Village. University of Washington Press. pp. 142–143. ISBN 0-517-52196-2. 
3. ↑ Dixon, Ruth (1971). "Invitation to a hanging". The Sou'wester (Pacific County Historical Society) 6 (1): 7. 
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Satterfield, Archie (2003). Country Roads of Washington. iUniverse. pp. 146–147. 
5. ↑ Barrows, Will (January 31, 1902). "First legal execution in Pacific County". Chinook Observer. 
6. ↑ Espy, Willard R. (1975). An Almanac of Words at Play. Clarkson Potter. p. 28. ISBN 0-517-52463-5. 

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Lum You.

• Lum You at Find a Grave