By Michael Wynne
One of the strangest people to have ever lived in Alexandria was a “Chinaman” (as he was derogatively called back then), William D. Dansee (circa 1851-1903). Here are the bare facts of his fascinating life story.
By 1892, William was living in New Orleans with his wife, a native of Liverpool, England, Sarah Lavery (1861-1895). In March of 1893, he became the first native of China to be forced to register under the federal Geary Act in New Orleans. William, speaking at his restaurant on Royal Street, told a reporter: “I am not obliged to register as I am a British subject, but I have lost my naturalization papers, and I thought it best to be on the safe side, and so I went down to the Customhouse … and complied with the requirements of the law.
“I was born in northeastern China, and my parents were subjects of the Chinese empire. They were Tartars, and of a totally distinct race from the majority of the Chinamen in the city….I don’t belong to these (New Orleans Chinese) people and have nothing to do with them in any way.
“When I was 13 years old, I left China for London, England, and from there went to Liverpool. I got employment as a steward on the British bark and in that capacity sailed for New York in 1867. I naturalized as a British subject, and as steward of various vessels, I have been all over the world. I looked upon Liverpool as my home, and in 1878, January 5th, I married an English lady. Two boys were born to us while living in England, and since coming to America our family has increased by the addition of a little girl.
“In 1884, I came to New Orleans for the first time. I afterwards went to Boston, to France, and again back to England, but New Orleans has, of course, been my home since I moved my family here. I expect to live here, but I may want to travel sometime in the future …
“I think this Geary law is outrageous, but since it is law, have complied with it. The Chinese who come to this country are a peaceful, industrious and law-abiding lot of fellows, and I don’t see any reason for the passage of such an act. You never hear of a Chinaman robbing a white man, or killing, or burning down houses, or committing any sort of crime. If the Americans don’t want them to come to this country, why don’t they stop dealing with them? Why do they continue to send their shirts to the Chinese laundry? If the Chinese were a race of law-breakers like some of the others who come to this country, there would be good reason for excluding them; but as it is, I can’t understand it.”
By April of 1895, Dansee had moved his family to Alexandria and had opened a grocery, fruit, and tinware store on the corner of Third and Elliott Streets, now a parking lot next to the multi-story car garage. He lived at the store with his family. In June, his wife, died in Alexandria.
In May of 1895, Williams’ 14 year old daughter, Sarah, described as a “veritable virago,” a “juvenile delinquent” and an “amateur actress,” ran off to New Orleans and was kidnapped by three strange individuals there, two of which were women. The girl was later recovered by New Orleans police.
In August of 1895, William was arrested in Alexandria for running a brothel and was convicted. William soon left town and returned to New Orleans. All of his property here was auctioned off in January of 1896. By 1902, William had another restaurant in New Orleans.
In 1903, William was murdered in Philadelphia by a “voodoo doctor” in a case that made news around the world. In short, a quack “doctor,” George Hoossey, murdered 34 people with arsenic, including William.
And that is the bare summary life of Chinese Alexandrian William Dansee. Read my book, “Poisoned By A Voodoo Doctor…” for more fascinating details.
