1932 — Nov 24, Violence, Marcelino Julian Rampage with knives, Seattle, WA         —       6

Compiled by Wayne Blanchard; last edit 1-13-2025 for upload to: http://www.usdeadlyevents.com/

—  6  Centralia Daily Chronicle, WA. “6 Knifed to Death…Seattle…” 11-25-1932, p. 1.

—  6  Duwe, Grant.  Mass Murder in the United States: A History. McFarland, 2007, p. 46.

—  6  McClary. “Marcelino Julian kills six men and wounds 13 people during a rampage…”

Narrative Information

McClary: “On Thanksgiving Day, November 24, 1932, Marcelino Julian, age 30, runs amok in Seattle’s International District wielding a bolo knife, killing six men, and wounding 13 people. After a half-hour rampage, he suddenly stops, raises his hands in the air, and surrenders to pursuing Seattle police officers.  During a two-week trial in April 1933, Julian is convicted of first-degree murder in King County Superior Court and sentenced to life imprisonment.  After three years at the Washington State Penitentiary, he will be transferred to Eastern State Hospital at Medical Lake (Spokane County) for psychiatric evaluation. Julian will be certified legally insane and deported to the Philippine Islands for commitment to a mental institution.

“Marcelino Julian was born in 1902 in…Philippine Islands.  He served in the Philippine Constabulary for three years as a soldier and then decided to emigrate to America to earn more money. He left Manila on Saturday, March 30, 1929…

“Julian came to Seattle from Tacoma on Wednesday afternoon, November 23, 1932.  He had just been released from the Pierce County Jail where he served a nine-day sentence for illegally trapping Chinese pheasants at a hop farm near Graham. Before leaving, Julian withdrew his saving of $300 from a Tacoma bank. In Seattle, he went directly to the Midway Hotel, 518 1/2 6th Avenue S, where his friend and compatriot, Tito Guatlo, age 36, was living. Julian accepted an invitation from Guatlo to stay in his room and left his meager belongings there, which included $100 hidden an a sock.  That evening, Julian was walking along King Street when two black males assaulted him and stole $200 from his shirt pocket.

“On Thursday morning, November 24, Julian went to Harborview Hospital, 325 9th  Avenue, to visit his sick cousin and when he returned to the hotel, Guatlo and his nephew, Cristolo Bayada, age 19, were in the room. When Julian found that his remaining $100 was missing, he accused Guatlo of stealing the money. Insulted, Guatlo told Julian to leave and started eyeing a gun and bolo knife laying on the table. Julian grabbed the bolo and stabbed Guatlo in the heart, killing him, and then stabbed Bayada in the chest.  As Julian left the room, he encountered Cristolo’s brother, Abling Bayada, in the hallway and lunged at him. Abling ducked into a nearby room, locked the door and started shouting for help.

“Next, Julian encountered William Tenador, age 26, the hotel janitor, who was ascending the hotel stairway. Julian stabbed Tenador in the left side and he fell, mortally wounded. Tenador was rushed to City Emergency Hospital where he died a hour later. Leaving the Midway Hotel, Julian proceeded north on 6th Avenue S, and at King Street encountered Bernardino Bonita, age 30, and stabbed him in the heart.  He then went to a fruit stand outside 424 6th Avenue S to buy an orange with his remaining 15 cents.  When the owner, Kaneki Inyoue, age 46, called him a “monkey-faced Filipino,” Julian stabbed him in the chest and continued walking up the street. 

“For the next 20 minutes, he wandered the area, randomly attacking unsuspecting victims.  Outside 402 6th Avenue S., Julian attacked Frank Johnson, age 60, chopping him with the bolo twice on the head and stabbing him in the heart.  In front of the Bush Hotel, 620 Jackson Street, he stabbed to death Jimmy Jiminez, age 26.  Julian’s final victim was William J. Morris, age 65, proprietor of Morris’ Grocery, 525 6th Avenue S, across from the Midway Hotel….

“As Montgomery, Cronk and Reynolds approached the mob, they heard people shouting that Julian was running south, so they backtracked to 6th Street headed toward Weller Street.  Arriving at the corner, the officers were surprised to see Julian standing expressionless in front of Morris’ Grocery with his hands raised. At the same time, Patrolman Jensen arrived at the scene with at least 25 people following.  Everyone stopped as Montgomery and Reynolds cautiously approached with their guns drawn and handcuffed the suspect. Julian, trembling violently and mumbling incoherently, offered no resistance.  No one realized that Julian had just been in the grocery store and had stabbed the owner in the right lung or that he lay dying on the floor.

“Julian appeared normal and relaxed when questioned by Detective Captain Wesley N. Miller at Seattle Police Headquarters.  He claimed he had no recollection of the incident and was horrified to learn he had killed and wounded numerous people during a rampage through Chinatown.  Julian told Captain Miller “Better for me to die now.  I realize I have done a great wrong.  My life is not worth all those lives.  I am awfully sorry.  I did not intend to kill anybody. My money was not worth causing so much sorrow” (The Seattle Times, November 25, 1932). 

“The final casualty count was six dead, four Filipino and two white males, and 13 wounded, one Filipino, two black, three white, and six Japanese males, and one Japanese female….

“On Tuesday, April 18, Judge Douglas…sentenced Julian to life imprisonment at the Washington State Penitentiary.  No appeals were filed on Julian’s behalf.

“After three years in prison, Julian was transferred to Eastern State Hospital at Medical Lake (Spokane County) for another psychiatric evaluation. On this occasion hospital psychiatrists declared him certifiably insane.  On Friday, March 27, 1936, Washington State Governor Clarence D. Martin (1884-1955), upon the recommendation of the state Board of Prison Terms and Paroles, granted Julian a conditional pardon, with the distinct understanding that he be deported to the Philippine Islands and committed to a mental institution…. 

“According to crime historian Jay Robert Nash: “It was later reported that Julian found work in Manila and later joined the Philippine Scouts, an army unit that fought against invading Japanese during World War II.  Julian survived the Bataan Death March, April 1942, escaping to the hills and, as a guerrilla, constantly attacked occupying Japanese forces. He was credited with killing scores of his nation’s enemies.  Following the war and establishment of Philippine Independence, Julian vanished.”

“The Dead

Bernardino Bonita, age 30, stabbed in the heart

Tito Guatlo, age 36, stabbed in the heart

Jimmy Jiminez, age 26, stabbed in the chest

Frank Johnson, age 60, stabbed in the heart

William J. Morris, age 65, stabbed in the right lung

William Tenador, age 26, stabbed in the left side….”^[1] 

(McClary, Daryl C. “Marcelino Julian kills six men and wounds 13 people during a rampage through Seattle’s Chinatown on November 24, 1932. HistoryLink.org (the Free Online Encyclopedia of Washington State History), Essay 9922, 10-4-2011.)

Sources

Centralia Daily Chronicle, WA. “6 Knifed to Death. Thirteen Others Wounded in Seattle by Crazed Filipino.” 11-25-1932, p. 1.  Accessed 3-1-2013 at:  http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=58021099&sterm=seattle+murder

Duwe, Grant. Mass Murder in the United States: A History. McFarland, 2007.

McClary, Daryl C. “Marcelino Julian kills six men and wounds 13 people during a rampage through Seattle’s Chinatown on November 24, 1932. HistoryLink.org (the Free Online Encyclopedia of Washington State History), Essay 9922, 10-4-2011. Accessed 3-1-2013 at: http://www.historylink.org/index.cfm?DisplayPage=output.cfm&file_id=9922

[1] Cites as sources:  Jay Robert Nash, Great Pictorial History of World Crime: Murder (Wilmet, IL: History Inc., 2004) vol. 2, pp. 949-951; Senate Journal of the Twenty-Fifth Legislature of the State of Washington (Olympia: State Printing Plant, 1937), p. 52; Dorothy B. Fujita-Rony, American Workers, Colonial Powers: Philippine Seattle and the Transpacific West 1919-1941 (Berkeley: University of California Press, 2003), pp. 142-144; Notes on Pages 142-144, and 256-257; “Murderer of 6 ‘Feels Fine,’ But Is Sorry,” The Seattle Times, November 25, 1932, p. 1; “Grocer’s Jibe Began It All, Says Slayer,” Ibid., November 25, 1932, p. 1; “Detective Tell How He Clamped Irons on Killer,” Ibid., November 25, 1932, p. 8; “Marcelino Loses First round in Battle for Life,” Ibid., December 7, 1932, p. 11; “Marcelino Asks Hospital Record,” Ibid., December 11, 1932, p. 3; “Trial Set For Filipino Slayer,” Ibid., January 29, 1933, p. 3; “Filipino slayer Ready for Trial,” Ibid., April 2, 1933, p. 5; “Julian Is Unmoved as Case Gets Under Way,” Ibid., April 3, 1933, p. 1; Leland Hannum, “Women forced Off Julian Jury by Their Qualms,” Ibid., April 4, 1933, p. 12; “Two Slayers: Evan Natty, Handsome, Brilliant; Julian Seedy, Uncombed and Dull,” Ibid., April 10, 1933, p. 1; “Julian won’t Eat Gravy; Is He Insane?.” Ibid., April 10, 1933, p. 3; “Both Sides Rest in Julian Case; Court Recessed,” Ibid., April 11, 1933, p. 11; “Julian trial Is Nearing Its End,” Ibid., April 12, 1933, p. 3; “Julian Jury Blocked on Verdict,” Ibid., April 13, 1933, p. 1; “Julian Jurors Still at Odds After 48 Hours,” Ibid., April 14, 1933, p. 1; “Attorneys for Julian May Ask Second Trial,” Ibid., April 15, 1933, p. 12; “Slayer Rejects Food, Wants to Die,” Ibid., April 16, 1933, p. 1; “Julian Breaks Hunger Strike After 3 Days,” Ibid., April 17, 1933, p. 1; “Julian Receives Life Sentence,” Ibid., April 18, 1933, p. 9; “Julian, Weak, On Way to Prison,” Ibid., April 23, 1933, p. 3; “Slayer of Six Returned to Philippines,” Ibid., March 29, 1936, p. 1; “Slayer Says He Was Funny in the Head,” Seattle Post-Intelligencer, November 25, 1932, p. 1; “6 Killed, 12 Wounded as Crazed Filipino Runs Amuck with Knife in South End,” Ibid., November 25, 1932, p. 1; “Trail of Dead and Wounded Marks Killer’s Mad Flight,” Ibid., November 25, 1932, p. 2; “Killer’s Victim Tells Own Story,” Ibid., November 25, 1932, p. 2; “Death Count Filed Against Knife Wielder,” Ibid., November 26, 1932, p. 1; “State Battles Insanity Plea,” Ibid., April 11, 1933, p. 1; “Julian Jury in Deadlock,” Ibid., April 13, 1933, p. 1; “Jury Still at Odds in Julian Frenzy,” Ibid., April 14, 1933, p. 1; “Julian Given Life Sentence,” Ibid., April 15, 1933, p. 1; “Slayer Goes on Hunger Strike,” Ibid., April 16, 1933, p. 1; “Julian Given Life in Prison,” Ibid., April 19, 1933, p. 1.