The Shadow on Second Street
A former secret service agent claims he saw a murder suspect in downtown Seattle, casting doubt on a critical alibi.
The police were unusually reticent yesterday concerning the developments in the case of Mrs. Charlotte Fetting, who was bludgeoned to death last Monday night by a robber, but there is reason to believe they have made considerable progress toward solving the problem. A statement obtained yesterday throws doubt on the truth of Louis Bohn's claim that he was on Vashon Island on the day of the murder. The police have received information that a man who was either Bohn, or his double, was in Seattle on Monday, September 4. The man referred to was seen on Second Street in front of the Chapin block by C. J. Clark. Mr. Clark, a former United States secret service agent and police judge, is acquainted with the King family and knew Louis Bohn. Walking down Second Street, he passed a young man he took for Bohn and was about to speak, but the man was walking rapidly and passed beyond. The next morning, after reading of the murder, Clark mentioned to his wife that he saw Bohn in the city, and was surprised when the alibi was printed in the Post-Intelligencer. Charles J. Ott and his son, Charles, were released from city jail last evening with no explanation given, following the verification of their alibi by an employee at Taylor's mill.
“I do not care to say anything that will injure the young man or tend to throw suspicion upon him, but my remark was made to several parties before I had any idea that he would claim to have been on Vashon Island.”
Public interest in high-profile criminal investigations remains a constant in Seattle media. The reliance on eyewitness accounts and the scrutiny of a suspect’s whereabouts mirror the digital-era obsession with tracking crimes, though today’s 'street sightings' have been replaced by the ubiquity of doorbell cameras and private surveillance footage.
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