The California Building Murder Case
New evidence links an Italian suspect to a murder, as local authorities prepare for an upcoming trial.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Mr. Hailey, who was in Seattle following the murder, stated that Pasquale, the Italian who is under arrest for the crime, was seen leaving the insurance company office not more than an hour and a half before the crime was committed. Mr. Hailey intimated that he is in possession of some facts which will go hard against the prisoner when they are presented in court. The police department is in touch with other witnesses besides Hailey, who will swear that they saw Gray and Pasquale together in the California Building between 1 and 7 o'clock on the evening of the murder. Pasquale denies the meeting in the building on that fatal day, claiming he saw Gray for the last time at a small store on Twenty-fifth Street about 6 o'clock. County Attorney Campbell is now preparing the complaint, and it is probable that the prisoner will be brought before Judge Snell during the latter part of this week.
“Pasquale spent a peaceful night last night in the county jail. He still maintains that he left the city before 7 o'clock on Friday.”
The California Building was a prominent fixture in downtown Tacoma's early commercial history. Murder trials involving immigrant defendants in the early 20th century were often highly charged, and the reliance on 'witnesses' to determine the fate of individuals reflects the intense scrutiny placed on the Italian immigrant community during this era.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.