The Confession of a Century: Allen Hewitt Admits to Poisoning a Rival
Prominent Seattle attorney and son of the city's namesake dies at his father's home after confessing to a murder committed decades ago in Spokane.
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.
Allen O. Hewitt, a prominent attorney, died at his father's home today, having confessed to the murder of Samuel Penn, another young man.
Some years ago, Penn was mysteriously poisoned, a large quantity of strychnine having been placed in the medicine box he was taking. Hewitt was presumably his friend, but it seems he planned to ruin him, and happened into the office of the doctor just as he was preparing the medicine for Penn. While the doctor was absent, Hewitt placed the poison.
The murder case has always been one of the deepest mysteries of the county. It is not until now that he became a wreck in body and mind from remorse for his crime, and finally died at the home.
This story highlights the long shadow of unsolved crimes on Seattle's founding families. Allen Hewitt was the son of A.D. Hewitt, after whom Hewitt Avenue is named; his confession decades later serves as a grim reminder that the city's elite were not immune to violent crime and moral decay, even if they remained largely above public scrutiny during their lifetimes.
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