The Trial of Severus Ratten
A murder trial proceeds in Kitsap County despite defense arguments that local prejudice makes a fair hearing impossible.
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.
Judge Penny has overruled the motion for a change of venue in the case of Severus Ratten, charged with murdering William H. Fletcher, mate of the steamer Chehalis. The prisoner will be tried for his life in Kitsap County. Defense attorneys argued that prejudice against Ratten was so severe that a fair trial could not be held, citing affidavits from prominent local citizens. However, the prosecution countered with affidavits from forty spectators claiming no such prejudice existed. The court also denied a motion to quash the jury venire, ruling that the jurors were legally drawn for the session. The prosecution has bolstered its case by hiring attorney John Fairfield of Seattle to assist the district attorney.
“The prosecution ... filed the affidavits of forty of the spectators in the court room, all of whom claimed that prejudice did not exist against the prisoner.”
This trial highlights the 19th-century reliance on public sentiment and local reputation in the judicial system, a practice that eventually gave way to more rigorous legal standards for change-of-venue requests in high-profile criminal cases.
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