The Murder of the Syrian Peddler
A Skokomish man faces trial for the killing of an itinerant merchant, exposing tensions and fear in the local court system.
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.
The preliminary hearing of Ned Waterman, the Skokomish Indian, for the murder of the Syrian peddler, Nadir, near Hoodsport, in September, was concluded today. He was bound over to the superior court with bail set at $1,500, against the objection of the prosecuting attorney. There is no prospect of the prisoner securing bail. A score of witnesses were examined, but little testimony connects Waterman with the murder directly, although there was enough circumstantial evidence to warrant binding him over. It is alleged that the witnesses, mainly Indians, are afraid to testify against Waterman, but the trial in the superior court is expected to bring out more direct evidence.
“It is alleged that the witnesses, mainly Indians, are afraid to testify against Waterman.”
This case offers a rare glimpse into the criminal justice process involving Indigenous defendants and minority migrants in the rural PNW of the late 19th century. It reveals the era's fraught social dynamics and the systemic challenges within the Washington state court system.
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