The Price of Justice in Pend Oreille
The county tallies the steep financial burden of the Logan trial, revealing the high cost of local criminal prosecution.
County Clerk Lon Johnson has certified to County Auditor L. E. Jesseph an abstract of the witness fees in the Logan case, amounting to $2,543. Added to this are stenographer's fees of $520, the fee of assistant prosecuting attorney John W. Merritt at $550, and jury costs totaling $780 for per diem and meals. This brings the total direct cost of the Logan trial to $4,400.85. When accounting for additional expenses like special venires, sheriff's services, evidence gathering, and guarding prisoners, the total is estimated at $6,400. Under state law, the state will remit half of the witness fees upon conviction, reducing the county's final burden to approximately $5,000.
“The fees, mileage and expenses of jurors called on special venires, sheriff, prosecuting attorney, surveys, photographers and special officers in gathering evidence, guarding prisoners and the like, are not accurately known.”
The financial strain of high-profile criminal trials on small county budgets is a perennial issue in Washington. This 1910 report highlights how the administrative costs of the justice system have long been a significant civic concern for taxpayers.
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