The Wenatchee daily world. [volume] (Wenatchee, Wash.) 1905-1971, 1907-04-23
SEASONS MOST SENSATIONAL
TRIAL COMMENCES TODAY
Padre Colin, Aged Catholic Priest, Faces
Charlotte Norris Who Says He Is
Father of Her Child

you were in school in that convent"
II cant remember"
WAS it five years or temp"
Il cant remember" >
Have you a good or bad mem
ory?"
Il don't know whether it's good
Or bad"
Here attorneys for defense asked
that witness be ordered to take Off
her veil, under that portion of the
law which says that complaining wit
nesses shall be brought face to face
with the accused. After some dis
cussion the court finally told Char
lotte Norris that she might take off
her veil. Prosecuting Attorney Grass
objected to this.
His honor took occasion to request
of counsel that no unnecessary side
remarks, not pertinent to the case,
be INDUCED in.
Attorney Reeves was very patient
with the witness, and asked her re-
peatedly a fixed set of simple prim-
ary questions, as to her schol eXper-
fences, what she had studied, how
long she had remained in the con-
vent, etc. To all of these her stereo-
typed, non-committal reply was that
she could not remember" Her OBJ
stinacy or poor memory occasioned
no little mirth in the large audience
of men, and Judge Steiner had to
rap loudly for order.
The witness testified that she had
studied music, painting, and some
French; that her mother was fluent
French scholar. But she really could
not remember how many years she
attended there; knew that she did
not graduate.
Despite the earnest efforts of At
torney Reeves the complaining wit
ness refused to perform any memory
feats. She took no chances After
various endeavors to obtain some in
formation from her as to how long
she had been in the convent, how
long she had lived in Wenatchee, etc.
none of which the witness seemed
able to answer, Mr.. Reeves asked her
if she had not told a certain party
in Wenatchee how old she was.
This was objected to by Prosecut-
ing Attorney Grass, and he was sus-
tanned by the court. 1t is believed
that the defense will endeavor to
prove that the complaining witness
had passed the age of consent at the
time of the alleged crime, and that
this question was leading up to the
introduction of such testimony.
On redirect examination the wit
ness said:
Il first told my father of the crime
of the priest on the day my child
was born. l had a hard time con-
cealing it from him, but was afraid
to tell himfor fear that Rev. Colin
would come and strangle me to death
as he had threatened.to do. My faith
er knew nothing of all this until my
child was born
The witness was yisibly agitated
during the recital of her alleged
wrong at the hands of the old, white
haired Catholic priest, and shifted
constantly in her chair, looking first
at the small figure of her ager father,
and then at the man who is accused
of wrecking her life.
Her Father Testifies.
Dave Norris, sworn, testified that
he is the father of Charlotte Norris.
the complaining witness in this cell
ebrated case. He stated that his
daughter was Is years old last Au-
gust.
rs your daughter a member of
the Catholic church of which Rev.
Father Colin is in charger" was ask
ed. -: s..az
"She is: she is a member of the
church of the man who committed
this crime" shouted the excited old
man. The judge ordered this SEN
tence stricken from the record.
HAS your daughter child?'
Yes. 1t was born Jan. 81, 1907"
Dave Norris further testified that
the defendant was in the habit of
sneaking about his premises during
the year 1906. That he had often
caught him hiding about the barn,
etc., and had ordered him OF. s.He
would find out when I left home, and
then come around" continued the
old man. "and sneak up and try to
get IN the house !. know lots Of
times my daughter locked him out.