127 years ago, murderer petitions for freedom

WASHTUCNA — A petition seeking the release of Henry Bley from the Washington State Penitentiary was filed 127 years ago, regarding the infamous double-homicide of the Moritz brothers.

According to the Weekly Commoner, a predecessor to the Whitman County Gazette newspaper in Colfax, dated Friday, Aug. 20, 1897, Bley, who had been imprisoned for nine years, was connected to the infamous Moritz brothers’ murders, and filed a petition for his freedom.

“This piece of criminal history is highlighted by the vigorous efforts which are now being made by citizens of Walla Walla County and city to secure...