14 NoraThrown off track by the judge’s peremptory summons to his chambers half an hour before the hearing was scheduled to begin, Nora tried to calm herself by focusing on her surroundings.
Both this meeting and the hearing to follow were taking place in the original Nez Perce County courthouse, a graceful two-story brick structure on the national register of historic buildings. Ceiling-high arched windows on both floors bathed the interior with light, an architectural choice no longer practical when potentially violent defendants might fling themselves through the glass and flee towards the blue ribbon of water four blocks away.
Parma, the county seat, hugged the Columbia River forming Washington’s southern border. Oregon lay on the far side. Jury trial of criminals in Nez Perce County
