cover image A Soul on Trial: A Marine Corps Mystery at the Turn of the Twentieth Century

A Soul on Trial: A Marine Corps Mystery at the Turn of the Twentieth Century

Robin R. Cutler, . . Rowman & Littlefield, $26.95 (382pp) ISBN 978-0-7425-4849-7

During 1907, Marine lieutenant James N. Sutton, a native of Oregon, died suddenly on the campus of the U. S. Naval Academy, Annapolis. In short order, a formal navy inquiry ruled Sutton's death a suicide. The Marine's mother—a devout Catholic but also a spiritualist—said she received visits from her dead son in which he challenged the navy's verdict and asked his mother to get him justice. Rosa Sutton's subsequent battle with military authorities gained headlines nationwide and sparked a formal 1909 inquiry presenting evidence that Sutton had been the victim of foul play. Author Cutler, who holds a Ph.D. in history from Columbia University, is James Sutton's great-niece and Rosa Sutton's great-granddaughter. Thus, she had complete access to a family treasure trove of documents relating to the case. However, Cutler is out of her depth in trying to narrate the complex tale. She takes her eye off the ball with long-winded tangents on the politics, media and culture of the Progressive era. The result is a captivating story delivered a deathblow by its artless telling. Photos. (Oct.)