Book review: The Rossi Murder
From the 1910 fire to being declared the Center of the Universe, many notable events have occurred in Wallace throughout the years. One of the more memorable events in the town’s history began on June 30, 1916, when Herman J. Rossi shot Clarence Dahlquist in the lobby of the Samuel’s Hotel.
In his new book, “The Rossi Murder and the Unwritten Law in 1916’s Wallace, Idaho,” Ron Roizen provides a very detailed and thoroughly researched account of the murder and the following trial. As with many historical topics, the story changed as the research was conducted. Roizen wrote, “What sort of story was it? The answer to that question turned out to be complicated — and a journey. The story also changed and evolved as my research and thought developed. Writing ‘The Rossi Murder’ took me down roads and to destinations I didn’t anticipate at the beginning of the project.”
According to Roizen, “Herman Rossi’s was a western rags-to-riches story.” Born in Switzerland in 1870, Rossi arrived in Idaho in 1888. He first worked in Burke and Gem before relocating to Wallace in 1893. He then proceeded to become a prominent businessman and member of the Wallace community. Rossi eventually served as the mayor of Wallace five different times, securing his place in Wallace’s unique history.
In 1916, after returning home from a trip to Boise, Rossi discovered that his second wife, who was much younger than him, was having an affair with Dahlquist in his absence. Upon arriving home he confronted and shot Dahlquist in the lobby of the Samuel’s hotel. This action started the chain of events on which the book is focused. The unwritten law, as Roizen points out, played a huge role in the proceedings. He wrote, “Right from the start two separate legal registers were in play in Rossi’s courtroom, like the treble and bass staves in a musical store. The upper register was defined by formal Idaho law and its associated technical and procedural impedimenta; the lower register, by the unwritten law, a folk-cultural and alternative system of justice.”
Because of this unwritten law and Rossi’s status as a pillar of the community, the prosecutor worried that finding an impartial jury in Shoshone County would prove impossible and filed for a change of venue. It was denied. An interesting comparison is provided between the word of law and the locals’ idea of justice and how each played out in this case.
The book features many primary sources including photographs and newspaper articles. The amount of research conducted and time spent on the research is evident in the plethora of sources cited and information provided. At times, it can be necessary to slow down or reread sections of the book to ensure all of the information is understood and absorbed.
"The Rossi Murder" is a great read for anyone interested in the knitty gritty details of the Rossi murder and in history pertaining to the justice and legal systems, especially in Wallace and the West. Anyone with an interest in Herman Rossi would also enjoy and appreciate the amount of detail Roizen includes about Rossi’s life.
Roizen’s deep dive into the history of the Rossi murder hit shelves earlier this year and is available in many spots around the Silver Valley and on Amazon.
“Old values and ideas, sometimes in new garb, still clash on the stage of current history.”