This day in history: Creston, Washington’s business district destroyed by fire. Testimony concluded in trial of man accused of killing Pasco judge

From 1975: Testimony concluded in the murder trial of Ricky Anthony Young, 23, accused of killing a Pasco judge with a mail bomb.

The most significant difference between this trial and the first trial, which ended in a hung jury, was the testimony of Young’s cellmate in the Franklin County jail.

“(Young appeared) high on drugs one night and we got to talkin’,” testified the cellmate. “We were discussing our terms when he said he was unsure of the length of his for killing a judge.”

The cellmate said that Young then used the word “we” three times in connection with the crime, and said “we” built the bomb in three weeks.

The defense attacked the cellmates credibility.

The hard evidence in the case consisted of a fingerprint found on the mail-bomb package, which experts identified as Young’s. The defense produced its own experts, who said the prints were inconclusive.

From 1925: A fire wiped out the entire business section of Creston, Washington, about 60 miles west of Spokane.

The fire began in the post office. Strong winds swept the flames quickly down the main street. Firefighting efforts were hampered when the Washington Water Power Co. substation was destroyed, cutting off power to the city’s water-pumping system. Fire departments from nearby Wilbur and Davenport raced to the scene, but the damage was done.

Creston was a wheat-growing center with a population of about 350 at the time. The fire destroyed the town’s bank, the grain elevator warehouse, a hotel, and the Potlatch Lumber Co. building, along with the post office and the substation.