A Soul on Trial

Secrets, Spirits, Scandal, and a Nation Watching

When Marine Corps Lieutenant James N. Sutton died in a brawl in 1907, his mother, his sister and his ghost all challenged the Navy’s suicide verdict. By 1909, Rosa Sutton’s crusade to save her son’s soul from the stigma of a mortal sin had become a national sensation. Marine combat hero Judge Advocate Henry Leonard would prove the perfect foil for Mrs. Sutton.

But soon newspapers across America weighed in on “one of the most remarkable inquiries of its kind” in the history of the Navy; millions of citizens now had a stake in Rosa’s cause.

What really happened to “Jimmie” Sutton? For most people, that became less important than his mother’s right to know.

Historian, blogger, and filmmaker Robin Cutler has worked outside of academia for most of her career. After a lifetime spent primarily in New York City, Washington DC, and Virginia, Robin joined her daughters and their families in California in 2020. For more details, reviews, galleries, and her blog visit her website at Robin R. Cutler.