The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1866-06-09
CRIMINAL COURT.
Case Of Mr.. George 4. Pratt.


know Mr.. Pratt when ] see him; have
known him three years. 1 was living at
Mr.. Gains, on Cherry street, at the time.
where ] was employed as dress-maker Nv
father was then living. The way got ac-
quainted was this Mr.. Pratt was BOARDING
next door to me, and he asked me for
bunch Of flowers; he was in his yard and
was in my own. After that he came 10 the
gate frequently and conversed with me lint
i never asked him in the house. When be
was invited in 1t was not by me. He was
very anxious to get acquainted with me.
and asked several gentlemen 10 give him an
introduction, who told him they thought
had plenty Of company without him. He
was then working as a machinist, but after
wards started q dancing academy. After
coming into the house the first time be
came 70 see me often. Lie asked me to
marry him; / don't recolect the month.
but II was during Hoods raid. told him
/ would If 1t was my fathers will; but my
father died, after which time he asked me
4 again, and ] told him l would marry him,
but no time was set. by father died in
/ October, 1864.
| On Friday Evening Mr.. Pratt had a
soiree at his dancing academy, and he gem
orally took me 10 them. l told him / was
in mourning then, and only went to crafty
him, as did not care TO 60 myself
My engagement Of marriage continued
| till after the 9th Of March, 1865. On that
night he asked me TO 60 to a soiree, and /
| told him / would 60. did not know he
meant any harm. He came after me about
/ half past seven, and went to the hall, but
no one came but gentlemen, and they went
| away. We stald till eleven o'clock, when /
/ thought Of going home, but he asked me TO
! drink some wine ana eat some cake. drank
/ two or three times, and ate some cakes
I q Vi n mo lint Il
| appeared to me that it made me dull but
! not drunk told MIN must 60 home and he
/ went down stairs, and heard him lock the
1 door. He came up and sat down by me,
! and ] asked him, " For Gods sake, what do
you mean?" / knew he was going TO take
| my virtue. From that time / knew moth
| ing till four O'Clock in the morning. I went
home, and several Of the people asked me
| what was the matter but told them moth
ing. l said this because / had no friends,
and would have been at once thrown out Of
home.
When Pratt cRme up to me after drinking
the wine he violated my person. ! was
| very much Frustrated, and Mrs. Lloyd FREE
quently asked me what was the matter, but
l would not tell her.
Before this time, Mr.. Pratt had always
! acted the gentleman toward me, and was
modest, and that gave me confidence in
him.
Question by the Court: How did you get
! home?
A. He took me home in a carriage. Up
| 10 the time l went home / was perfectly
| stupefed. When he approached me l said,
" For Gods sake, save me this nightP
fell on my knees 10 him.
l was 50 injured that 1 did not know
was pregnant till few weeks before my
! child was born. Mr.. Pratt came TO me be-
| for and n 1aor 4 ,,
city and destroy my child, but told him l
would not do it If all the world rose up
| against me 1 could not meet my God after
such a crime.
/ discarded Mr.. Pratt after the violat on
! Of my person, though ! once took walk
with him in order to tell him what I pro-
| posed to do. ] told him / should be dis
/ graced, and he should be.
About two weeks before the birth of my
! child Pratt was sent for, and he begged me
| 10 say nothing about it. and offered to do
| anything to keep the matter q secret. He
! gave me $40, and told me to send 10 him at
! any time and get money. l sent for some
money whom my child was two weeks old,
/ and he sent me SO. l told him that would
do me no good; l must have more. l Wis
| tied him at the academy when the child
was three weeks old, and asked him why
| be did not give me more money. He then
/ began throwing up TO me that / was init
mate with other men he then commenced
abusing the child, and l told him 1 would
send it to the academy and leave it there
but instead, l sent two policemen, who ar
rested him.
| Cross-examined by Mr.. McClannahan
| The reason / did not live with my father
was this: he was keeping woman, and
would not live in the house with her and
| my engagement with Mr.. Pratt was made
| three weeks before my father died. IL was
| during Hoods raid Ny father died on
| the 9sh of October, 1864.
Mr.. McClannahsn: Why Hoods raid did
not take place TIL December, 1864.
Witness: That remains to be proved.
| ! drank wine at the party, on the night
he committed the deed several times.
| don't know how many times.
q. Ii you did not know that you were
| pregnant till two weeks before the birth of
| the child; now you also said that Mr.
| Pratt, two months before that, wanted you
70 destroy the child, and you positively re-
| fused how came you reconeiled TO it2
| A. lie knew / was so, but ] did not he
| know better than / did.
| Up to tho time that Mr.. Pratt violated
me, had never been polluted by man.
The last answer, and the question which
| called it out, was ruled out by the Judge.)
| Examination Continued Mr.. Pratt nc
| knowledged in the presence cf Miss Lloyd
! that the child is his, aud that he had done
! wrong; but did not acknowledge the viola
ton Of my person.
The witness was here allowed 10 retire.
| Mr.. J. r. Robertson sworn / was pres
! ent at the preliminary examination of Mr..
| Pratt before Esq. southgate. Mr. Pratt did
| not make any defence in the examination.
| He suited that she had him in her power.
| The prosecution here closed.
Mrs. Eupheuia Wallsce; / live in Edge
| field, and have known Miss Collins about
nine years, aud her father about the same
time. l would not say her character IS
good.
Albert Boernstein sworn: reside on Mad
ison street, in the 9th ward. was, on the
27th Of March, 1865, at Fort Gillem, but
was most of the time in town. ] was MIR.
Pratt's musician for two years. / always
attended the soirees given by Mr. Pratt. l
was in his hall nearly all the time. / fire.
ouently saw Miss Collins come TO Mr.. Pratt's
| academy. She would stay several hours,
She said she wanted to see Mr.. Pratt 10
| stake private lessons" I generally went
off before the private lessons began. Some
/ times / would get a wink TO 60 out, and /
| went. Miss Collins remarked 10 me that
she didn't want any one to be present dur
| inc the lessons, as she was timid. She
came very often. never knew her 10
come in the night by herself
i Cross exam neus L was musician IN the
army, and was stationed in this city, but
was playing for Mr.. Pratt. Sometimes Mr..
Pratt winked at me 10 leave, and sometimes
Miss Collins did.
Adjourned tll 2P.N. .E--
AFTERNOON SESSION.
The testimony for the defence was re-
sumed.
Geo. Claspill testified that he knew both
| the defendant and prosecutor. Was the
| first scholar of Mr.. Pratt when that gentle
man opened his dancing school. Used to
board with Pratt Saw that Mics Collins
used to run after Pratt so that her conduct
was the subject Of general remark. Before
Pratt opened his dancing school, she used
70 come 10 the machine shop where Pratt
and witness worked, aud in all cases called
| for Pratt. At dancing school she would
generally remain with Pratt after all others
| had gone away. lroicsscd TO be acquainted
with the general character Of Mss Collins.
Knew 10 % be very bad. Engaged 70 take
/ her home from a ball one night. She broke
her engagement and went home with Pratt
Told her one evening that Pratt WAS a mar
ried nan, and had wife living in Peoria,
illinois Knew 81 the time that Pratt was
not married but told her otherwise for the
purpose OF advancing his own interest with
the ady.
Charles Hawiey took the stand, and tes-
tilted that he had a conversation with Miss
Collins, wherein she stated that if she lost
this SUIT, she would get pistol and Kill
T. ~