Delaware tribune. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1867-1877, 1867-05-30

| ltlkcu Will Nlfb JUDDbUn. Mr. Irutl cNlnt II
the front door and Mrs. johnson went out Mr.
and Mrs. Pratt went out to the kitchen closed III
| door and remained there some time; Mr. Smit
| came In and said good morning" and asked
the parer-hangers had been there witness toll
him they had been TO work for some time Smitl
one flight of stairs Mr.. Pratt came In from
| kitchen Mrs. Pratt followed him; witness re
marked 10 Mrs. Pratt that Mr.. Smith Ind com
aud Mrs. Pratt replied that she had heard him
then Mr.. Pratt went to tho entry door, haltc,
about a second Mt the end of the setteo, passet
rapidly up stairs Mrs Pratt walked toward III,
mantle, looked worried, clutched her hands theI
passed into the parlor and closed the door !; No
many minutes afterward witness heard some on
| running down stairs, sounded as though severa
were running; witness heard woman scream
heard some one run down the second flight o
stairs, through the entry and out the front door
then Mr.. Pratt opened the entry door, came int
the sitting room, walked toward witness and ex
claimed, Hes ruined my wife He's ruined
my wife My God! What have donel Ny
poor motherI My poor child;" he repeated Iii,
| Inst several times; Mrs. Pratt entered the room
while Mr.. p. was thus cxclalming, and sait
"Joseph what made you do 1t ? it was done with
out q cause, see what temper has brought you
to;'' Mrs. Pratt went 10 tie front door looked
| out, closed the door and came into sitting room
| again; rs soon us Mr.. Pratt made these exclana-
| tions he threw himself on the floor. when Mrs
Pratt came back from front door she went out
broom and asked witness II she would not wash
the blood off the steps and pavement, that " the
whole town was In IN uproar;" witness vent and
did as she was requested when she returned she
did not sec Mrs. Pratt; Mr.. Pratt was lying in
the same position on the floor face downwards
witness then went home and did not return until
the following Wednesday; witness was then
learning dressmaking Mrs. Pratt was dress
maker witness was at Pratt's ON previous Sa-
turday left the house on Monday about 10 o.
nil ff.f lf
Saturday little before O'Clock, A. NJ. Mr. T..
was playing checkers with his son; Mr.. and Mrs.
Pratt then went out together, Mrs. p. to go to
market they returned together between 8 and 0
they sat In the parlor and talked awhile, and then
Mr.. Pratt and his son went out together Pratt
returned about O'Clock In the afternoons sat
and talked TO his wife and witness while the for
mer got his dinner. As he sat down to cat din
ner witness left the house and went home. Smith
was at the house Saturday morning; came little
while after Pratt went away; did not recollect
seeing Pratt before Saturday went to Mrs. Pratt's
TO learn trade on 23d of April about week be-
fore the murder; Mrs. Pratt had expected the
paper-hangers for some time and had the rooms
cleared for them recognized the voice when she
heard the scream ii was Mrs. Pratt's voice; mol
more than ten minutes elapsed between the time
witness saw Mrs. Pratt go into the parlor and the
time that Mr.. Pratt came back to the sitting room
after the running and hescrcam.
Cro6s-examined.--I wns not more than Ii or
20 minutes from the time witness called Mrs.
Pratt from the third story when Mrs johnson
was there, before she came down; witness de-
scribed the position in which she was sitting in
the sitting room; but one window in the room I;
witness sat with her left side to It, her face to-
wards the kitchen door; there were books in the
room Mrs. p. had taken them from the table
and put them on the sewing machine; when Mr.
and Mrs. Pratt came in the room after the ARRAY,
Mrs: Pratt's finger was bloody; saw Mrs. Pratt
on the next Wednesday; her front finger on the
right hand was badly cut; Smith was there on
Thursday or Friday with paper, showed 1t to Mrs.
Pratt and told her to take her choice was there
three or four times that week without paper no
one but witness and Mrs. P. there when Smith
brought paper; Smith and Mrs Pratt went up
stairs to measure the wall for the paper, on
Smiths invitations witness did not know Smith
before she went to live with Mrs. Pntt knew
Mrs. p. for some time had known Mr. Pratt,
but had not seen him for several years,
TESTIMONY OF j. II. GREENMAN-PAPER
HANGER.
Joseph III. Greenman sworn.-Was one of the
paper hangers working at the house on the day
Of the killing; witness worked for his brother.
and did not know of his own knowledge who had
ordered the work done; went to work on Satur-
day, between and O'Clock In the afternoon /;
saw u man about the house; recognized the pris-
oner as the man he had seen while witness was
at work, about half-past o'clock, heard some one
come in front door, go along entry 10 back par
Tor, pause there moment, then como up Stairs
land come in the room where witness was ut work;
II was Pusey Smith Smith said "youn not get
both rooms done, Will you2" witness said he
Smith then said try TO get this one done SO they
can have 1t !" he made some remarks about how
the paper would look and then went out wit
ness stayed later than usual and finished that
room that day, and at about half past helped
Mrs. Pratt down with the table he had used to
stand on while papering.
Went back to the house about half-past T. Mon
day morning, and commenced papering the back
room; about half-past 0 that morning Smith came
In the house and up to the front room; he came
and looked into the back room where witness
and his nephew were az work and made some re-
marks about the paper, then went out into the
entry and witness heard him pass up stairs into
the third story; In two Or three minutes after
wards witness heard a scuflling of feet on the
i0or over head, and then heavy fall which
shook the house; then heard a woman's shrek
accompanied by the words, 6 my God, Joseph
what have you done?" Heard some words be-
fore these, but did not understand them then
heard heavy sootsteps rapidly coming down
stairs witness kicked the door shut the heavy
footsteps were followed by lighter footsteps, and
then some one follow slowly, grooming; the foot
steps he first heard went down both flights of
steps, and witness thinks the person went out of
the house.
Gross examined paperng N. w. corner
of the back room when 1t occurred; house fronts
on 9TH ST., the first house past Jefferson &C. was
to be cut, this takes double the time ii takes to
put on another piece; does not think it could
have been more than three minutes though, from
the time Smith went up stairs to when witness
heard the scu;iie
TESTIMONY OF J. H. aRERNMAN, JR.
Joseph II. Greenman, jr., sworn.-Was work.
Ing with his uncle, at Pratt's house.
This witnesses testimony merely corroborated
that of his uncle. He testified however, to hear
ing the man who came down stairs grooming, ex-
claim, sob! my God"
TESTIMONY OF MRS. LYNoH-A NEIGHBoR.
Mrs Susan Lynch, sworn.-Was sitting in her
house at 9Th and Tatnall Sts., on the morning
Smith was killed; heard man halo; he hal
loed three times before she paid any attention TO
him; first saw him crossing West ST. she at first
thought he was intoxicated, he staggered so
when he saw her he said sob good lady, come
and help me- am dying !" she asked what was
the matter; he sat down on the stone base of
Mr.. Pickles fence and leaned against the iron
fence; she called n baker named Julius Sebo to
help the man, but lie would not go, so she called
Mr.. Rebman Mr.. Rebman and Mr.. Glatts took
him across Tatnall ST. and then took him back to
Rebman's shop; heard the wounded man say,
$40 Pratt done it i" when she first saw the man
he was holding his arm up across his breast, but
when he sat down his arm fell and q great stream
of blood poured out of his sleeve.
MR.. REBMAN's TEsTIMoNy-sMITH's DYING
STATEMENT,
Jacob Rebman sworn.-Had just been to his
house to sec what time 1t was 1t was 20 minutes
before 10 O'Clock Mrs. Lynch called him us
stated by last witness; he saw the man leaning
against Pickles fence, in 9th ST., about opposlte
St. Peters church. In answer TO a remark by
witness the man said, al am stabbed" [The
point was here raised that no dying statements
could be givon until ii had been proved that
Smith was dead; SO the witness was asked the
question: He said 81 know that man Is dead.
He died in my arms" The regular examination
was then proceeded with. The man said, Sc l am
stabbed;'t witness asked who did il; the man
said "Joseph Pratt did IL; he stabbed me with
dirk knife y witness did not then know who the
wounded man was lie said he wanted to be
helped home, that he lived at the Indian Queen
Hotel at 9TH and Market; witness and Joseph
Glatts undertook to help him home, but when
they had crossed Tatnall st. the wounded man
was NOT able to 60 any further, SO they took him
back to the shop and put him on settee; then
sent for doctor; DR.. Treacy came in about five
minutes; they took off Smiths coat and cut his
shirt away to get at the wound; DR.. Treacy held
1t to keep 1t from bleeding any more and said he
could do nothing by himself, to send for more
doctors witness sent for more, and DR.. Draper
came and then doctors Wilson and Porter Smith
said he was sick, and witness was sent for bran
dy; Smith could only drink spoonful they
first laid him on settec and then on the floor;
Smith said he was dying witness gave him some