Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1871-09-29

The Trial OF Pratt---verdict OF the
Jury Not Guilty.
The 8 Of the State OF Iowa Us.
Delorma Pratt, indicted for murder
In the I'd degree, has consumed the
entire time Of the District Court for
this term. The circumstances Of the
crime with which the defendant was
charged il fresh in the memory of
most of our readers, and it Is there
fore unnecessary for US to give more
than a brief synopsis of the evidence.
1t appears that on the evening of
the 18th OF August, 1870, the defend
ants, Pratt's, cattle with others were
In the cornfield of deceased, Frank
McQuade. That on discovering
them, McQusde went to drive them
out. That soon after McQuade
reached the field, he met Pratt
What occurred after that, we will
let the witness introduced relate. 3
The next that..was seen or known
Of either of the parties, was, that
McQuade rushed into the house of
+. l.. Peterson, which Is the nearest
house to the field where the affray
took place, covered with blood and
with his lntestines tprotruding from
. wound In his abdomen, exclaiming:
"Shut the door, shut the door. Pratt
has struck me with q knife, and he
will be in here oil u.s." He was rs.
sisted to a lounge and laid down on
It. A messenger was despatched for
q doctor, and another to his wife,
Mrs. McQuade, on her arrival, found
her husband In the situation above
described. In reply, McQuade said
be did not believe he would live to
get home. That he had bid the chill
dren good bye before he left home.
Directed her as to where she would
find his money and some receipts
That when he went down to the pas
ture after the COWS. he met Pratt /;
that he, McQuade, was trying to put
the cows In the grass pasture until
morning, because he thought he
aught to have damages for his corn.
That Pratt tried to drive them out
through the corn. That they had
some words about It, VIXEN Pratt
drew q knife and cut him.
When the surgeon, DR.. Pierce,
reached the house, he found upon
examination that McQuade had three
wounds on his person: one on his
breast, n On his thigh, and one on
his abomen from which his intes>
tinines protruded. That about two
quarts Of intestines were protruding !;
the wounds on the breast and thigh
were not serious ones. That his face
was bruised and his hands and arms
scratched. The Doctor replaced the
intestines, and closed up the cut, aud
McQuade was removed to his own
residence, where he died some six
days after the infiction of the
wounds. wv. 49,"
The next we hear of Pratt he Is ar
rested near the depot of the L. c. X.
r., about half past ten that night,
on the east side of the river, by MI.
Royce, to whom he stated he met
McQuade down ut the cornfield; that
he attempted to drive the cattle n
way and McQuade another, when
McQuade punched him with an um>
brella and he then drew out his knife
at this point Mr.. Powers informed
Pratt that he was not obliged to make
any statement, when he desisted
from any further explanation. It
was shown that after Pratt returned
from the field, he changed his CLOTH
ing, and that the clothes which he
had on when he started out In the
evening, were found the next day at
Pratt's boarding house, wet and hav-
ing the appearance Of having been
wrung out. That Pratt had but two
marks or bruises OH his person, n
on the side Of his head and the other
O small bruise on his face.
The defence claimed, that IL Pratt
did innict the wounds, he did IL In
self-defence, and to sustain their
claim introduced witnesses who testi-
fed that deceased, some two years
before the ARRAY, told Pratt that he
would get his two hammers on him
yet, at the same time holding up his
clenched fists That In May prior to
the affray, he told one Of the wit
nesses, that IL he got his hands on
Pratt, he would not get away with
out help; and to another, that IL he
and Pratt got into q fight, that one
of them would die. That o few days
before the sad occurrence, he told Mr..
Wilson, that Pratt must not cross
his path and to Ed. Carpenter, that
he would fix or finish Pratt before he
left the State, and several other
threats. A large number Of witnesses
were produced to show defendants
previous good character. Several
were sworn TO show that deceased
was, when under the influence of
liquor, Of q quarrelsome disposition.
Some three or four witnesses were
introduced TO show that deceased was
intoxicated on the evening of the
18th, and q many by the State, 10
show that he was not. a.s aa a.
His presence neal the depot. where
he was arrested, was accounted for,
by q witness who was with him, by
the statement that he wxs looking
for Squire Knspp's house to get a
warrant for McQuade.
The witness Carpenter, who on the
examination testified that he was an
eye witness to the whole ARRAY In
the field, was not sworn on that point
by either party.
We have given but q brief synop-
sis Of the testimony, leaving out
many u~nimportant things on both
sides.
The case has been well and ably
tried on both sides. nothing having