Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1875-09-19
HIS SEVENTH WIFE.

]
Lesn, took her to Salt Lake City, and
| made AeT
HIS SEVENTH WIFE.
! So great was the shock TO her husband
/ that il almost unsettled his reason. He
/ went to New Orleans, taking his chill
/ dTen there TO his father-in-lew, and
/ then returned 10 San Francisco and re-
/ sumed his business. What was his suI-
! prize to learn that Pratt and Mrs.
M'Lean had lef5 Salt Lake, aud were
| trying 10 suesl his children, and, later,
that they had accomplished their pur-
pose. M'Lsan then set out to hunt up
! the abductcr and recover his children.
Re gave no his lucrative business and
started fJ- New York There he learned
that Pratt vyas in The city, but he could
not be found. A few days later he
learned by Telegraph that Pratt was in
81, Louis, and ne staIJsd Immediately
for that city; but 50 well did the old
scoundIel cover his tracks that no trace
Of him could be found. M'Lean then
went to New OIlesns, aud there learned
that his wife and chiidran were in the
northern part Of Texas, with large
caravan about to start for Salt Lake. de
went to Texas, and there
addressed to Mrs. 2. z. Parker, and
written by cid Pratt in peculiar cypher,
which ne had to study long time be-
fore he could read it. These letters pro-
posed TO meet Mr.. Parker at or near
Fort Gibson, iu the Cherokee Nation.
Mr.. M'Lean returned dispirited 90 his
father. fn-isW's in New Orleans, and
cgnIIuted 10 give up the chase. ResOiv-
ing, hyWeveT, to make one further etfJltr
he started up the Arkansas river under
the assumed name OF Johnson. Arriving
at Fort GiD-on, he told his story in con-
fidsnco tO the officers there, and they af-
forGed him every facility to trap the
seducer. In this he WAS succes III, fret
getting possession Of his wife and chill
dren. Having Pratt, as he thought, in
the hands Cf tlG law, he attempted no
violence Oh him, but had him taken TO
Van Buren, Arkansas, for trial before
the United States cOWt, As there was
no United States law by which Al ab-
GuCtOr could be punished, charge was
made against Prat. Of
STEALING THE CLOTHING
of the wife and children when he ab-
Quoted them. This charge, however,
would TO. stand. Pratt was tried be-
fore Judge John 3. Ogden, and there
WAS great excitement about him. When
Mr.. M'Lesn related his grievances on
the Witness-stand, and read the clandes-
tine correspondence between Pratt and
bis wifi, there was scarcely q dry eye in
the cOuItIOom, Then, when lie began
u understand tha. there was no law for
the redress Of his wIongs, and that it
was pIObable the old sCoundrei would be
released, he became 50 excited that he
attempted 10 shoot Pratt oa the spot, in
ia the presence Of the court. Il was st
this time that the writer made
M'Lean's acquaintance. He caught
hold Of M'Lean, and stayed his arm as
he was about to shoot, and told him that
be must take + o advantage OF man in
custody. This led to
Il STATEMENT OF ALL THE FACTS
Of the case TO me. Had there 0een at
that time any mob law in arkansas,
FE4-. would have been summaTiIy
hanged, so eEasperatGd were the citi-
gs. Having, LOWaver, more TeapeCt
for the UUi.eJ States authorities tnan
they might have hsG for the States, no
outrage was committed. The court put
he casa of for day, and had Pratt re-
leased early in ths morning 60 that he
miglt escape, and he Immediately lett
town on horseback. When M'Lean snd
his friends found tlis Cus they started in
pursuit. On nay arrival il Van Buren,
thst morning, | was informed tlat a
fOOtmaa had jus, come in, who had met
Prstt and M'Lesn within six hundred
yards of each other Some half dozen
or TC ore Cf Us started Out TO see what had
happened. Eve or six miles out we met
M'Lean, vino said ne had not feen Pratt.
While returning with Us, he b5 gan fol-
lowing re track Of q horse across an-
other Tosd. Myself and another gentle
man accompanied him, not knowing
but that We y re ffliGHipE the track Of
one Of cur men. We followed patty
rapidly ultil when about eiGh, ur ten
miles from Van Buren,, we got sight Of
8 man aheEd. Ehe writer Dsing in ad-
vance, put spurs to his horse TO see
whether it vas Pratt, and 10 get away
from the expected TeIcODtTe. M'Lean
followed rapidly, s'4i Immediately after
the writer pa'seu Pratt (for it was hel, a
pistol ball came Wi EZGg by his head,
and he thought il best to get out Of the
road. On lOokiug lack, | saw two horse
men going rsuiuly through the woods
and bushes, heard the discharge Of fire.
arms, snd s4w the smoke Of the powder.
ID q sholt .ime, all was stjII, and ven-
tured to Z, turn by the road. What was
my sUr rise to find that, at the point or
tlercabOuts where the fir.t firing began,
b { NJ 'Lsan and Pratt were dismount- |
Gd and engaged in
a HAND-TO. HAND FIGHT.
! rode right up, and In q moment or |
so M'Lean seemed suddenly to recOllect |
that he had another pistol. for he step |
ped back and drew OnP and fired ap- |
paTently right into the body of Pratt, |
who soon fell. Then M'Lean made 8 |
motion as if 10 draw knife, and | rode |
off and found the gentleman whom We |
left behind. Presently M'Lean joined |!
US, and finding that he had dropped his |
DerringeT pistol, he got pistol of one
Of us, and returned TO Pratt to pick up
his. We v ere astoDishrd at hearing an
other report of q pistol. M'LeaD, when
he returned, said he found the "Oid
scOuutfel" sitting up, leaning on his
elbow, and he put pistol to his head
AID suOt him. He WIS not struck by a
pistol ball at all, but was killed With a
knife. De lived long enough to send to
town for MIS-. M'Lesn tOg and see him.
Mr. M'Lsan left here Win his children,
feeling that he had done no more than
was night, and in this the community
were with him. Mrs. M'Lean was sent
to 5 lunatic asylum. The above was the
Whole cause Of the Mountain Meadow
ni assSc.g. sEBAsTlAE.