The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1879-06-05
Searching for Skeletons in Nell Prays
Cellar.

club, after they had been together at the
house of Nell Pray, and then carted the body
around the streets of Portland, the blood drip
ping from the wagon.
Yesterday the mother of Prescott announced
to the counsel of the unfortunate man that
her son had made to her full confession that
he was innocent of the charge brought against
him, and that Nell Pray was the guilty party.
He also intimated that Nell had told him that
another person had been killed and buried in
the cellar OF her house on Canton street. Dep
uties Crowell and Black went to the house and
brought the woman to the station. When the
marshal told her that she was arrested for
keeping house of ill-fame she appeared quite
crest-fallen, but when the Marshal afterwards
said she was held on charge of murder she
replied that she felt better
WHAT COL sCRIBNER SAYS.
reporter of the PRESS visited Col Serb
ner, who was Prescotts counsel, last evening.
He seemed quite surprised that any of the
newspapers knew anything about the matter,
but expressed willingness to tell what he
knew about the matter. He. said that the
mother of Prescott came to him Wednesday
and told him her son had made confession,
and she wanted him to go down to the Jail
with her and hear what he had to say. They
proceeded to the Jail and were admitted to
Prescott's cell. Prescott stated that after
Williams and himself left Tncker's stable, the
night OF the murder, instead of driving about
town, as stated on the trial, they went back to
Nell Pray's. Both were pretty we'll intoxi-
Gated. They went in through the shed to the
door of the house, Williams little in adj
vance. Williams knocked and Nell came to
the door. She told him he could not come in be-
cause she didn't want him round. He replied
that he would go in, and an angry alteration
ensued. AT last Williams struck at her with
his fist and Nell sprang back and seized a club
standing by the door-that she called her pro-
tector-and hit Williams blow on the head
that knocked him senseless. Prescott supposed
he was only stunned and went off to hitch the
horse. When he returned Nell informed him
the job was done. Williams lay on the floor
OF the shed in pool of blood, with his head
all battered in. Nell then made proposition
to Prescott to take charge of the body. First
she wanted him to bury the body in the cellar,
asking him if he had not noticed fearful
odor there, and stating that man was buried
there already. This proposition did not at
first meet his approval. Then she said if he
would take the body away and bury it in the
ocean, and remain faithful to her, that she
would marry him. He then agreed to take
the body out of the city and dump it." He
suggested the barn (where it was stated at the
trial the deed was done) and they wrapped the
remains in quilt. After he left Nell Pray's,
he thought he would take the body to Mrs. Will
iams' house and leave it, but on sober second
thought he took it and buried it where it was
found The club with which the deed was
done was not the one that was found. The
one found was duplicate of a club that Nell
Pray kept at home with which she struck Will
liams and was made of the brass end usually
found on the ends of harness names, with a
tough wooden handle inserted. Since the trial
this duplicate club has been missing.
PREscoTT's MOTHER IS STORY.
A reporter of the PRESS ascertaining that
Prescott's mother was stopping at II Salem
street, made call upon her last night. She
stated that at the trial, when they were wait
ing for the verdict, having been convinced
from the start that her son was innocent, she
observed that there was great anxiety express
ed by Nell Pray to see and talk to Prescott.
Finally, by her appeals to lawyer Frank and
Mr.. Scribner Nell was allowed change. She
walked up to Charles, took him by the hand,
and said 'Be true, hold out to the end and I'm
your friend" Now, said Prescotts mother
why should she say that unless there was. a fear
on her part that my son might implicate her
Cabs AL HTox, ~,lo.
Prescott at the place in the country where she
has been staying, and this letter was shown the
reporter. In it he says 'Mother am almost
crazy. Come as soon as you get this letter,
Nobody knows 1 am innocent of the charge
against me but God in Heaven She came
up to Portland at once and went to the Jail
Tuesday. Her son refused to say a word at
that time Thursday she went again, with
the wife of the man at whose house she is stop
ping in Portland, when he said "even if con-
fessed who did the deed 1 wouldn't be beliey-
ed" Last Tuesday she went again. She sat
ON the bed with Prescott and said to him sNell
Prays husband has got home" At that Pres
colt turned white as as sheet and trembled
like leaf" She then said, "Charles, know
and all who are acquainted with you know,
you never murdered that man. You are going
to prison for life. Do you want to know that
the last words you have told your mother and
sister were lies? Well, I can be as bad as Nell
Pray and will make her believe that am
and get her to tell me the truth He hest
tated few moments and then said Mother,
it was Nell Pray that killed Williams" and
Then repeated the story that Mr.. Scribner had
already told. Prescott said "now mother af-
ter what 1 have told you would not give
cent for my life if Nell Pray knew what had
confessed"
DIGGING FOR THE BODY.
The only point in Prescott's story which was
at all susceptible of immediate confederation or
disproval was the allegation that the body of
man whom Nell Pray had murdered was
buried in the cellar of her house. This point
the officers determined to investigate imme-
diately, so at half-past six o'clock Deputies
Crowell and Black and officer Heath, with two
newspaper reporters, started for Nell Pray's
residence. The officers were armed with
pickaxe and lanterns. The house in question
is situated on Canton street in the midst of
lot OF stables and Sheds and is an old and
rickety affair. 1t is well known to the police
and has not borne an enviable reputation in
the past Little ceremony was needed to gain
admittance. A knock brought Nell Pray's
brother, Mr.. Andrews, to the door, and the Off
GERS and reporters walked in. Inside were
Andrews wife and Nell Pray's child. None
of the inmates but the child manifested any
alarm Or even surprise at the visit. The child
however shouted Justify, thinking that the
visit BODIED harm to its mother. The lanterns
were lighted and the descent made into the
cellar over rickety flight of stairs. The cellar
did not strike one as a very eligible site for
grave yard. In one end of it was an old hogs
head used for a cistern, and in the other an old
well which apparently had not been used for
some time, but as a convenient place to drown
cats in. Broken bricks, pieces of boards and
rusty tin pans were scattered about. Water
was standing in puddles, and unless one step
ped on the boards he was liable to sink over his
shoe tops. The cellar was very small, and five
men pretty well filed it up. In the center was
ridge of earth which looked as if there might