The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-08-16
GIRL CONFESSES ALL
REVEREND PRATHER'S C0NS0RT
GOES BACK ON HIM.


ing Rock Island Train Here Thursda,
Night-Prather has a Number of Is
capade~ at Ell Reno-Was Always a Bad
| Young Man.
Miss Hazel Little, or Miss Blanche
Bruner, of this city was arrested as
she was boarding a night Rock Island
passenger train last Thursday, and
thereby hangs tale, which is told by
the Topeka Capital as follows:
Kansas people will readily recall the
downfall of Rev. Z. L. Prather of Abb
| lene and the subsequent sensational
| trial al Salina, in which all the features
of the crime We're brought out and
placed before the court and the people
proving the guilt of Mr.. Prather beyond
A reasonable doubt. Prather was con-
victed of an unusual and unmentiona-
J bic offense committed on a Union Pacif-
/ &c train during a trip from Kansas City
I to Abilene.
| The principal Witnesses for the pros
/ ecution were the daughters Of a west
! ern Kansas sheriff and a woman from
| Illinois, who were in the car when the
! offense was alleged to have been COM
mitted- The jury in the first trial dis
! agreed IS young woman by the name
| of Blanche Bruner testified that she was
also in the car enroute to her home
in Kansas City and that no such Of
| Tense had been committed. Before the
second trial Miss Bruner disappeared
and the prosecution strengthened its
case by producing court records which
proved that Prather had served a term
in the New York penitentiary for pre-
| n IN 0v.,a of xr,e
claim that his principal witness was
not present. Prather appealed to the
district court after he was sentenced.
His sister who lives In Odessa, Mo-,
came forward with a cash bond Of $3.50
and the minister was released.
Prather had been released from GUS
tody but short time when he filed a
suit against Passenger Conductor Jas.
Fallons of the Union Pacific train upon
which the Offense was alleged to have
been committed, for $1,000 damages
claiming that the charge made in court
by FallOnS was wholly untrue. This
suit was set for hearing at the coming
September term of the court. The case
which Prather appealed from the JUS
tees court was also set for hearing at
the same term Of court.
Attorneys Loomis and Blair of the
Union Pacific legal department deter
mined to discover the whereabouts Of
Blanche Bruner, as they were con-
WINGED that she had committed perju-
~ in the interests OF the reverend
gentleman. They placed the affair in
the hands of S. J. Peterson, a detective
in the employ of the Union Pacific,
with instructions to search the utter
most parts of the earth for the woman
Mr.. Peterson went to work and after
a short tonne secured his first clue at
wichita, where the woman was known
rs Hazel Little. She claimed that her
home was in Augusta At Augusta he
secured information that the woman
was IN Missouri and from here followed
the trail to Colorado and back into
Kansas, finally capturing her at Wich-
ita last Thursday night, just as she
was in the act of entering a west bound
Rock Island train with a travelling
first placed in custody, but the persist
ence of the detective caused her to
break down and she finally told the
whole story.
The story as told by this woman is
full of interest and if true illustrates
the awful depravity of Rev Mr. Pra-
ther. She said that she had first met
Prather a hotel in Wichita where she
was stopping and passing as a dress
maker. She said that Mr.. Prather made
advances 70 her which she welcomed
and appreciated. In fact they both
We're we'll pleased with each other
Prather's attachment was of such a
strong character that il is said
he went to hotel and occupied
room with the woman for three days
and nights. She stated that on subse-
quent occa sions Prather returned to
Wichita and stayed with her.
1t was during these visits that the
story which the woman told at the trial
appears 10 have been concocted. Prath-
er took the position of attorney, as the
story goes. and put her through a rigid
cross-eXamination and was so success
full that she was able to battle all the
attorneys at the Salina trial After
she was prepared for the ordeal of
court proceedings. Prather took the
woman 10 Harrington, she says. and
later 10 Sadina, where she gave her tes-
tlmony. 1t was of such a character
that the result came near clearing the
defendant. She now says that at the
time she swore she was on the train she
was in reality in her hotel in Wichita
Miss Bruner has made an affidavit to
the facts related above and has also
given bond for her appearance AT the
September term of court in which
Prather's trial will take place in case he
does not forfeit the bond.
These atfidavits were received at the
Union Pacific law Offices in this city
yesterday. together with Detective Pet
erson's report of his interesting chase
in search Of the woman.
AS TO Mr.. Prather: After he secured
a deposit of the cash bond OF $3.50 at |
Salina he went TO the Indian Territory |
and sought to engage in his old pro-
fession. the ministry but here again
that unfortunate circumstance. a mans
record. was brought out. One of his
prospective flock wrote to Abilene and |
secured information as To Mr.. Prather's /
past and senSa tional career. When this |
was presented to Prather he again f1ed |
For several weeks nothing has been |
heard Of Prather. Yesterday. however. |
the Union Pacific lawyers in Topeka re- |
ceived a letter from Hurd & Stun |
baugh. the Abilene attorneys. enclosing |
a letter 70 rfem from 4 :. Booton. /
proprietor Of the Caddo hotel at FL /
Reno. q. T., in which sunt-y and divers |
miSdeeds were related as having been
committed there by Rev Prather. The I
authorities IL seems are again anxiotrslv /
for Prather. Among the If |
lenses with which he Is now charged Is
an attempted assault; upon a lady guest
ar the Caddo hotel and the procuring Of |
money under false pretenses from the
proprietor Of the hotel.
An investigation of the case in which !
sIr. PTather appeared AZ Salina does
not apparently satisfy the persons who
are engaged in ferritirS out the circurn-
stances in the case The Union Pacific /
attorneys have secured record Of 1