The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-08-03
CHASTITY DISCOVERY.

Miss Edwina NJ Pratt, a Hartford
Teacher, Found Dead,
Essex, Aug. 2.-This village has beer
thrown into state of excitement by
the discovery this morning at 8 O'Clock
of the dead body of Miss Edwina M
Pratt in her room in the Peterson house
at the south end Of the village. The
body was very much decomposed when
found and the features were barely rec
ognizable. A special to the Hartford
Times says:
Miss Pratt occupied a room in the
house rented by David Peterson. The
house was owned jointly by Miss Pratt
and her brother, Abraham Pratt, who
is a carpenter living in Hartford. Mr..
Peterson rented the house from the
Pratts, and the dead woman occupied
room in it for the summer. She took
her, meals at the house of L. H. Parker
in the village. The Petersons last saw
Miss Pratt on Thursday evening Of last
week, when she passed through the
house on the way to her room. She
seemed to be in her ordinary health and
there seemed to be nothing in her con-
dition to indicate that she was suffer
ing from any trouble, mental or physi-
cal. The ePtersons were not alarmed at
her absence as it was not unusual for
her to stay away from the house for
several days, visiting friends in the
neighborhood.
For the past two or three DAYS the
Petersons noticed a strong odor in
their house which they could not ac-
count for. They made every effort to
find the cause of it, but without success
1t was sickening, nauseating odor
This morning the odor became worse
and more tolerable than before. Mrs
Peterson went through the house into
every room tracing the odor to its
source. When she came to the door of
Miss Pratt's room she noticed the odor
more strongly than In any other part of
the house. She raped at the door and
called Miss Pratt She received no
answer and Miss Pratt's silence alarmed
her Mrs. Peterson forced the door
open and discovered the dead body Of
Miss Pratt on the bed Decomposition
had set in. Mrs. Peterson was unable
to stay in the room owing to the sick
ening odor that came from the body.
The Petersons took immediate steps
to notify the authorities of the CHASTITY
discovery in the room. Dr. Hubbard,
the medical examiner of the town, was
absent on his vacation, and DR.. Shaffer
was called in to see the body in his alb
sence.
After examining the body and making
an inquiry into the circumstances, DIR.
Shaffer gave it as his opinion that Miss
Pratt committed suicide by taking
chloroform. This afternoon the body
will be viewed by DR.. Granniss, the
medical examiner of Old Saybrook, af-
ter which it will be inferred.
Miss Pratt as the daughter of the late
Ogden Pratt of Essex. She was born in
that town and received her educatio in
the schools there. Her father was a
prominent builder and one Of the most
highly respected citizens Of Essex. He
died a few years ago. Miss Pratt for
nine or ten years was a teacher in the
Arsenal school in Hartford She was a
very popular teacher. and in her chos-
en- profession had been very successful.
She taught in room up to the close of
last term. Before leaving Hartford for
her old home in Essex she and the 9th
err teachers in the Arsenal school had a
friendly talk on the changes in the To- |