The Wilmington daily Republican., 1901-07-27
Are sted on Suspicion.

West Chester, July q. old school
courtesy is responsible for the fact
that William H. Pratt was not ar
rested to-day on suspicion OF having
murdered his wife.
He is under surveillance by a
detective employed by District At
torney Baldwin. and will be arrest
ed tomorrow immediately alter the
funeral OF his wife. That action
on the warrant was deferred IS
due to the intercession OF near rela-
tiycs Of the suspected man. They re.
quested that he be not arrested un-
til after the funeral
To day they were making ar
rangements for the trial. which is
inevitable. !. W. Pierce. one OF the
leading lawyers OF the West ehes.
ter bar, was retained as counsel
for Pratt.
Since the testimony the phys;-
clans at last nights hearing. which
impeled all conversant with the
case to tn ebel,et that the woman
was murdered. facts are continual
ly beirg noted which weaken the
suicide theory.
Because the husband was a
Pratt. and a Pratt representative
of all that is respectable and re-
spected in the town. his statement
was accepted absolutely in the
ber,nniny that his wife committed
suicide.
II is now tairiv we'll agreed that
the wounds in Mrs. Pratt's neck
and hand could not have been made
by the butcher knife found in her
hand. The blade is five and one
half inches long. and as dull as the
back of case.knile. 1T would be
entirely impossible for an extreme
ly stroug person, to say nothing OF
a woman, to cut flesh with this
knife.
1t was also proven by The Nor tn
American correspondent, with
Chief OF Police Jelfries as witness
that 1t would be impossible for
woman to hold the revolver at the
angle necessary TO fire bullet into
the bone back OF the ear as Mrs.
Pratt was shot. The revolver she
used is long and heavy, requiring
great strength Of finger to fire 1t.
It is impossible for woman 20 SO
twist her arm that she could get the
gun in position to fire a bullet back
OF the ear and then snap the finger.
The theory now held is that the
| bullet was fired at Mrs Pratt
she lay on the bed in her room.
After the first shock she rose and
began the cries which were heard
bv her child. When it was found
til at the bullet would not cause
death the knife was used, this, too.
| in frenzy, so that the cries might
be stopped before the child would
come into her presence. Then the
knife was hidden and the old
butcher knife placed IN her dead
hand.
In support to this theory are the
blood marks down the back stair
way and in the cupboard in which
the knife was kept.
One of these marks, seen by the
Jury, was that of a large hand, which
apparently had been dipped in blood
and then held fiat against the wall,
as If for support while going down
stairs. After hearing the lads tes-
timony and making u second trip to
the house as consequence, Deputy
Coroner Paxton remembered this
hand mark and recalled the fact that
it was much too large to have been
made by q woman. lie went back to
the stairway to take second look at
It and found that this one telltale
mark had been washed OIL the wall
although the traces of blood on the
stairway still renamed.
1t is known that Pratt has been
paving devoted attention to a West
| Chester widow for a considerable time
They we're last seen together Sunday
night on Wet Market street, near
her home.
Mr.. Pratt and the widow attended
the circus together few weeks ago
and have been seen frequently by the
townspeople.
1t has been Pratt's custom to make
calls when on his milk route. The
bows have been in the habit OF help.
ing themselves literally to his milk
while he was paying his respects
within the house, to the great delight
of the gosslping feminine portion OF
the ncighborhoud, which was neglect
ing household duties in order tt
time Pratt's visits.