Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1901-08-06
FIGHTING TOR
PRATT'S RELEASE.
AabeaS Corpus Proceedings
Now Being Conducted
COURT WILL ANSWER TO-DAY
Preliminary Hearing in Vest Chester
Murder Case Was Of Dramatic
Interest
COURT WILL ANSWER TO-DAY


habeas corpus.
The hearing proved to be the most
dramatic preliminary arraignment OF
a prisoner in the history Of the Chester
county courts. When the revolver and
knife with which the crime is supposed
to have been committed were produced
as part of the evidence. the crowd in
the courtroom rose and pressed close
to the railing at the enclosure in which
sat the prisoner. his counsel, the dis
trict attorney. and witnesses, 10 get
better view Of the deadly weapons Att
the same time the blood-stainedl
pillow upon which Mrs. Pratt's head
rested when the shot was fired. and the
bloody mating, over which, IL isl
charged, she was dragged to the lower
| floor and placed at the foot OF thei
stairway, were produced and spread
out in full view Of the staring crowd.
Judge Butler threatened 10 clear the
room If order was not restored, and
the men and women standing on the
seats in the rear sat down again. but
the mob in front of the railing did not
recede.
The marks of three bloody finger
tips on a newspaper which covered the
kitchen mantel and the bloody i'm
preston of a hand on the left side Of
the wall leading down the rear stair
way in the Pratt home may aid the
authorities in fixing the guilt OF Mrs.
Pratts death upon her husband. Will
\ liam II. Pratt. These bloody tell-tale
marks. it was learned, were found in
the places designated by Alice Darling
ton, young woman neighbor of the
Pratts, who appeared on the scene of
the tragedy a few minutes after Pratt
3. had told Of his wife's death. This
young woman told Of these impressions
while on the witness stand. Her testi-
mony created a sensation and partially
a showed the strength Of the circumstan-
tai evidence which the State has &C
! cumulated against Pratt.
q Pratt was brought into the room
a by his jailer without attracting very
\ much attention.
Promptly at 10 o'clock Judge Butler
s took his seat, and, addressing Districf
9 Attorney Baldwin, his assistant, Attor.
n ney Reid, and Attorney Pierce for the
o defense, asked: Are you ready for the
p proceedings, gentlemen" The law
I yers nodded yes, and w. A. Mcdonald
e surveyor, was the first witness
N called.
VI
n the place adjoining the Pratt farm, wa!
!. the next witness called. After TELLING
IS how she had been summoned by he
daughter and told that there wa
some trouble at the Pratt house, Mrs
Darlington said she hurried over. an,
on her way met Mr.. Pratt and his sol
driving for a doctor.
l. MY two daughters. Alice and Mary
MI accompanied me to the house." tn
e witness stated. I'VE entered togethe
and separated, my daughters goinl
-, through the hallway, while I wen
: through the parlor, l found Mrs Prat
Il lying at the foot of the stairs, her heal
u resting on her arm. her feet towarl
the open door. She was covered wit
If blood. A large pool was in her lar
d Her hair was loose and partly covere
e her face. I only saw a slight mark OF
\ the neck ] washed the blood from
her left hand and the side Of her face
which was turned up. When / arrives
IL Mrs. Pratt was dead"
le That was in substance Mrs. Darling
toms story. On being cross-examine
Ar she stated that she noticed no disar
II rangement of the dead wOman's cloth
= ing, with the exception in the bach
where her waist was detached iron
her skirt. This was due to the posi-
= ton she lay in.
- Mrs. Darlington's daughter Alic
was then called to the stand Sh
N testified that she heard Pratt CALM
her mother, ait the same time crying
"a My wife committed suicide. She shO
OF herself and cut her throat"
be The young woman repeated the stor
s. of the finding Of the body and of
pool OF blood on the rear stairway
Sc She told of her visit to Mrs. Pratt
,e bedroom and of finding a revolver o.
" the bed.
Returning to the question of weap
IA Ons. Miss Darlington said she locke
~ for knife on the upper floors. but di
1 not find It there. When one of tn
= physicians arrived he assisted in tn
search, and a knife was found LYNN
- under Mrs. Pratt's head the blade ex
y tending outward. On cross-examina
y ton she stated that she noticed n
= disarrangement of the clothing or O
the bed ON which Mrs. Pratt lay
From these questions 70 would seen
ie that the defense will build its case Of
&c the suicide theory setting forth that
murder had been committed struggl
Unjust surely have taken place. signs o
which would have been left on Mrs
) Pratt's person.
q Dr. Mary Cheyney was the fourt
witness. It was she whom Pratt cam
for to look after his wife on the da.
Of the tragedy. and she rode back q
his home in his wagon. She emphat
ically stated that Mrs. Pratt did no
= shoot herself; that she could not hav
done so because of the long pistol an
the location of the wound She nigh
have done so had she been in an cree
position. but while lying down it wa
:. impossible On this point she wa
very clear. and the counsel on bot
sides queried her at length. but in n
iway did she weaken or become con
fused in her theory or evidence in gen