Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1901-08-08
BLOODY TRAIL DESCRIBED.
Sensational Testimony In the Pratt Habea
Corpus Proceedings.

Corpus Proceedings.
West Chester. Pa, Aug. 6.-Not since the
days of the famous Udderzook murder trial
has the court house hese contained SO many
curious people as it did yesterday. when the
habeas corpus proceedings instituted by the
attorney for William p. Pratt,who is charged
with the murder of his vile, began before
Judge Butler at 10 O'Clock yesterday morn
ing. The courtroom was jammed with a
crowd, who were attracted here from all
parts of the county, and hundreds had to be
turned away from the doors.
Ihe Commonwealth was represented by
District Attorney Baldwin and Alfred Z.
Reid and Thomas W. Pierce appeared for
the defendant.
While the Commonwealth has about 25
witnesses subpRnaed, only q third of them
were heard yesterday. Nearly the entire day
Drs. Cheyney, Patrick, HemphiiI, RothrocS
and ScatterRood. DR.. Patrick s testimony
was p0ssibly the most important, and he
WIS kept on the stand for nearly two hours,
counsel for Pratt putting him through a
severe cross-examinat His story of the
affair was as follows:
"Mrs. Pratt lay upon the floor with her
hair down over her shoulders, all matted
with blood. 1t was impossible to see what
wounds had been inflicted. | took her by
under her body 70 lift hor up. As did SO
some one said: There 10 the knife.
looked down and saw 1t held IN the right
hand but about TO fall ous of the hand.
cHught hold of the hand In order to see the
position of the knife. Atterward / dis
covered the bullet wound In the back of the
head, but it was not sufficient to KILL
The piece of skull WIS then produced, and
the wound and the manner of its infiiction
described.
''How many of the wounds were neces-
sarily fatal?' asked Nj. Reid.
no Il.
the right side was necessarily futal. The
one on the left side, shat interfered with the
iugular vein, would be fatal If lett uncared
for short tine" In answer to questions
as to the amount Of blood found on the
mating, near the head of the body and the
top OF the back stairway, he stated:
II think the total loss OF blood at those
two places must have been sbout pint and
half. My impression is that at each of
those places she either fell down or lay
down. The loss of blood was sufficient to
cause one to faint, most likely
Juuge Butler asked: tWere the smaller
wounds of such nature as to cause con-
tinuous flow of bloUd?,
They we're, y answered the doctor.
How, then, do you account for the fact
that the trial OF blood, from there to the
front stairway was not continuous?" asked
the Judge.
There must have been some effort to stop
the blood, for that trail would have been un-
broken unless something was done to check
1t. The great quantity of blood upon the
body of her dress led me to conclude that it
had been gathered up to staunch the
wounds. "
In response to questions as to the ability
Of Mrs. Pratt to move after being wounded,
he said:
In my opinion, she would have been
able to walk but a short distance after the
worst OF the six wounds ON the left side was
inflicted. She might have walked to the
top OF the front stairs. do not see how she
could have kept up to walk down the stairs.
and yet there were no marks to indicate that
she fell down tho stairs. After the long cut
was made in thu. right side she could neither
walk nor speak. y
Did you rot attend Mrs Pratt for mel
ancholy2n asked MIR. Pierce. 5,74-.-. =.
81 did attend her about year ago and
prescribed for her. She suffered from what
! would call melancholy"
MIR. Pierce" DID you not testify before
the coroner's jury that you had prescribed
for melancholy within three weeks before
her DEATH
DR.. Patrick--"No; / did not. In fact,
did not see her within six months before
her death. stated before the coroner's jury
that William III. Pratt came to my office
for medicine for himself two or three times
within three weeks before Mrs. Pratt's
death.and on one of these occasions referred
to Mrs. Pratt as ILL, and that she was
troubled about that and about financial
matters
The testimony of the other physicians was
corroborative of DIR. Patrick 8 testimony, it
being the opinion OF each one that Mrs.
Pratt could not have fred the bullet that
was found imbedded in her skull.
Other witnesses heard were County Sur
veyor Macdonald, who had made map of
the scene of the tragedy; Mrs. Thomas
Darlington and her two daughters, Alice
and Mary, and Harry S. johnson, all Of
whom were at the house shortly after the
body of Mrs. Pratt was discovered. Mr..
johnson was in the midst of cross -examina-
ton when court adjourned until 10 O'Clock
this morning.