Evening journal., 1901-07-29
SPENDS
DAY In JAIL
Alleged Wife Murderer Keeps
Up His Indifference
WOMAN TELLS OF VISITS
Willie Pratt Says There Vas Blood
on His Fathers Forehead and
Finger Nails

West Chester. Pa. July 29-William
H. Pratt, charged with having muir.
dered his wife. spent yesterday in
Jail His air of stohd Indifference is
still maintained In contrast to his
outward calm was the stormy mood
of the "other woman" Mrs. Nettie
Farrer. She is filled with wrath at
William II. Pratt. and she expressed
her mind with vigor as she sat in her
brothers. parlor In West Market street.
"a man who will tell the lies Pratt
told me ought to be in jail, declared
Mrs. Far-er. with decision. "He has
been coming to see me since last April.
Oh, no. he did not call on me while
my husband was living. 1t is since
have been a widow that received his
attentions. / never would have let
him come had he not assured me his
wife was going TO die. You see,
thought It was all right for him to
come, that being true. He would soon
be a widower anyway.
81 never want to see his face again.
II he killed his wife / certainly hope
he viii get his just deserts. He ought
to be killed exactly the same way he
killed her. II he did it. He always
seemed to want me to think he was
kind to his wife. but he certainly did
convince me that she was about to
die"
Another figure that will occupy a
large place in the Pratt case is that
Of tow-headed little Willie Wise. one
Of the berry pickers on the farm at
the time Mrs. Pratt was killed. Here
is his story
Me and George McGrogan-he's 6
years old-went to Mr. Pratt after
dinner to see II he didn't want some
berries picked Him and Wilbur were
In the yard by the barn when we
found him. He told us to 20 to work.
and we went into the corn field and
picked along the fence. Then we heard
somebody crying UP at Pratts, and we
stopped picking and listened.
There must be somebody hurt up
there, | said to George.
Then we started to the house. We
could still hear the crying as If some
one was hurting. We could hear oh,
papa, papal OH Oh! OH It sounded
like Mrs. Pratt.
Then Mr. Pratt came out of the
house and said: Put the berries on
the bench, boys. and come back to-
morrow, and I'll pay you He said
Mrs. Pratt was sick and he was going
for the doctor
He came to the pump and washed
his hands and face. There was blood
on his forehead, just over the nose.
There was blood all around his finger
nails. He washed the spots of.
He had on his dirty clothes when
he sent us to pick berries When we
came back he had on a better suit.
When we first saw him he wore gray
pants and a dirty white shirt. When
we came in with the berries he wore
black pants and black coat buttoned
tightly. / could not see his shirt.
When we went 70 picl, berries the
horse was not harnessed. When we
came back from the field It was stand
ing, harnessed. He just hitched up
and went away"
George came home wildly excited ="
said Mrs. McGrogan. He was too lit
tie to know what had happened. but
he had an incoherent story about Mrs
Pratts screams and declared the dogs
were killing her. We had had trouble
with dogs and George associated them
with trouble Of any sort"
S. p. Reid, one of the leading attor-
ncys will assist the commonwealth.