Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1902-05-10
Crcunstania Evidence that Tends to Corroborate the
Confession of the Negro, William Pra-Nothing Against
the Husband That Can Be Called Evidence. .


world to lose. There is one thing his
enemies cannot say against him. and it
is a very good thing too. No one has
yet pretended to say that Collins was a
drinking man. He was seen about the
hotels of the town and il is said that he
was never inside hotel i'll his life,
even t, take meal.
At the Collins hearing in Georgetown
on Friday. April 25th. Detective w. G..
Butler first saw William Pratt. alias
William Waite, the negro who has since
become such an important factor in the
case. and about whose subsequent con-
fession there is such wide difference
of opinion. Pratt was in Jail charged
with aggravated assault upon James
Anderson, a farmer of near Delmar. for
whom he had worked, and it was owing
to the rumor that he had been seen
around Laurel the evening before the
murder that suspicion pointed i'll his
direction. The Pinkerton man talked
with Pratt for sometime on this first visit
and the colored mans answers to many
of his questions were guarded and
evasive. though he was not questioned
directly in connection with the murder.
The detective found Pratt's coat under
his cot in the cell. and there was blood
upon the end of the right sleeve. Two
boys from Laurel who had told of see-
ing colored man cross the branch on
the Collins farm the afternoon of the
murder saw Pratt i'm the Jail this same
day and identified him as bearing very
close resemblance to the man they had
seen crossing the branch. Afterward
when Pratt was taken to the Collins
farm, Sunday afternoon, by Sheriff
Hart and the detectives. the boys again
stated that he was the stranger they
had seen.
THE NEGRo's CONFESSION.
Now, as to Pratt's alleged confession
i'll Georgetown Jail, Sunday, April 27th
concerning which there is such wide
difference of opinion. The Pinkerton
detective. Mr.. De Mayo. who was alone
with the colored man for an hour or
more. and after putting him through a
severe questioning the prisoner broke
down and wept bitterly. Sheriff Hart,
Detective Butler and George +. Smith
of Laurel were at the hotel nearby, and
they were sent for as soon as Pratt
showed signs of weakness. and IN the
presence of these two gentleman and
Detective Butler, the negro made the
confession.
There are some important points in
connection with this confession which
have not heretofore been made known,
and which those, who believe in the
negro's innocence will:fnd it very diff
cult to explain away. There are those
who say that Pratt is demented and
that he was frightened into making the
alleged confession. Under some circun-
stances this might be true. But it does
not seem within the bounds of reason,
and surely is not, that if William Pratt
did not secrcte himself i'll the Collins
carriagehouse, as he said he did, and
murder Mrs. Ida Collins that fatal Sat
urday, he would not have been able to
give many of the details he did in max
ing his confession. There was not the
least evidence of an unbalanced mind
when Pratt faced the trio in his cell
that Sunday morning and told what he
knew of the murder. He talked freely.
and hearers stated with certain salts
faction i'll being able to clear his mind
and his conscience. He stated that he
rode to the Collins farm on his wheel
the evening before the murder, and
went to the carriagehouse to spend the
night. He climbed into ths carriage
and there slept until about O'Clock Sat
urday morning. He saw someone levi
IDENTITY Mr. Collins, for the negro did
not know him by sight) hitch "A gray
horse tn dearborn, put plow into
rem start for the field, after telling Mrs
Collins to bring the money and the to-
mato seed to him as soon as she finished
the housework. Then, Pratt stated
the devil put it in head to secure that
money. In very short time the wo-
man came into the carriagehouse with
some eggs to set a hen. She SEEM
ed startled at seeing him in the carriage
and asked him what he was doing in
there. Pratt told her that he had sim.
ply been sleeping there over night, and
meant no harm, and Mrs. Collins an
swered that her husband did not like
anyone sleeping about the buildings. as
there was always danger in setting some
thing on fire by matches. Then, Pratt
continued, she ordered him away, aud
as he got out of the carriage he picked
up an iron bar lying nearby and struck
the woman with it. She fell to the
ground at the fourth blow, and then
Pratt stated that he deliberately cut
her throat with pocket knife which
he carried He said that he found the
money in the stocking of the murdered
woman, which hc appropriated before
leaving the scene of the murder.