The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1902-02-05
PRATT WEPT
DURING TRIAL.

line the case lie proposes to prove
against him in the charge Of wife
murder.
Pratt sat with his head bowed dur.
ing the half hour the prosecutor con
sumed at the opening OF court. From
the bmoyancy displayed when he first
entered the room his demcauol
changed to one OF detection.
lie seemed to follow each word
uttered by the attorney with feel
ing akin to fear and dread Of what is
to come.
Ills counsel are in fear lest lie give
way before the case goes to the jury.
Contrasted with his condition is
that Of Mrs. Nettie Farra, the young
widow Of whom Pratt is said to have
been enamored, and desired to marry
as soon as his wife died,
She was CONSPICUOUS in an array OF
furs, feathers and velvet gown Of a
deep blue, trimmed with white lace.
A large picture hat OF white straw,
covered with brown velvet ribbons
and overtopped by large ostrich
feather, constituted the most strik-
ing raiment OF any woman in the
crowded courtroom. She turned and
moved slightly in her seat. but just
enough to cause her diamond ear
rings to CLEAN and sparkle,
She seems well prepared for the
ordeal SHE realizes she must undergo
while on the witness stand. She sat
not far from Pratt
Hundreds who wanted to witness
the trial were disappointed to day af-
ter standing for hours in the crowded
corridors Of the court house and at
the entrance to the building. Big
policemen guarded every entrlnce
and held back the crowd With the
first rush for seats at the opening the
court room was filled. Then the
doors were bolted
AS spectacular event, the Pratt
trial Is worth the while fighting for
admission, for those who would see
Mrs, Pratt's skull, the bIood-spatter.
cd pillow, the garments she wore
when she died gasping for breath
of life when blood flowed from knife
gashes in her neck and bullet hoes in
her head.
Then there Is miniature model Of
the frame house in which the Pratts
lived; the bedroom and a model bed,
with bedding ard covers just as they
were when Mrs. Pratt lay upon them
and left the tell.lale blood marks.
District Attorney Baldwin. in out
lining the case of the Commonwealth
viewed the incidents Of finding Mrs.
Pratt S body: Of the action of the nc.
cuHed after the neighbors arrived aud
Of conflicting statements, concluding
WITH the declarations:
"While it is not incumbent upon
the Commonwealth to show motive
for the crime, we will show to you:
THAT the will of Emma II. Pratt
bcqueathed all her property to the
accused husband.
THAT the relations of this defend
ant with another woman in this town
we're such as to constitute a motive
for the crime.
THAT we claim the facts present.
ed are such that this could not be
case of suicide and that it was mur-
der.'
-Four witnesses were heard up un.
til adjournment at clock tonight
The Cor monwealth has twenty-four
more 10 call, and the defense about
hail II many. They have agreed to
have no night sessions.
Mrs, Thomas Darlington a neigh
Dor of Pratt's was called. The testi-
mony ofan absent daughter was read
and another who took the stand late
in the day reviewed the conditions
surrounding the finding Of the body
Of Mrs. Pratt.
Mrs. Thomas Darlington, a neigh
Dor. told how she had been summoned
by Pratt, when his wife lay dying.
Her testimony was the same as that
Of her daughter, Alice Darlington,
as follows:
IL think | was the first person to
enter the house. With my mother
ard sister, We found Mrs Pratt lying
on her right side at the foot of the
front stairs. There was blood on her
face and clothing, on her hands, on
the floor and the first three steps.
81 went through the house and saw
a trail Of blood to the rear upstairs
room, and on the mating on
the floor and at the head of
the stairs leading to the dining room.
The bed in the rear room had been
lain upon and there was big clot of
blood on the pillow. A pistol lay up
on the bed considerably below the
pillow. toward the middle of the bed
IL passed through the house in
company with DR.. Mary Cheyney.
We saw blood marks on the paper of
the wall There were drops of blood
on the dining room floor and on the
paper on one of the shelves in the
kitchen cupboard.
Or. Cheyney testified TO finding
the knife held loosely in the right
hand of the dead woman. When the
body was raised the knife fell IRON the
hand.
Witness said Pratt told her'his wife
committed suicide.
O"Whcn Pratt told me he had been
pulling Weeds" continued the wit
ness, 81 noticed he had very clean
shirt, contrasting with his old work
ing suit. "
LawyertlIayes for the defense argu-
ed that Mr.. Pratt could not have
walked TO where she was found if she !.
lost six pints of blood, as DR.. IChcyncy ,
stated, after her throat was cut.
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