Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1902-05-10


is one of the most remarkable confess
sions in the criminal annals of this
State. for i'll his story of the crime
Pratt mentioned details which no per-
son not acquainted with the scence and
circumstances surrounding the case
could possibly have known. He told
the officers that the carriage in which
he slept was OH the left hand side of the
door upon entering the carriagehouse
and that the horse which Mr.. Collins
put to his dearborn that morning was
a gray one. He was not coached into
this but expressed these particular points
of his own free will He told of finding
the money i'll the woman 5 stocking and
told of what denomination the bills
were. No one has yet ventured to ex-
plain how this man could have entered
into these details if he was speaking
falsely and without knowledge of the
facts; and locked in a cell i'll the old
Georgetown Jail there is no known way
~ w itNt tuCsC
little details of the crime which fit so
exactly into the circumstances that act
ually surrounded the case.
After the negro had told the story of
his flight. and how he had thrown the
bloody knife in the mill race and buried
the money and the sleeve of his bloody
oh Irf Il ftN.a -fnW.
to verify the story by taking him to the
Collins farm. The two Pinkerton men,
Sheriff Hart and George +. Smith drove
with the prisoner that afternoon to the
scene of the murder, taking a circuitous
route in order to escape the crowd at
Laurel. and with the hope of having as
few people as possible to attract the at
tention of the prisoner. But long before
the officers reached the Collins place the
people at Laurel had word of the con-
fession, and when the sheriff and his
companions reached the Collins farm
the crowd of the idly curious" had be-
gun to arrive. Pratt was taken to the
carriagehouse first, and from there led
the way over the bloody barnyard fence,
and OH down to the woods where he
said he had gone after the murder and
hidden the money and other articles.
The path led along the wood for con-
siderable distance and Pratt walked
along in the lead, handcuffed, and ap-
parcntly trying to locate the spot where
the articles had been hidden. From the
moment he had broken down in the
Jail, while he was giving his statement
of the crime. during his l9-mile drive to
the scene and up to that time, he had
shown, so the sheriff and those with
him state, not the least evidence of being
the demented being which some claim
that he is. But now, when the crowd
of sight-seers began to gather about. the
manner of the prisoner changed COM
pletely, and he asked what he had been
brought there for. and feigned the most
astonishing ignorance of the crime i'll
any way. The detectives aud sheriff were
of course nonplussed, and those in the
crowd who believed i'll the guilt of Ell
mer Collins shook their heads, and were
more firmly convinced than ever that
they were right in their suspicious.
From this time on, during his hear
ing before the magistrate ut Laurel, and
until he was in his cell at Georgetown
Jail again, Pratt assumed the role of
the crazy man which he is said to have
played at various times before.
PRATT's BAD RECORD
When man gets into trouble with
the law. one of the very best things he
can have come to his aid is clean re-
cord in the years gone by. 1t is very
unfortunate for William Pratt to day,
be he guilty or innocent of this crime,
that his past record is against him. He
acknowledges having been in Jail on ut
least four previous occasions, and that
he had been at liberty but few weeks
when he was again arrested for the AS
Sduit upon AlueFSOu tnc MOulty dIGeT-
noon after the Collins murder. Mr.
Anderson had employed Pratt at various
times. Charged with the theft of Il bi-
cycle recently. Pratt blamed Mr.. An
derson for having given information
against him and threatened to get even.
On this Monday afternoon Anderson
was burning brush when Pratt came
along. The negro had left a bicycle
which he was riding. i'll the road near
by, and came over to Anderson, carry
ing in his hands long stick or rake
handle. After calling the attention of
the farmer to soure object in the field,
Pratt struck him twice with the stick.
once on the hand, and again ON the
head, the last blow knocking Anderson
down and dazing him. A neighbor III
nearby field heard Anderson cry out
as the ass;iilant struck at him the sec
ond time. and hurried To the spot, but