Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1902-05-03
THE COLLINS MURDERER.
VIM. Pratt, ColOred, First Admits
then Denies his Guilt.

then Denies his Guilt.
Sunday morning two detectives inter
viewed William Wyatt Pratt. colored,
who was lodged in Jail charged with
committing an assault upon William
Anderson, residing near Delmar, on the
Monday following the murder of Mrs
Ada Collins.
After interviewing the negro for half
an hour the latter confessed the murder
of Mrs. Collins, telling the detectives
that he killed the woman in the car
riage house and then threw the large
iron bar behind the berry crates. He
accompanied the two detectives and
scene of the murder. He showed the
exact spot where the iron bar was hid
and also took the detectives along the
branch where he was seen by the two
boys. crossing the stream, to locate the
spot where he had buried the money
after killing the woman, but said he
SOuiN hOt CAdOtAy AAild tiiC pAstOO.
He says positively that he did the
killing. and understands full well the
consequences which will follow his con-
viction. He was carried to Laurel about
6 o'clock in the afternoon and taken to
the Office of Squire Hearne, where an
affidavit was sworn out by the father of
Mrs. Collins charging Pratt with the
murder. He was then taken back to
Georgetown and locked in Jail in that
place.
The Gay after the above was in
type Pratt changed his mind and now
says: "They forced me to tell a lie.
They kept talking to me and made
me tell the lie. l told them l had
never killed the woman and had never
seen her. / told the detectives if they
wanted to kill me to go ahead and do
it,"
Pratt, who has several aliases, is now
believed by nearly all who see him to be
of unsound mind.
Detectives Mayo and Butler later en-
tered the negro's cell in the county Jail
and in the presence of Sheriff Peter J.
Hart and Postmaster George +. Smith,
of Laurel, they suggested detail after
detail of the crime, plying Pratt with
questions as to whether he killed the
woman to get the $50 she had. When
the negro grew listless one of the de-
tectivcs would wrench him sharply by
the arm and the other would press his
chin upward until he was forced to stare
the detectives in the face and make
some sort of answer.
After he had answered some of the
questions the confession was prepared
and Magistrate said that as the state
ment was read over to the negro, SELL
tence by sentence, he acknowledge it
was correct His mark was witnessed
by Postmaster Smith and Sheriff Hart
Then. handcuffed, the negro was taken
81 miles over the country to the Collins
home, where he was further pressed
for details of the crime.
Many think there is more i'll the con-
fession than would appear. and that
the negro may be shamming.
Ex- Attorney General Robert @. White
counsel for Elmer Collins, said he is
satisfied that Pratt killed Mrs. Collins.
1.-THE confession" he continued, is
simply the wool that is to fill in the
warp. If one sheep has been slain and
lion is ut large in the field you natur
ally suspect that the lion has slaughtered
the sheep. We will produce five wit.
nesses to prove that the negro was at
Portsville the Friday night preceding
the Saturday ON which Mrs. Collins was
found murdered, and the Plnkertons
have other evidence which is just as
discriminating.
The detectives have returned to Phil
adelphia. Postmaster Smith went to
Newark with a stained coat and shirt
with stains resembling blood on one
sleeve, which were worn by Pratt at
the time of his arrest. These articles
were submitted to the State chemist at
Newark to determine whether the
stains were made by human blood.
The detectives have the shoes worn by
Pratt, which, they say, fit exactly in
the tracks leading from the Collins
house to the thicket 300 yards away. 1t
is reported that the detectives dug up
some bloody clothing near this thicket.
Pratt says he served four years in pris-
from the Baltimore prison. he says he
went to the home of cousin, Emma
Jane Butcher, at kenton, Del, and