Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1902-05-08

OF opinion. Pratt was IN lall cnarBeu
with aggravated assault upon James |
Anderson, 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 in his
direction. The Pinkerton man talked
with Pratt for some time on this first
visit, and the colored mans answers to
many of his questions were guarded and
ievasive, though he was not questioned
directly in connection with the muir
der 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
seeing colored man cross the branch
on the Collins farm the afternoon OF
the murder saw Pratt in the Jail this
same day and Unidentified him as bear
ing 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
in Georgetown Jail, Sunday, April
9th, concerning which there is such a
wide difference Of opinion. The Pinker-
ton detective, Mr.. De Mayo, was alone
with the colored man for an hour or
more, and after putting him through
severe questioning the prisoner broke
| down and wept bitterly. Sheriff Hart,
Detective Butler and George L. Smith
of Laurel were at the hotel nearby, and
they we're sent for as soon as Pratt
showed signs of weakness, and in the
presence of these two gentlemen 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 find it very diili-
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 circum-
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 secrete himself in tho
Collins carriagehouse, as he said hc
did, and murder Mrs. Ida Collins that
fatal Saturday morning, he would not
have been able to give many OF the de-
tails he did in making 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, his hearers
stated, with a certain satisfaction IN
being able to clear his mind and his
conscience. He stated that he rode to
the Collins farm on his wheel the even,
ing before the murder and went to the
carriagehouse to spend the night. He
climbed into the carriage and there
slept until about o'clock Saturday
morning. He saw someone CevidentlS
Mr.. Collins, for the negro did not know
him by sight hitch il gray horse to {
dearborn, put plow into the dearborn
and calling his two children, start TO
/ the field, after telling Mrs. Collins tt
bring the money and the tomato seet
, to him as soon as she finished th'
/, housework. Then, Pratt stated, thl
devil put it into his head to secure
that money. In very short time tn
i woman came into the carriagehous
!, with some eggs to set hen. Sh
a siemed startled at seeing him in tn
. carriage and asked him what he wa
|, doing there. Pratt told her that h
a had simply been sleeping there owe
: night, and meant no harm, and Mrs
i Collins answered that her husband di
y not like anyone sleeping about tn
!, buildings, as there was always DANCE
= of setting something on fire by matches
=, Then, Pratt continued, she ordered hir
q away, and as he alighted from the car
n riage he picked up an iron bar lyin
n nearby and struck the woman with i,
r She fell to the ground at the fourt
r blow, and then Pratt stated that he de
a liberately cut her throat with pocket
y knife which he carried. He said tina
q he found the money in the stocking {
! the murdered woman, which he apprc
H priated before leaving the scene of tn
z murder.
IS This is the substance of Pratt's cor
n fession. If the negro did not tell tn
IS truth, and was simply frightened int
j telling the story, as many believe, it
one of the most remarkable confession
in the criminal annals of this State, fc
in his story of the crime Pratt mer
toned. details which no person nc
j.. acquainted with the scene and circun
=, stances surrounding the case coul
possibly have known. He told til
! officers that the carriage in which
4 y slept was on the left hand side of til
,s door upon entering the carriagehous
i and that the horse which Mr.. Collin
- put to his dearborn that morning W;
a a gray one. He was not coached I'M
~ this, but expressed these particul;
- points of his own free will. He tol
20 of finding the money in the woman
~ stocking and told of what denominatic
to ~ the bills were. No one has yet venture
W to explain how this man could ha'
40 entered into these details Vi he VI
is speaking falsely and without know
- - edge of the facts: and locked in a &C
" ~ in the old Georgetown jail there is !
ne known way by which Pratt could ha'
a' % learned these little details of the erin
~ which tit so exactly into the circur
+ stances that actually surrounded Il
an case.
n After the negro had told the story
as his flight, and how he had thrown Il
he bloody knife in the mill race al
m buried tine money and the sleeve of h
10 bloody shirt in the woods the ne
be step was to verify the story by takil
nd him to the Collins farm, The tv
be- Pinkerton men, Sheriff Hart and Georl
ey E. Smith drove with the prisoner tn
v. afternoon to the scene of the murde
r. taking circuitous route in order
nv escape the crowd at Laurel, and wi
s. the hope of having as few people
e. possible to attract the attention of Il
he prisoner But long before the office
ey reached the Collins place the people
er Laurel had word of the confesslo
I" and when the sheriff and his col
nd panions reached the Collins farm Il
C. crowd of the 'idly curious had begl
in to arrive. Pratt was taken to +
at carriagehouse first, and from there Il
a ha hn h1OnIp "a n f..