Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1905-06-30
Saturday with Persine. hl't ! had to
have a black dress and suitable black

HAT.
"Persing needed new black suit,
and altho / am sure he did not think
of it then, it looks bad now.
YES, l did purchase some arsenic
at Yetter. Last Thursday / secured
it at the McMickle drug store and
signed the register for it in his pres
ence. | purchased it to kill mice, which
were causing great annoyance in the
house. l spread 1t on bread and scat
tered it thruout the house. Later l
burned the bread that was left, also
the box.
II was married to Pratt Nov. 9.
1902, and always found him a kind,
lovable husband. My folks now live
at Every, in Dickinson county"
Mrs. Pratt stated that she knew that
the stomach Of her husband had been
sent to Des Moines for analysis but
she claimed to have no fear OF the
investigation.
EARLY Saturday morning Persllg in
auired at the Bank of Yetter regard
ing Pratt's financial affairs and life in
surance. The couple then came to
Lake City to buy the burial clothing
for Pratt altho AN uncle, Hold" Pratt
strenuously protested against this
procedure and desired to make the trip
himself. 1t is stated positively that
Persing and Mrs. Pratt were together
constantly after the death of Pratt UNI
til the arrest of Persing Monday
The funeral was to have been Mon
day at 10 o'clock.
1t is stated on good authority that
barber from Auburn was called to
shave Pratt before the funeral and
that while he was lathering one side
of his face, greenish matter oozed out
of the pores of the skin, whereupon he
stopped at once and refused to proceed,
stating that sit was rank poison 1t
was this that first alarmed the minis
ter, who at once communicated with
the sheriff.
A short service was to be held at the
house, but when the moment came
when the minister should open the
services, he startled the assembled
crowd by announcing that the funeral
would not be held, pending an inquest
and investigation. At this Mrs. Pratt
showed no surprise, although PersinS
WAS much taken back.
AT this point in the events, County
Attorney M. e. Hutchinson called Per-
sing to him and asked him point blank
about poison being in the house. Per-
sing strenuously denied, saying: I'VE
have never had any poison in the
house. 1t was impossible for Pratt
to get poison. We were all afraid of
it, There has been none in the house
for years" Persing began working
at Pratts this spring
Sheriff Riseley stated yesterday in
Lake City that Mrs. Pratt created quite
a scene when he arrested Persing and
started to take him away, demanding
vehemently under what right was he
taking that man away from the farm"
The sheriff left a man in charge OF the
place. He said yesterday that he un-
derstood that an attempt was made to
drive him off the farm, but that the
man was in communications with the
sheriff's office by telephone and any
trouble would be quickly reported.
Persing stated to Sheriff Riseley:
IF they find poison was given Pratt.
some one else did it. l swear before
God that am innocent"
1t is hoped by the authorities that
he knows anything discriminating will
tell his story.
The coroner's inquest will be COM
pleted today although it had been
thought that it would be done yester-
day. However, the chemists report
has not yet been received.
AT the. autopsy it was found that the
intestines of Pratt We're greatly in
famed, such as would have been caus-
ed by virulent poison. This corrob
crates the opinions of all the physi-
clans who waited upon Pratt. that
Pratt showed symptoms of slow pois
oning.
Pratts mother is Frustrated over the
affair, while the feeling among the
neighbors and residents Of Yetter runs
very high.
Edgar Uhl, Jr.. gave himself up to