Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1915-03-23
Prescott Pratt Found Guilty Of Murder.
Jury Convicts South Paris Man Of the Unlawful Killing Of
| George w. Davis.
verdict guilty Of murder

lay night at the close Of the trial, the jur
rdict Of guilty Of murder.
{ to the Identification of tho body at tn
r undertaking rooms In South Paris. Iden
Q tiHcation could not be made by the face
3. but was made by marks on one hand ant
/ one foot, and the filling in the teeth.
! he had not seen his brother for abou
year and half.
RI On crosse s-examination Judge Webbe
, asked in regard to the witness knowl
i. edge of his brothers. whereabouts dur
ing the past year and half, and th'
witness said that he had no persona
knowledge regarding 1t. he was POSI-
! tive regarding the Identification.
E. 8. Trefethen of Portland was &C
quainted with George W. Davis, and saw
him frequently during the past summer
driving Ford car.
Witness was shown shawl, and stat
ed that he had frequently seen one exact
ly like 1t used as robe In Mr.. Davis
car.
The number of the license tags or
Davis car was 2441 Maine.
On cross examination witness stated
that he ran public car In Portland dur
ing the past summer. The last time be
saw Davis was during the last part Of
September, but he could not fix the date
He was asked about the color of the seat
covers on the Davis car, and said that
they we're either black or-very dark
color.
DR.. q. L. Bartlett Of Norway, medical
lexaminer for Oxford County, testified
that he performed an autopsy on the
body at Miss Thayer's undertaking
rooms on the 28th of January. The body
was badly decomposed. There were
two bullet holes on the right side of the
head, and the bullets were found 10 the
head. The bullets were produced by
DR.. Bartlett. The bullet wounds were
sufficient to cause death. The bullets
were 80 caliber In the doctors judgment
On cross-examination DR.. Bartlett
stated that the bullets In his recollection
weighed one 10 grains, and the other a
fraction over.
Edgar L. Poore oi Portland, garage
foreman for the Maine Motor Co., was
acquainted with George w. Davis, saw
him frequently during the summer of
1914.
He used to come into my place of busi-
ness to get his car cleaned up.
| Witness identified the robe which had
been introduced as one that he had seen
in Davis car. He also identified piece
| of felt aa ona naad hv Davia
Cross.examinstion: Are you able to
identify that piece OF feltp
Witness stated that be could Identify
it as different from other felts because
this was q second felt"
Hiram Cummings of South Paris was
called to the stand. He stated that he
had boarded at Prescott Pratt's during
the last of the fall.
Who was therep
His mother.
Did she stay there longP
| No.
After she went away who was thereP
Mrs. Cutting.
How long were you therep
don't remember.
When did you leave therep
don't remember.
Where did you 90 from Pratt'sP
came up here.
Did you 60 from Pratt's to the Jail
here?
Yes.
Have you been there ever sincep
Yes.
Did you kill cat for Mrs. CuttingP
Yes.
Did you bury it?
No.
Did you try TOP
Yes.
WhereP
| Under the barn.
What did you seeP
see body.
Did you have any conversation with
Pratt about the bodyp
had lots of talk with him.
Did you say anything to him that day ?
| Yes.
What did he sayP
Told me to shut up, or he'd put me in
the same place.
What did he tell you about this mspp
Said he shot him coming down from
Bethel. he was sitting by the side OF
him, and the other man was running the
car, and he shot him In the head.
Did Pratt talk with you againp
Yes, told me twice that II l told on
him he'd put me in the same place.
Continuing, witness said that he asked
Pratt where be got his gun, and he said
he bounht 1t at Norway, went out and
tried 1t behind the station, and found 1t
worked all right.
Did he say anything about the man
having money!
| No.
A sheet was Identified by Cummings
"a one that he found under the seat Of
the high. automobile. He told
Pratt about 1t and Pratt said nothing.
On examination Cummings said
that be was twenty -four or twenty-tbree
years old; that he could not tell time by
the clock, read or write.
What was 1t Pratt said about buying
the revolverp
Said that while the other man was
buying some cigars, be bought the re-
volver and went and tried 1t.
Did you tell Clara about itP
Yes.
What did you say to her about itp
Told her she'd better tell.
What did she say about itP
Said she'd attend to It.
Did you talk to her frequentlyP
Yes.
About every day?
Yes.
The household arrangements at the
Pratt house we're gone into, and
witness was asked, "Did Clara sleep
with Prescott?" but the question was
excluded. Cummings said that be and
Prescott slept upstairs, and the house:
keeper slept somewhere, he couldn't tell
where.
Mrs. Clara Cutting of South Paris said
that she kept house for Prescott Pratt
from just before Thanksgiving till the
Goth OF January. Hiram came there
about the same time she did.
When were you informed of this body
,oda. tha hsrno