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1heErwin Craighead’s Scrap BookBy FRANK CRAIGHEADAccident Deprives Mobile Of a Bnanen Leadered11-iyvec-ne,r»inigntbeige-11,1crsrs*1heatxln-orinrsisesofmh-in en n-in •d, ez T. C. se n-n, II-e-ht,alo-J.rs.ar,ckcklel)SSim*1rr.unfiiy,LinellLT-ge na)r.,rs.r-g-rs.ir-m-ig.lie,lertins,rs.tie,w.p.te,lt.M.nns-a,rs.il11-ndgere:aeimEl-7),ICOon17,si,:rs.[‘o-royin-on,ig-er-or-an,rayitalicsh),acai».(of[IS.ux-Fifty years ago tills comniunlty was greatly shocked on learning that W. H. Pratt, president of the Bank of Mobile, had been killed by a train at Birmingham.a he date as March 3, 1883, and the accident occurred when Mr. Pratt attempted to cross a trackon which a Louisville and Nashville freight train was standing. He had stooped to pass under the coupling between two cars, when, the train suddenly started. According to witnesses, he grasped a drawhead, and was dragged along the track lor at least 100 feet. He might have hung on long enough to save himself, but his foot was caught In a switch frog and his hold broken. Someone succeeded in attracting the engineer's attention, and the train was stopped, but by that time Mr. Pratt was beyond aid. He gasped once ortwice, and expired. His body washorribly mangled. #Mr. Pratt had just left the Relay House, where he was registered, and wae supposed to have been on his way to the Alice furnace, situated at what was then about a mile south of the city. On the night of March 3, he had a long conference with T. T. Hillman of Birmingham in regard to coal and Iron mines. Captain A. C. Danner of Mobile was in Birmingham, and was to have conferred with Mr. Pratt on -the morning of the third. He madearrangements for conveying the ] dy to Mobile.Col. John McGuire and OeorgeB. Clark, both of this city , went to Montgomery to meet Captain Danner, and the three of them accompanied the remains of Mr. Pratt to his home town, arriving here Sunday, March 4, at 4 am. The burial was on the same day.Report of FuneralThe funeral was reported in the journalist style of the period, asfollows:At 3 o’clock in the afternooni funeral service was read inBishop R. H. Wilmer. The church was crowded with friends of the deceased. Besides the family, there were present a number of leading citizens who wore badges and walkedbefore the coffin in coming intosacred edifice, and preceded it in going out. These were: Peter . Starke, J. H. Masson,Thomas Henry, T. P. Miller, L. M. Wilson, A. A. Winston, R. F. Manly, A. C. Danner, D. R. Dunlap, W. Q. Jones, A. M.Maguire, J. W. Whiting, I. C. Du-Bose, T. J Butler, W. D, Dunn, H A. Schroeder and T O. Bush.The casket was a massive piece of moulding known as the ‘Garfield casket,’ being similar to those In which President Garfield and State Senator Ben Hill were enclosed. The casket was crowned with beautiful flowers.The pallbearers were, O. S. Hagan, J. W. Miller, P. C. Butler,C. J. Waller. F. L. Ross, Frank Jordan, E. X. England, P. O. Westfeldt, C. J. MlchaeloffSky, Murray Wheeler and R. C. Fos-dick. iThevchoir, under the direction of Madame Kowalewski, and pom-posed of Mrs. C. L. Huger, Miss Bowen, J. B. Forsyth and Oeorge Dunlap, sang several anthems, dter the service was concluded procession took its way to theCemetery, where the. finalprayers were said by the bishop,and the remains depositedA Self Made ManMr. Pratt was born In NewYork, anl was 72 years old whenh$ lost his life. He was virtuallyreared in mercantile business in New York. Shortly after he became of age, he went to NorthCarolina, to work for E. SpencerCotton, a prominent merchant of that state. A few years later Mr. Cotton sent him and William Stewart to Mobile *o open a cotton factorage firm. They began business here in 1836 as Cotton, Stewart and company.In 18 8, Mr. Pratt was married in Philadelphia to the daughter fThomas Tartt of Mobile. In. afew years Mr. Cotton died, and Mr. Tartt boug't the surviving interest in the firm, the name of which was changed to Tartt, Stewart and company. Mr. Pratt, having invested judiciously, was able to retire from the firm in1852. He took his family to Europe and remained there until after the war between the states, spending the time in travel and In providing his children with European education. While abroad, however, he kept in touch with his business affairs, and was annually re-elected to his post as a director of the Bank of Mobile.Immediately after the close of hostilities here, he returned, and finding that immense fortunes were being made .in sugar growing, bought a plantation in St Bernard parish, Louisiana, where he and his family lived for two years. He then purchased a plantation opposite Baton 'ouge, and the family resided there until the financial crash of 1 X when thedent of the bank.It was said at the time that he was the only man available who could bring the Bank of Mobile through the crisis. At his death the bank was looked upon as one of the strongest in this part of the south. He had other interest!, among them being the Mobile and Montgomery railroad, part of the L. N. system. He was a large stockholder in and vice president of the M. and M.KDimanveallt;hadthebantstrtc•xplflbarMr. Pratt died a widower. His eldest son. Dr. Thomas Pratt, was living in Parts. His daughter, Mary Jane, was the wife ofCharles de Roitsard, a Swiss nobleman. She was living atCannes. Another son, Harry Pratt, was practicing law in New York. Two other children, E.Spencer Pratt and Annie Pratt.were living here. Spencer Pratt afterward became United Statesminister to Persia.Lived In Bragg HotteeLckeepbill.trailabanfinalpeedperiscalaiknora festate“VandLonebeenfinalThe Pratts once occupied the big house that Judge John Bragg built, and which is known to most people as the Braxton Bragg home, although General Bragg never resided in it. During the few years that General Bragg was in Mobile he lived in a cottage on the premises of his brother, the judge. The big house is now onwedand occupied by A. S. Mitchell of the Ingram-Day Lumber company. . It is 1806 Spring Hill road. 'The land on which it stands was owned by the Pratts before Judge Bragg acquired it. They lived in a cotage on the place. After Judge Bragg s death, in 1878, the Pratts bought the property back, and lived in the house that the judgeThe suburb which the big house ornaments was then and still isknown as Summerville. Mrs. JackP. Ross, who lived out there as agirl, when horses dr:-v buggies through thoroughfares deep in sand or mud, according to theweather, says that when the bellesof Summerville attended dancesin Mobile, they usually remained * overnight In the ■ city, in thehouses of their friends. Due tothe Inconvenience of travel, and the fact that Summerville society gave entertainments which it pre-to those of Mobile, theyoung people of the suburb didnot often visit the city in 'the evening.Summerville’s local pride was shared by Spencer Pratt and his sister, Annie. On the contrary, they greatly disliked the place, and when, after the death of their father, they took a notion to leave, they departed with a haste that left Summerville gasping for breath. They tarried Just long enough to leave the keys with a friend. That person, whosename I never learned, foundthe furnishings in place. On achair lay a silk dress, where Miss Pratt had thrown it when changing for travel. On a table was aglass half filled with water. Things looked as though thePratts had not meant to be gone more than a day or two. They never returned. . Summervillesniffed snootily, and said old manPratt made a mistake when he had his children educated abroad.ourunit]samlt;to cnl*P.-T. A. TO MEETYerby School Group Will HoldSession Tuesday Night* The Yerby School P.-T. A. willhold its regular monthly meeting at 7:30 o’clock Tuesday night atYerby school.Times Classified ads pay bigturns.Free Dance MondayNightFried Chicken Dinner* artserved every day. ISandwiches. Ourare reasonableprices Phone usprivate parties. Gome toDanLion LodgeDOG RIVERDexter 5537PRESCRIPTIONSFilled Right,RightCalled For andCULVER S APO MAFBda Ca ^ vttTHECAR)CulverBragaConceptionBex.am[ealBunk of Mobile got into trouble He returned to this city, mid in January, 1874, was elected prai*UVENIBooklet, 15c Colored Picture*. 18c Ready to MailCOMPANYPrinting — Office Supplies188 St. Michael St.
Newspaper Details
The Sunday Times
Mobile, Alabama, US
Sun, Mar 12, 1933
Page 2
Full Page
Clipped by
Mobile P.
AL, USA 08 Sep 2022
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