River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1892-08-18
WITHOUT BAIL
Lizzie Borden Held TO Answer the Charge
of Numbering Her. Father and step


Lizzie Borden Held to Answer the Charge
of Numbering Her Father and step
| mother.
| FALL RIVER, Mass, Aug. 13.-Lizzie
c. Borden was arraigned in the second
district court before Judge j. C. Blais-
I dell Friday morning charged with the
/ killing of her father and stepmother.
The courtroom was crowded To suffoca-
ton. Miss Borden's friends at court were
very few in number. Mr.. Morse, Bridget
/ Sullivan, Miss Emma Borden and City
Missionary Buck were present Miss
Borden, the prisoner, was represented
/ by Andrew j. Jennings. She was
dressed in a dark-blue tailor-made gown
and wore black-lace hat adorned with
a few red berries. She entered the court
room leaning on Missionary Buck s
arm. She was some what nervous, but
did not show either tears or trembling
She was given seat beside her coun-
sci. Her sister Emma and Rev. Il.
A. Buck occupied seat in front of the
prisoners dock.
The trial was commenced by the en-
tering of plea signed and sworn to by
the prisoner. IL recited that the pris-
oner objected to the opening of trial
before a justice who was already
sitting at an inquest held to
determine who committed the
crime charged against her. This
plea was overruled for the time
being. and the judge asked for the
reading of the complaint. The reading
was waived and Mr.. Jennings said he
would enter plea of not guilty. Dis
trict Attorney Knowlton, who was con-
Quoting the prosecution, insisted chat
Miss Borden plead herself.
Augustus Il. Leonard, clerk of the
court, asked her to stand up, which she
did firmly and without assistance. She
was then asked to plead to charges of
homicide and did so in very weak
voice at first, saying, Not guilty"
The clerk did not hear her and she
raised her voice and said in quite loud
voice, Not guilty." putting strong
emphasis on the first word.
Mr.. Jennings then began to argue
for the acceptance of his plea that his
client should not be examined at the
inquest. The proceeding was contrary
to all law and justice. He. as attorney
for Lizzie Borden, had been refused
permission TO enter and guide his client
while an inquiry was being made. 1t
was not to be expected of human
nature that the same judge could act
at an inque st and trial and decide
fairly in bosh cases. The proceeding
was WHO'LL unprecedented.
District Attorney Knowlton entered
demurrer against the plea. He said
he knew more than twenty cases in his
career where similar proceedings were
gone through with, and they failed to
attract attention because the crimes
were not attended by such extraordinary
circumstances as those which preceded
this arraignment. The matters of an
inquest and the matters of trial were
entirely distinct. and it was not com
plimentary to his honor's Judgment to
say that he could not act fairly in both
cases. There was hot sparring, the
prisoners counsel displaying pug
nacious powers.
The governments demurrer was
finally sustained and Mr.. Jennings filed
an exception. He moved for trial at
once. District Attorney KnowltoD OBJ
jected ON the ground that an inquest
was still going on. He asked for a
continuance until Monday, August %,
and it was granted. Mr.. Morse and
Bridget Sullivan were held as witnesses
in bail of $500 each.
Miss Borden was asked to stand up
and was committed without bail. She
left the courtroom leaning on Mr..
Bucks arm and was closely followed
by City Marshal billiard, who again
placed her in charge of Matron Russell.
Miss Borden was taken to Taunton Jail
later in the afternoon.
Marshal billiard said that there was
great deal yet to be proven before the
crime could be finally fastened upon
Mice