Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1892-08-30


FALL. RIVER, Mass, Aug 30.-Long be- |
fore the hearing in the Borden murder
case was continued this morning the
court room was crowded to suffocation.
The examination was resumed at 1915.
The testimony brought out in the hear
ing yesterday has caused a change OF
opinion among many of Lizzie Borden's
J friends, who have heretofore stoutly
maintained her innocence. They consider
the strongest evidence given against her
to be that of Mrs. Addie Churchill, the
neighbor whom she has known and loved
since childhood.
Mrs. Churchill is a sister of City Audi
tor Burlington and daughter of the late
Mayor Burlington, and her testimony has
caused profound sensation.
She stated positively that Mrs. Borden's
door was open when she and Bridget Sui
livan first discovered the body of the
murdered woman.
Again, Mrs. Churchill stated positively
that Miss Lizzie told her that Mrs. Bor-
den had received a note to call on a sick
| friend. 1t has not been proven that any
person in this city or elsewhere sent such
a note or that Mrs. Borden left the house
| at any time during the day.
Like all the rest of the witnesses for
the government, she failed to find any
| traces of blood on Miss Lizzies clothing
| OF her person. Miss Lizzie was in dis
| tress and greatly agitated when her life
long friend ran to her assistance, but she
| was not obtrusively sorrowful nor did
she show painful emotion.
When Mrs. Churchill asked here where
her mother was she did not say she was
| out. Her answer was: go see If you
can find her. I don't know but she is
| killed, too" Bridget Sullivan was in
| tuitively fearful of obeying Miss Lizzie
and refused outright to go up stairs unless
Mrs. Churchill accompanied her. During
| this testimony the prisoner bit her lips,
| flushed and bent toward Attorney Adams.
Following Mrs. Churchill's testim ony
came that of Miss Russell, the friend for
| whom Miss Lizzie sent at once. Uncon-
sciously, perhaps, Miss Russell gave an
other insight into the unhappy domestic
life of the Borden family. Mrs Borden,
the stepmother, was seldom seen in the
guests chamber, although witness was a
frequent visitor. Coupled with Miss Liz
zies own words that she always locked
her room door when going out, it was APP
parent that the pleasantest relations did
| not exist
Miss Russell was a stubborn witness,
| in the opinion of a government official,
while Mrs. Churchill, who was reluctant
and fearful at first, told freely all she
knew without limiting at the family re-
| lations.
The testimony of E. H. Bence, the drug
clerk, Frank Kilroy, the Harvard medi-
cal student, and Fred Hart, the assistant
drug clerk, all of whom were in Smiths
drug store when Lizzie was there, seems
very damaging to the defendant.
The different stories as to Miss Lizzie's
purpose in visiting the barn and the time
she spent there, are becoming great top
les of gossip about town. If she went
into the barn it has yet to be explained
why she was not seen by Bridget Sullivan,
who went there frequently to get water
with which to wash the windows.
Miss Lizzie Borden denies positively
that she was ever at DIR. Smiths drug
store, where Eli Bence is clerk.
The Testimony In Detail.
Mrs. Adelaide B. Churchill was the first
witness called. She said she lived next
to the Bordens on the north side of the
street and she remembered we'll the
day of the tragedy She first remembered
of her attention being called to the affair
when she saw Bridget going for Doctor
Bowen. About the same time she saw
Lizzie standing against the side of the
side door, apparently distressed about
| something.
Il opened the window and asked her
what was the matter and she said ooh,
!, Mrs. Churchill, do come over; somebody
has killed father
81 went over and asked her where her
father was and she replied lin the sitting
ROOM Asked her where she was when
Z it happened and she said she was in the
barn looking for something for sinkers. u
Witness said that SO far as she knows
she was the first ono outside of the family
who was called to the house.
Witness asked Lizzie where her
mother was, and she said her mother had
| mo 70 n 90 cpIONa bnpn lint chn
know but that she had been killed too.
She wished somebody would go and try
to find her. for she thought she had come
in since She said her father must nave
an enemy, for every one in the house
had been sick. After the neigh
It bors had commenced to come il
Lizzie said again that she wished
some one would go and try
to find Mrs. Borden, for she was sure SHE
had heard her come in, and here witness
described finding Mrs. Borden.
Witness had seen Mr.. Borden thai
IS morning about 8 o'clock; he was appar
emily going down town. Witness re
membered seeing Bridget washing tn
windows but could not give the eXac
time.
}. Witness said she heard Lizzie asl
Doctor Bowen to telegraph to her siste
Emma, but to be careful and not tell tn
worst as the lady with whom she wa!
stopping was old and it might affect her
Witness described the dress which LZz
Wore on that day as a dark blue cottol
cloth dress.
III Mr. Jennings subjected Mrs. Churchill
n to a severe cross examination, dwelling
It. particularly on the excited condition @
r. Lizzie when witness was first called t
the scene. .,ff
Witness could not remember that Their
was the least sign of blood on Lizzie
dress, hands or face at the time she frs
saw her; her hair was ''done up" and al
peared not to be disarranged in tn
slightest and there was no indication Q
ANYTHING in her appearance that an
changes had been made since she arose.
Miss Alice NJ. Russell, the next witness
who said she had known Lizzie abou
4 eleven years, created a sensation by test
" Tying that Immediately after the discov
cry of the murder Miss Lizzie Borden toll
her that her alleged visit to the barn wa
II 30, st ,ry;k