New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-08-08
THE FAIL RIVER MYSTERY.
ALLEGED CLEWS TO THE MURDERER PROVE
WORTHLESS
THE POLICE Confess THAT THEY ARE MUCH
PUZzLED-AwAITING THE CHEM
IST'& EEPOR'

IsT'> REPORT.
Fall River Mass, Aug. I'm looking over uie
Borden mansion for possible clews to the dou''e
murder there one place was left unsearched YES
tcrday by the police. hut tonight the officers san
there was not the slightest danger of any change
in the surroundings by leaving the matter over
Tomorrow this particular spot will he searcheu
To-day City Marshal billiard said, speaking OF tie
spots of blood said TO have been found Oh the aNe
in the custody OF the police
a. don't know whether these spots were Diooo
or iron rust They were Of a character that might
be taken for either, but until the Boston chem
lists pass an opinion it would be folly for me 10
speak. Two are such aAes as farmers usc. 'one Is
an ordinary chopping-axe the other is what cui
a shingle-axe There may be spots of blood on
either or all but tonight | cannot say there Is
the slightest evidence on any Of them There is
nothing I'm the Westport clew. l sent men u
chase il down. but after every doubtful point had
been cleared up | decided there was no man uaV-
eIing to Ncw-Bcdlcrd from this city under sus-
pccious circumstances.
YESTERDAY there was o report current that mrh
had been seen escaping over fence back oi 'he
Borden homestead. That may have been the
case. but the closest scrutiny OF my officers mas
failed to disclose any evidence to show that n
man sat ON the barbcd wire fence picking pears
Mt IL o'clock Thursday morning. All yards IN
the vicinity have been searched most carefully,
but no trace of any unusual occurrence was us
covered / have three or four wires out now, ana
may find something later on. At this moment /
can say there is nothing TO connect any members
Of the family with the murder. We can reach
a certain point, but thcnceforward tHlhgs
will not match and we can't make them.
A great deal has been said about the fact
l,,, h.nu v,.,lio n IN
Those persons in the house have practically been
under arrest the past few days If | asked
TO give a candid opinion why arrests should not
,.e made. I would say that with the present evil
dcncel nobody could bc held. 1t would I've ioiiy
for us 20 place this family behind bars. when
az many outside clcws arr Yet to bc looked up
We had Mr. Jennings with us during The schr'h
at my own request He IL the counsel OF the
family We believed he should be about whll'
our Investigations wen being made. Mr. MORSE
and all the family went about the house 10 usuai
while WE were looking around II you ASK m'
il / have anything really new in this wholc case
| would say no. but Of course, YOU know nave
a great many things in hand. Anything may
happen AT any moment
The police guard has bccD Kept up hrouHu "'
houee all day. and crowds OF visitors nave
swarmcd about the locality. During the oaJ lhc
callers were Andrew J. Jennings. the tainiiy
counsel. and Assistant Superintendent iian'c'in'
OF the New In gland PiEkerton Detective Agency.
The latter was brought here By Counsel Jennings
ON behalf Of the family He declined Ia be- inter
viewed further than 10 cay that he would oe
engoged some DAYS lie ACKNOWLEDGED that the
crime was the most mysterious affair he hai
ever encountered, and would require IN" pcN'
efforts of the criminal detective force OF New
ENGLAND TO ferret out. He remained IN the house
two hours. consulting with the two girls
Mr. Morse il talking morc freely than any
person i'm the family, with the possible exception
Of Hiram Harrington, who married n sister oi
Mr. Borden Mr. Harrington IL einbttcred IN
terscly against t,Ic family and be- does not hcsi-
tate ~ say tho most unfoundcd things.
An incident Of the day was the visit Of MeSsr'
| Davis and Howe, Of South Dartmouth. who dr,Hc
| 10 this city 10 visit Mr.. Morse They shd Mr.
| More was not connected with an extensive
| horsc-trading busnrss that w0ull cohh'1t nun nun
with Mr. Borden IN financial hIalr- ~ Wa
| true that he brought some young colts of MS
own raising AMI sold them a. western hJi"S'
| but he was. not in any way aiilia'd with thc
gang OF traders who were selling M2hraha ngIH IT
| i'm the southern section OF the state. lue~'
| statements knocked the bottom out OF the West
civ Marshal IIillard is receiving many letters
of-Srino resistance and clcws. coming from
| nrrson- birh i'm social aud financial circles IN
| surrounding cities. He states frankly that the
motives aid details Of the crime may be NOR"
| fully looked ND and understood BY citizen or
private detective than by his own ohicer-
Strange a. it may seem. the police do not put
much faith in the statements made by DIR. Bowen,
,,Ln vas the first physician on the scene. lie
saw Mrs. borden dead when he visited the house
the first time. but he did not discover that she
bad died from murderous wounds until his alien
,ioT ,,,s called to the blood her hair by a
| policeman and a reporter The autopsy made
directly after the discovery was not sufficiently
| cvboustivc 70 relieve the examining physicians
of many doubts that have arisen since Friday
ofiernoon. The stomachs and parts Of the livcr'
Of thc two victims were sent 10 Boston for anal
ysis. but there may be some things called mp as
| lime oocs on which may demand another close
| investigations Accordingly. the bodies will he
kent in TIE tomb awaiting the orders Of Medical
| Examiner Dolan.