The Portland daily press., 1892-08-05
Andrew J. Borden and His Wife
Killed in Broad Daylight.
PEOPLE WERE NEAR BUT NO ONE
SAW THE MURDERER.
The Victims Battered Bodies Found in
Their House Few Minutes After the
Crime-They Were Wealthy People of
Fall River, Mass.-Suspicion Rests on
Their Daughter and a Male Relative
But the Mystery is Deep.

-'~~~~~ -~~~-~--'~
But the Mystery is Deep.
FALL RIVER, Mass, August A. j.
Borden and wife, two of the Oldest,
wealthiest and most highly respected
persons in this city were brutally muir
dered with an axe at II o'clock this
morning at their home on Second street
within few minutes walk of the City
Hall and central business section. The
circumstances are most surprising and
shocking. No trace of the murderer or
the weapon can be found. The Borden
family consisted of father, mother, two
daughters and a servant. The older
daughter has been at Fairhaven for some
days, DR.. Bowen, the attending phys
ician, was suspecting an attempt at pois-
oning. About this morning, Mrs. Bor-
den received note asking her to visit a
friend who was ILL., She left the
house and afterwards her husband
followed and walked down the street
to one of the banks. He returned at
about 1890 and sat on 'the sofa. In
answer to question from the servant he
said he was feeling very well. The SER
want, Bridget Sullivan, then went out
side the house to wash the windows. In
the meantime, Miss Lizzie Borden, the
daughter, rose from her bed and walked
down stairs, seeing and speaking to her
father as she passed through the room.
She supposed her mother was out. She
went into the yard and stepped into the
barn. While there, she says, she
Heard a Cry of Distress
coming apparently from the house. She
ran in. She went directly to the sitting
room, leading from the main hallway in
the house. There she saw her father
lying back on the sofa covered with
blood and lifeless. She ran out Shrek
ING and her cries attracted the servant
and a neighbor. They made hasty
search for her mother and found her up
stairs in the spare bedroom lying dead,
face downward on the floor.
The women summoned DR.. Bowen,
who lives opposite. He found both
victims beyond medical aid.
Officer Allen arrived early
but became SO excited that he ran at
once with an incoherent story to the po-
lice station. The policemen'S excursion
occurred today and half the force was at
Rocky Point when the murders occurred.
A small posse of police surrounded the
house in short time and were busy
keeping back the host of business men
and curiosity seekers who thronged Sec
ond street, attracted by the tragedy.
Medical Examiner Dolan was on the
scene within half an hour. He found
Mr.. Borden's head hacked to pieces in a
horrible manner. Seven long gashes
were on the face and skull, some an inch
and half deep through flesh and bone.
When Mrs. Borden was first seen, her
daughter and others supposed she died
from heart disease, to which she has
been subject. A reporter first noticed
blood in her hair and, when
the bed near which she was lying had
been drawn away, it was seen that she
had been
Frightfully Battered About the Face.
All sorts of theories concerning the
murder are current 1t is supposed by
some that the murderer was concealed
about the house when Mr.. Borden came
n and no one saw him enter. In view
of the fact that Mrs. Borden made no
outcry, it is thought she must have been
killed first and Instantly. The murderer
propably followed her into the spare
room and struck her from behind.
Everything was in perfect order in the
room and it gives rise to the belief that
she was not aware that she was being
followed After being sure of his work
the murderer probably went down stairs
where Mr.. Borden had fallen asleep on
the sofa and dealt him an awful blow
that ended his life. Robbery was not
the motive of the crime as no valuables
or money are missing. There are no
blood stains on the furniture covering OF
floors and these facts show how quietly
the work was done. Two or three
suspeots were arrested this afternoon
but none are believed to know anything
of the crime. 1t was at first thought
that a farm hand was the murderer.
Later the opinion gained ground that a
disappointed tenant was the assailant.
Medical Examiner Dolan held an au-
topsy this afternoon on the bodies of the
victims. The stomachs of both will be
sent to Boston for analysis to see IT milk
| poisoning had been attempted. At this
hour, suspicious rest on
Persons in the Family Circle,
particularly John Morse, brother-in-
law of Borden by his first marriage and
| also on the daughter, Lizzie, who first
discovered the body of her father. John
Morse is 55 years of age and came here
from Hastings, Iowa, two years ago. He
became very intimate with Mr.. Borden
and the latter's daughter and spent a
great portion of his time with them. He
came from New Bedford at noon yester-
| day and spent the night at the Borden
| homestead. He left there this morning
at 9 o'clock He was next seen on the
| premises about 20 aminntes after the
| bodies were discovered.
The family have not felt well for sev;;
| eral days and suspected that their food
was tampered with.
| Andrew J. Borden was born in this
city in 1922 and was in the furniture
business thirty three years with William
Almy. He accumulated large amour,
of real estate, valued at $35O,Ooo and
owned two farms in Swansea. lie
| was president of the Union savings bank
| director of B. M. G. Durfee Safe Deposit
and Trust Company, director in the Troy
and Merchants mills, and director OF the
Ctoha Street Railway COmpany. He was