Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1892-08-17
THE BORDEN MURDER
SOME or THE pscul,ARlrles or THE
FALL RIVER TRAGEDY.
cioes that the Police Have Been Follow.
tnE-why Suspicion Attached 10
Miss Lissie Borden.


y --~t't"tf'tA 6fttttE Ctohl
The double murder of Andrew J. Bor
den and his wife a. Fall River. Mass. OF
tho sth Of this month, eliminating as 3
has IN the arrest of his younger daughter
Lizzie Borden. is one OF the most extraor
binary and mysterious criminal episodes
OF the century. Who was there amons
those who read the first story Of tha
tragedy who dad not feel his imagination
thrill with the recollection Of Poe's strang'
aud morbidly fascinating tale OF the muir
dors In the Rue Morguet In the nature o.
things murder Is committed for but one
or at most two. OF four motives jealousy
revenge. .self-gain, and that other reason
suggested by DE Quincy in his essay OF
Murder as Fine Art" insanity.
The circumstances surrounding the as
sassination OF Borden and his wife, who
was Lyrics stepmotber. were such as e
asfound those who would pounce oh-hanc
upon o motive. Borden was rich and pious
aged 20 years, man whose probity wa
equal 20 his thrift. He had no. led a pub
hc life, he had no known enemy
VINO II could be conjectured would *
10 the extent of killing him. much less hi'
wife. and when the mutilated bodies Of
the couple were discovered in their owl
house. shortly before noon on August Attn,
the police and public were utterly at o loss
tor q motive. and in the intense excite
ment that overwhelmed the community
they turned TO one another in helpless as
constituent and horror.
DISCOVERY or THE BODIES.
The body of Borden was found on vel
vet sofa In the parlor of the house. Hls
head had been literally hacked TO pieces
There were seven long gashes on his face
.rA sLx,ll Of thQrn a inch and q
half deep through the flesh and bone. In
the spare" bed-chamber on the second
floor was discovered the body Of Mrs.
Borden, who was 81 years old. There was
at first no sight of blood and the momen.
tary suppositioD was that heart-failure had
occurred.
Mrs. Borden was lyirg prone on the fiOor
on her face with her arms outstretcDed
and the toes OF her shoes resting on the
carpet. On raising the body there was seen
q pool of blood, and an examination dis
closed the fact that death bad been caused,
rs In the case of the husband. by repeated
blows Of some heavy sharp instrument on
the face, neck, and head. In the case OF
both there was found deep cut into the
brain.
A circumstance. which was not at once
observed. but which was afterward no.
ticed and put down as q clue, was the re-
Inarkable absence of blood from the nu-
inerous wounds on both bodies. IL was as
II the hte-current had been retarded and
partly CONCEALED from other causes before
the murderous blows were struck.
slight survey served to make II
equally PLAN that the murders were both
committed unexpectedly so far as the we
tins were concerned. Borden's body was
reclining on the lounge, the legs were
resting easily on the floor, the left arm
lay ON the hip, the right was folded across
the breast the eyes were closed, and the
features were unmarked 10y any expression
OF surprise or apprehension. The attitude
was one of repOse. The features OF Mrs.
Borden were not drawn, and there was
absolutely no evidence of struggle.
There were. so far as yet known, but two
persons other than Borden and his wife on
the premises when the murders were COM
united. These were Bridget Sullivan. a
domestic, and LlzZie Borden, the Younger
OF the two daughters. The older daughter
was visiting ID another town.
LIZZIE BoRDESs STORY.
The first alarm was given by Lizzie Bor-
den, who ran out into the yard and called
Tor holm. A neighbor responded and the
police were telephoned for. When they
arrived they were told the following
story:
The elder daughter had been visiting for
some time IN FAR Haven. ATT O'clock
that morning Mrs. Borden received note
asking her to call on a friend who was Ill.
She left the house, and shortly after her
husband followed and went 70 the bank,
of which he was q director. He returned
about 1880 O'Clock and reclined on the
sofa IN the parlOr for a doze. Bridget Sui
Ivan, who had been working IN the
kitchen, passed through the parlOr
shortly after his return and asked hun
how he felt.
The reason for this question was ex-
planned 10 the police. The whole family
had been slightly i'll tor day or two, and
DIR. Bowen, the attending physician. had
given il as his suggestion that they mad
been poisoned. Mr.. Borden told Bridget
that he was feeling all right, and she went
up To the third floor and washed the WIZ
dOVs.
According to Lizzie Borden. she slept late
that morning aud did not get up until
Mrs. Borden mad gone out, as she thought,
IN response to the note IRON the neighoor.
On going down stairs Lizzie passed
through the parlor and saw aud spoke TO
her father. Surprising her mother was out,
she went INTO the yard and entered the
barn in search of o piece of lead, from
which to cut "sinkers " for fishing excur-
sion she expected soon to make to Marion ~
ioin some SUNDAY school friends. who
were already sojournlng there. While in
the barn she heard q cry of distress coming
apparently from the house. Rushing IN,
she found her father dead on the sofa.
She called Bridget and they gave an alarm.
linen they searched upstairs for Mrs. Bor-
den and found her as described. The door
of the spare room. the police were told,
was closed.
such was the story as related 10 the po-
hce by Llzzie Borden aud the servant, and
II furnished no clues on which to work.
THEORIES OF THE POLICE.
The first theory of the police was that q
murderer familiar with the place had con-
cealed himself in the house and had taken
desperate chances for the plumber that
might be at hand This view was relin-
pushed when il was found that nothing
had been taken. The police next turned
their attention to the theory that the muir
ders were family matter and had grown
out of the effort of one of the girls TO Sc
cure a half interest in the estate, valued
at $500, 600.
clues on which the police worked, several
parties being arrested on, suspicion. but
each one established an alibi.
A careful examination OF the bodies OF
Mr. and Mrs. Borden the day after the
killing served to convince the physicians
that Mrs. Borden nau been uispatcnSu
some time probably an hour and a
half-before her husband. 1t was
after this discovery, coupled with tho
failure TO locate any suspicious character
on or near the premises before or after the
tragedy, and with the seeming improbable
ity that q stranger could have lurked IN
the Borden house without detection by
Lizzie Borden or the servant, that the
police fell back on the theory that the as
sassin was some member of the household
who knew the premises thoroughly.
SO much having been settled TO their
satisfaction. the police proceeded to look
for their victim. Their attention was first
drawn TO John V. Morse, o cousin OF Bor-
den, living IN a neighboring town. Morse
was q sort of horse trader, had recently
come from the West, and was known
TO have been at the Borden home several
times, aud especially on the morning
OF the murders He was shadowed
and questioned by the police, ami seve-
rai OF the Borden relatives came out
and aired their suspicious in relation TO
him, but be convinced the police OF his
innocence, and when the official inquest
began ne is said TO have furnished evil
dence tending 20 the conviction OF Lizzie
Borden. Morse was undoubtedly in and
about the Borden house shortly before the
tragedy, but there was no evidence OF any
sort diecovarcd AGAINST him and he was