Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1892-08-11
KILLED WITH AN AXE
TWO AGED VICTIMS OF A FiEND At
FALL RIVER, MASS.
The Horribly Nutilatcd BOD os of II gh-
iy Respected Citizsn and VITO Dis
covered at Their esldcnce-A Brother
in-Law and Daughter Suspected.

most highly respected persons in this city,
were brutality murdered with an axe at /
O'Clock this morning at their home on Sec
ond street, within u minutes walk OF the
city and the central business section. The
circumstances are most surprising and
shocking Gnd up to this hour no trace OF the
OF the murderer or bis weapon can be found.
The Borden family consisted Of the father,
mother two daughters and a servant. The
eldest daughter has been in Fair Haven
for some days. The rest Of the
family have been i'll for some days aHd
Dr.. Bowen, tho attending physician, was
srspectins on attempt at poisoning. About
b O'Clock this morning Mrs. Borden received
a note asking her to go and visit u friend
who was i'll. She left the house and shortly
aftorward her husband followed and walked
down the street to one Of the banks.
modicai Examiner Dolsn assisted by other
physicians held an autopsy this afternoon
on the bodies of the victims of to-day's
tragedy and found that Mr. Borden sustain
ell II cuts on the face and skull, varying in
length four to eight inches ard also suffered
fracture OF the skull, two by four inches
and three inches deep. His wife's heal aud
face were battered all out of shape. There
was no doubt in the minds OF the physicians
that the victims met death at tho hands of
removed and placed in alcohol to be sent to
Boston tomorrow for analysis, with a
view OF determining whether or not milk
poisoning was attempted.
Al this hour police suspicious rest on per
sons who were in the family circle particu-
larry on John W. Morse, brother n-law of
AIR. Borden by his first marriage; also on
the daughter, Lizzie, who fist discovered
the body of her father. John w. Morse Is
90 years Of age and came here from Hast
iHgs, Ia, two years ago. He became very
intimate with Mrs. Borden aud the latter's
daughter, and spent q great portion OF bis
time with them. He came from New Bed
ford at noon yesterday and spent the night
at the Borden homestead he left there this
morning at O'clock and was next seen on
the promises about 90 minutes after the
bodies we're found
lie returned about 1870 o'clock ard sat
on tho sofG. In answer TO a question from
the servant he sGil he was feeling very
we'll, The servant, Bridget Sullivan, thon
went outside the house to wash windows.
la the meantime Miss Lizzie Borden,
| daughter rose from bed, walked down stairs,
seeing and speaking 10 her father as she
! passed through the room. She supposed
| her mother was out. She went into tie
yard and stepped into the barn. While
there she heard cry of distress, coming
| apparently from the house, ard
! sho ran in. She went directly
to a sitting room leading from the main
hallway in the house, and there saw her
lather lying back on Z soip, covered with
blood ami lifoloss. She ran out shrioking.
and her cries attracted the servant aad a
neigh5or. They made a hasty search FOR
the mother and found her Up etairs in
spare bedroom, lying dead, face downward
on the floor Tho woman ran down stairs
terrified, and summoned DR.. Bowen, who
| lives opposite, who found both of the VIC
Tins beyond medical assistance, and could
| do nothing but notify the police. He was
about to do so when the WOMEN folks IL the
| house swooned.
Medical Examiner Dolan was summoned
and was on the scene within half tn hour.
| lie found Mir. Borden head hacked to
pieces in a horrible manner, no less than
seven long gashes being on his face and
| skull, some of them an inch and a half deep
| through flesh and bone. When Mrs. Borden
was first seen, hor daughters and the others
! supposed that she had died from heart dis
ease, to which she had been subject. re
| porter first noticed blood in her hair, but
when the bed, near which she was lying Ind
| been drawn away it was seen that she too
had been frightfully battered about the iuco
and skull.
1t is supposed that the murderer was con-
! Ceaed about the house when Air. borden
came in and no one saw him enter. AS
! soon it became quiet he is thought to
have gone up stairs with the Intention OF
numbering Mr. Borden. Before be could
accomplish his purpose Mrs. Borden's ntten-
ton was probably attracted. Ia view Of
! in IN lrs mn out,
it is thought that she must have been killed
first and instantly.
The murderer probably followed her into
a 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
| Alter being sure of his work the murderer
| probably went down stairs where Mr.. Bor-
den lad fallen asleep on the sofa, and there
| dealt him the awful blows that ended his
life
Robbery was not the motive of the crime
as no valuablos or money were missing.
There were no blood stains on the furniture
covering or floors, and these facts sho W how
quietly the work was done.
a Growing Impression that the Daughter
Lizzie Knows How it Happened.
FALL RIVER Aug. 5.-To-night the
mystery surrounding tho Borden murders
came very near to a solution, Unless all
signs fails there will be arrests tomorrow
if not earlier The story OF the attempt of
Miss Lizzie Borden to purchase poison has
been verified by the highest authority.
There now seems no doubt that some one in
the family was anxious to have the father
aUl mother out Of the way. The demeanor
tln Ion
OF being confronted with the man who says
! that she asked about poison was half Of con
tompt and scorn. In fact, her conduct as
observed by the police since the affair hap
pencil, has been strange, inasmuoh rs she
stood tie pointed questions Of all who in
| torvieNod her with tho show of no other
feeling than that OF dIsinterested party.
SAFE, puick and EG. Give.