New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-09-05
liberately plotting against these home industries
and the comfort and happiness OF the working
people employed in them
TIE FALL RIHER MYSTERY.

TIE FALL RIVER MYSTERY
Lizzie Borden has been held on the charge
of numbering her father and mother. AT the
close Of the hearing on Thursday Judge BIAS
dell said: Sympathy should be laid aside,
and duty. stern duty, requires upon this evil
dence but one thing to be done. Supposng
that y man was seen in the chamber OF Mrs.
Rorden. the guest chamber of death, and that
he was in the room OF the father wheh uea'n
came suppose that man should tell as many
different stories as Lizzie has DONE the way
would be plain. | find that she was IropapN
guilty.n The conclusion reached by the 'uose
would carry greater weight were IL not lor 'he
fact that he not only presided at the hearing
but conducted the inquest which preceded IL.
The impression is pretty general thaC inc III
mest was. consciously or unconscously 10 those
aroaoed in il conducted on the sole theory
that Iizzie Borden was the murderer. AL all
events the hearing disclosed the fact that the
examination to which she was subjected aC the
inouest was merciless to the point OF crueiN'
although she appeared on her own NOTION "ne''
she need not have appeared at ALL anu was
deprived of the guidance and protection OF
counsel.
Is she guilty? 1t is clear from the reports
oatbered nv the newspapers which have gwen
c,osost attention to the case and its surround
mos that the popular conviction antagonlzeS
Judce Blaisdelrs. This is not strange For
tho c;rcumstantial evidence which has been pro-
duced by the prosecution is ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Webster said in summing up for the people III
\ celebrated murder trial There is no refuge
from confession but suicide, and suicide Is con
-. tr,A ~
fession., But instead of this being true OF
Lizzie Borden tho fact is that unless the prose
cution can materially strengthen its case when
,he is nlaced on trial for her life in November
the chances are that the jury will acquit her
without leaving the box. The prosecution ex-
pected to show that the spots on the axes of
bat-bets which were found in the cellar were
blood spots. 1t turned out that they were rust
spots. only that and nothing more. Inc doc-
TORS and detectives were agreed that the muir
dcrer Of Mr. Borden must have so stood when
the fatal blows were struck that the murdcrers
clothes wonld be more or less blood stained.
Rut there are no blood stains upon any OF
;,,;o Rordcns garments Ii is in evidence
that she tried TO purchase prussic acid day or
two before the murder. Her counsel claim IL
* n case of mistaken identity. But suppose
il il not. what then? The stomachs OF the
two victims were subjected to careful eX-
animation by Harvard College expert and no
trace of poison of any sort was discovered
What motive could Lizzie Borden have had for
committing so stupendous and revolving
crime She had ample means, and whatever
NAV he said about her relations to her parents
nothing has been produced at the inquest on the
hearing or in the gossip of the town going To
show that they were more than strained
Moro than that. Lizzie Borden's character, for
aurht that appears 10 the contrary, Is without
a stain. Those who know her best-so at Feast
it is to be gathered from all that has been
nrinted-have the firmeSt confidence III hcr
innocence. On the other hand, II is not to he
donied that She has told several conflicting
stories touching the pivotal point OF her where
abouts and her cmployments the morning oi the
murder Thus one of her statements Is tha'
she went to the barn to get some lead Tor
s;nker of n fshline, and another that she went
there 10 get something to repair wihdoW.
Resides she seems unable or unwilling tn tell
lust how she spent all the time which Is inc
natural subject of inquiry. But TO place the
worst construction upon these circumstances Il
not 10 make her out a murderer. Evcrybod!
knows that the most Trustworthy witnesses
sometimes contradict themselves because of a
certain mental confusion caused by embarra's-
mcnt Considering what She has gone through
during the last few weeks il il not won
derful if Lizzie Bordcn's evidence contained
discrepancics or If she failed to recall all the
details of her life the morning of the murder.
Doubtless the most sensible thing to do is to
suspend judgment until the conclusion OF the
November tral-a trial which it is safe to say
will command the interest which attends the
reading OF one OF Gaboriau's novels. In the
mean time the detectives cannot do better than
10 search diligently for the unknown man who
was seen prowing about the Borden house
shortly before the murders were committed
1t certainly bchoovcs them to look for some
fresh clews. For, as 1.-THE Springfield Rcpubli-
can, well says, at appears that all the case
against Miss Borden rests on the probability
that she was in the house at least when Mrs
Borden was killed"