Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1892-08-30
LITTLE PROOF
Against Miss Lizzie Borden at
the Hearing Monday,
Though Contradictory Stories About
Going to Stable Were Shown.
But Little Produced On Which She Can Be
Held for Murder.

Hei0 fof Wufoef.
FALr RIVER, Mass, Aug. 29.-The hear
ing in the Borden murder case was con
tinued at l0.tj this morning.
Lizzie Borden passed a fairly restful
night, WAS visited early this morning by her
sister Emma, who remained with her until
the hour for court arrived.
Lizzie, upon entering the court room,
greeted her counsel With a smile.
Mrs. Adelaide i. Churchill, the first wit
ness, said she lived next 10 the Bordens, on
the north side of the street.
On the day of the tragedy she saw Llzz'e
standing against the side of the side door,
apparently distressed about something.
opened the window and asked her what
was the matter, ami she said, ''Oh, Mrs.
Churchill, do come over, somebody has
killed father" | went over and asked her
whore her father was, and she replied, In
the sitting room" asked her where she
was when it happened, and she said she was
in the barn looking for something for
sinkers The witness said that so far as
she knew she was the first one outside of
the family who WAS called TO the house.
The time, as near as the witness scould
recollect was about | | O'Clock.
Witness asked Lizzie where her mother
was and she said her mother hal a note TO
20 somew here, but she didn't know but that
she had been killed, too. She wished some
body would 70 and try to find her, for she
thought she had come in since. She said
her father must have an enemy for every
one in the house had been sick.
After the neighbers had commenced to
come in Lizzie said again that she wished
some one would go and try to find Mrs.
Borden, that she was sure she had heard
her come in and here the witness de-
scribed finding Mrs. Borden.
Mr. Jennings subjected Mrs Churchill to
severe cross-examination. dwelling par
ticularIy on the excited condition of Lizzie
when the witness was first called 10 the
house.
The witness said that when she reached
the house that Lizzie was SO much agitated
when she found her that she feared she
would faint The witness could not re-
member that there was the least sign of
blood on Lizzie's dress hands or face at
the time she first saw her. Her hair was
done up and appeared not to be disar-
ranged in the slightest. There was no in
dication that any changes had been made
in her appearance since she arose.
Miss Alice NJ Russell testified that she
wen, To the Borden house on the day of the
murder but could not remember how liz
zie was dressed, but did remember of Lizzie
telling her IN answer to a question, that she
went into the barn TO get a piece of iron or
tin to fix the windows with.
This testimony created sensation in the
court room, as it contradicts subsequent
statements made by Lizzie Borden, that she
had gone TO the barn for lead sinkers.
The witness could not tell what window
she wanted to fix. The witness was
frequent ,isitor at the Borden house and
always was received in the guest room 1t
was when the policeman had suggested
that some of the farm hands had done the
decd that Lizzie said it could not be so, for
one man was sick and the other had to stay
on the farm: furthermore she would not
suspect either of them in connection with
the case.
The witness was sure that she went up
stairs before Lizzie did, 80 far as her
knowledge of what was done after she got
there went She remembered that Liz,
answered all questions freely.
1t was quite evident that the evidence of
Miss Russell had made considerable of an
imprcssion on the defense. and when she
had finished direct examination, Lizzie,
put their heads together and al
lowed the witness to sit down for mo-
ment.
pn cross examination Miss Russell said
she hathcd Lizzic's face after she went in,
and saw no signs of blood on it, nor did she
see any on her clothing. She could see no
signs of undue exertion about Lizzie, nor
was she painting rs though exhausted.
The witness was positive that Lizzie did
not 90 upstairs before the officers went,
because she remembered the officers asking
her question.
She remembered the officers going up TO
Iizzie's room and finding it locked, of their
pulling the door open, and of her request
ing to be- allowed to look in first, because
she did not know what condition il was IN.
She looked in aud finding it all right let
them in.
Court came in at2 =. NJ. Eli Bcncc, a
drug clerk at the corner of South Main and
Columbia streets, testified that he saw LIZ
zic Borden in his store the day before the
murder.
She asked him for 10 cents worth of
prussic acid to pnt on sealskin sack or
cape but he told her he couldn't sell it
without physicians prescription.
Joseph De Roches testified that he was
saving wood in John Groves yard on the
day of the tragedy saw no one going over
the fence that day, nor did he see ANYBODY
in the next yard commenced work at A.
NJ.
Patrick II. Doberty. police officer, test
fled as to the examination of the bodies and
their appearances. As soon as he com
menccd Lizzie bowed her head on her bani
and appeared much affected. The house
was searched throughout, all but Emms's
room, and the cellar door was found locked.
Miss Borden was asked by the witness
where she was when the murder took place
and she said In the barn" She said she
heard some kind of peculiar noise while
she was there. a kind of a scraping noise.
Witness said Lizzie said than neither Mr..
Eddy, nor any other man who worked for
Mr. Borden. would hurt him.
Witness and officer Mutually found sey-
eral batrhets in the cellar, but there was
nothing particularly remarkable about them.
except one. an Ak that had very short
handle. He conld not tell whether that had
a claw on it, Witness said he had not re-
marked anything ont of the way in Lizzie
appearance.
Michael Mutually, police officer, testified
mainly corrohorative of the preceding Wit
ness. Lizzie told him she hal seen a man
about the yard that morning dressed in
dark clothes He said he gave the axe to
DR.. Dolan and could see no blood on it or
any of the others.
John Fleet, assistant city marshal, told
af goiny IN the house finding the bodies
and talk with Lizzie about the death of
her parents Lizzie had no idea how the
deed was done or by whom, but she heard
a man at the door about = that morning,
talking with her father The man talked
ike an Englishmsn but she hadn't seen him
and did not know who it vas.
About two weeks before that a man hal
some words with her father relative to
store he wanted TO hire. Witness said
Maggie the work girl. was in the house
all the time, or about the house, but Lizzie
did not think she heard anything about it.
She told the witness that she had been in
the barn for some time, half an hour, and
came back to find the murders had been
committed Witness asked Lizzie if she
was ia the barn for half hour and she quail
iiied the statements by saying she was in
the barn 20 minutes to half an hour
When they were searching the house
witness said he came TO room which was
locked, and Lizzie said it was her fathers
room. the door being al~ays locked. and if
witness wanted to get in he could 90 around
by the side stairs. II
Witness took her word for it and didn't
60. Then he came to another room. also
locked, and asked to go in there. Lizzie