The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1892-08-08
And 1t Is Suspected that One Of
Them Is Bloody.
MYSTERY OFTHE BORDEN MURDER
STILL UNRAVELLED.

Many False Reports Made Only to be
Disproved-Dr. Boweu's Course Con-
sidered Peculiar - Renewed Suspicious
of the Family.
FALL RIVER, Mass, August To-day
City Marshal Hilhurst submitted to
long interview with the Associated Press
reporter upon the Borden murder. Of
the spots of blood said to have been
found on the axe in the custody of the
police last night he said: 81 don't know
whether these are spots of blood or iron
rust. They were of such character that
they might be taken for either, but until
Boston chemist passes his opinion it
would be folly for me to speak. We have
four axes in our possession. Two are
such axes as farmers use. One is an or
binary chopping axe. The other is what
call shingle axe. There may be spots
of blood on either or all of them; but to-
night I cannot say there is the slightest
evidence of blood on either of them.'
'"There is nothing in the Westport clue.
[ sent men to chase it down to prove it
to myself; but after every doubtful point
had been cleared up decided there was
no man travelling to New Bedford from
this city, under suspicious circun-
stances"
Yesterday there was a report current
that men had been seen escaping over
the fence back of the Borden Homestead.
That may have been the case; but the
closest searching of my officers has failed
to disclose any evidence to prove it. I
hsve three or four wires out now and may
find something later on. At this moment
I can say there is nothing to connect any
member of the family with the murder.
We can reach a certain point; but from
thence forward things will not match
and we cannot make. them.
"a great deal has been said about the
fact that no arrests have been made up
to this time. Three persons in the house
have practically been under arrest for
the past few days. With the present ev-
idence nobody could be held 1t would
be folly for us to place the family behind
the bars. when there are so many outside
clues yet to be looked up.
s'We had Mr.. Jennings with us during
the search of the house yesterday as he
is the acknowledged counsel of the
family. and we believed he should be
about while the investigation was being
made.'
A police guard has been kept up
around the house all day. There is a
Catholic church very near the residence,
and after services the attendants crowded
down Second street to view the scene of
the tragedy. Many carriages passed and
repassed the house and the occupants al
most invariably stopped the horse and
gazed up at the marked homestead. Dur
ing the day the most important callers
were Andrew J. Jennings, the family
counsel, and Assistant Superintendent
Hanscom of the New England Pinkerton
detective agency. The latter was brought
here by Counsel Jennings, but declined
to be interviewed further than to say
that the crime was
The Most Mysterious Affair
he ever encountered, and would require
hard work to unravel it.
Mr.. Morse, the brother of the late Mr..
Borden's first wife, talks more freely than
any person in the family, with the possi-
BILE exception of Hiram Harrington, who
married sister of Mr.. Borden. Har-
rington is embittered intensely against
the family and does not hesitate to say
the most unfounded things.
The most surprising event of the day
was the visit of Messrs. Davis and
Howe, of South Dartmouth, who drove
to this city to visit Mr.. Morse. They
said Morse was not connected with any
extensive horse trading business that
would connect him with Borden in finan-
cial affairs. 1t was true he bought some
young colts of his own raising and sold
them a h51f in,
any way affiliated with the gangs of trad
ers selling Montana horses in the south
ern section of the state. These state
ments knocked the bottom out of the
Westport theory.
City Marshall Hilliard is receiving
many letters offering assistance and
clues, some coming from persons very
high in social and financial circles in sur
rounding cities. He states frankly that
the motives and details of the crime may
be more fully looked up and understood
by citizens or private detectives, than by
his own officers. Strange as it may seem
the public do not put much faith in the
statement made by DR.. Bowen, who was
the first phyician on the scene. He saw
Mrs. Borden dead when he visited the
house the first time, but did not discover
that she died from murderous wounds
uA1ciA AAAo poCOiltiOl WctS OCtllOd W O1OOu Ou
her hair by policeman and reporter.
According to statements of the authorities
he does not speak with that freedom
which might be expected of man in his
professional position. The autopsy
made directly after the discovery was
not sufficiently exhaustive to relieve the !
examining physicians of many doubts |
that have arisen since Friday afternoon.
The stomachs and parts of the livers of
the two victims were sent to Boston for
analysis, but there may be some things
called up as time goes on which may de- |
mand another close investigation. Ac- |
cordingly, the bodies will be kept in the
tomb awaiting the orders of Medical |
Examiner Dolan.
Latest.
At late hour tonight it is reported |
that the suspicious of blood spots on the |
hatchet in possession of the police are |