Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-08-08
THE BORDEN MURDERS,
Detectives as Much Puzzled as Ever ~
the Criminalz.

THE BORDEN MURDERS.
Detectives as Much Puzzled as Ever a. ia
the Criminalz.
! The Borden murders OF Fall River, Mass.
have gone on record as the most remarkable
crime New England has ever known. The dis
patches to TIE EVENING STAR have fully de-
scribed the finding Of the two bodies Of hus-
band and wife dead in their home on princi-
pal street, murdered al midday and no clue left
Of the criminal The funeral was held on Sat
urtlay.
The chief mourners were John Y. Morse, the
dead mans bro .her-in-law. Emma Borden and
Lizzie Borden.
These people were practically under arrest,
particularly Lizzie Borden. The orders given
the police who guard the Borden house. tina,
none of the inmates shall movo without having
an officer in close company, held good at the
funeral
Before the mournerI had gone half block
from the house tie police were at work. Ii was
their first chance 20 work undisturbed by the
presence OF the Borden girls or the servant.
They ransacked the house from attic to cellar.
Lizzie's room. which she refused to allow the
police to enter On tie Gay Of the murder, was
infinitely searched.
Then the police went away. little later
Police Captain Desmond returnedand instituted
a second inspection of the premises. Then the
| captain hurried away after Marshal Hilliard.
Clue after clue has been followed. But the
searchers ignorant of the facts rs they
were when Officer Allen. in breathless horror.
rushed TO police headquarters on Thursday and
gasped, MIR. and Mrs. Borden have been muir
dered."
Suspicion undoubtedly centers about Lizzie
Borden, the progressing daughter of the muir
dered man. The reasons for this are various.
Z Shsaf vbx,e- f1a aln enr1,u
TO her own statement left her father alive and
well at 10I5 in the sitting room; she went to
the barn after a piece of lead, to return in
twenty minutes and discover the crime
The fact that she tried to buy hydrocianic
acid at D. r. Smith drug store on Wednesday
and has since been identified by Eli Bence has
done much to direct suspicion toward her. But
the motive il not there. at least it is not yet
apparent While it nigh. have been possible
for Lizzie 10 have hacked the heads Of her
father and mother to pieces, no good reason
why che should have done SO has been ad-
yanced.
II the woman is sane, and her family physi-
clan says he has TO reason to think her de-
ranged. il is uncomfortable that she could have
dispatched the old people. gone to the barn for
the purpose of concealing the weapon, accord
ing to preconceived plan, and then returned
to play the part of bereaved daughter so well.
The statement of the servnn. girl that Lizzie
Borden wore the same dress all the morning and
that upon that garment there was no spot Of
blood has been verified. So terrible were the
wounds and SO violent the hemorrh.ge from
them that the murderer must have carried some
mark of the deed upon him.
The police have found no fitting motive for
the crime. Cause for hard feeling against Bor-
den there undoubtedly was, but its source was
not such would give rise to the fiendish hatred
so evident in the work Of THURSDAY
As some one has aptly said, had Lizzie and
John Morse been SO anxious to have the old
people out of the way that they decided upon
murder they would have killed their victims
genteelly, instead of lending TO the scene that
Jack the Ripper aspect which marked 1t. Morse
has pDetically proven an alibi.
Hypolyte MaTtel, a clerk for Philias Martel a
druggist on Pleasant street, relates the follow
ing story: Last Monday he was approached in
the store by young lady who wanted to buy
arsenic from him and was willing to give any
price for it. The clerk told her that the drug
gist was not present he could not possibly COM
ply with her wishes, whereupon she went out
much disappointed. She returned twenty min
utes later and asked for prussic acid. The
article was again refused her with the advice to
return when the druggist would be back from
dinner.
twenty-six years and weighing about $50 pounds
He says he could recognize her if he should see
her.
Lawyer Jennings, who handled Borden's
legal affairs, says the crime will benefit no one
financially. His statement Of the case shows
how light is the evidence vet collected.
"who would profit by Borden's DEATH"
81 don't know that there is will. No one
would profit further than the natural distribu-
ton Of the estate. There was nothing in the
distribution of it to offer motive. Nothing at
ALL
"Have you any theory Of the crime?"
81 have not. 1 have read many cases in the
books. the newspapers and in fiction. in novels,
and never heard of a case like this most
outrageous, brutal crime, perpetrated in mid
day in an open house on prominent thorough
fare and absolutely motiveless.
The theories advanced about quarrels over
wages and about the possession of stores and
that sort Of thing are simply ridiculous. They
do not offer a motive. II il was shown that the
thing was done during even such quarrel in
the heat of passion it would be different. But
to suppose that for such matter q man will lie
In wait steal upon his victim while asleep
and hack him to death is preposterous. Even
with revenge in his heart the sight Of his victim
would disarm any man."
Then to consider the almost miracle neces-
cary for a man to enter, commit the deed and
escape without being discovered" was suggested
1T would be q remarkable combination of cir
cumstances, but not a miracle" said Mr.. Jen-
nings. Il have recalled how frequently have
entered and gone through my mothers house
and out again without meeting soul. and how
could AT such times have carried of most any
thing without being discovered"
''What is your notion about it being done by
some member Of the household?''
well, there are but two women Of the house.
hold and this man Morse, whose name is con-
nected with il. He accounts satisfactorily for
every hour Of that morning. Further than that
he appeared on the scene almost Immediately
after the discovery from the outside and in
the same clothes that he had worn in the morn
ing. Now, it is almost impossible that this
frightful work could have been done without
the clothes Of the person who did it being be-
spattered with blood
Wants to Honor Amerfcua Yesnucius.