The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1893-06-20
SUMMING Up THU CASE.
The Great Borden Murder Trial
Nearing the End.
ARGUMENTS ARE BEGUN.
Governor Robinson Opens Proceedings
with Argument for the Defense.
He Rehearses in Chronological Order the
Events Connected with the Crime
District Attorney Knowlton Be-
gins His Summing Up.

NEW BEDFORD, Mass, June 19.-The
day of argument in the Lizzie Borden
trial opened with great crowd at the
court house, scarcely one-tenth of whom
could gain admission. A large proper
ton OF those in attendance were fashion,
abe ladies in holiday attire. The defend
ant appeared fresh and smiling.
Governor Robinson opened the proceed
ings with an argument for the defense.
He began by declaring that the defendant
was physically unable to commit the
crime in the manner committed; that
aside from that, it was only possible for
maniac, or devil, to do it. He asked the
jury to bring their homes, hearts and in
tellects into the decision of the case.
Then he rehearsed chronolgically the
events connected with the crime. He saw
no reason to connect defendant with it.
There was no direct evidence against Miss
Borden whatever. he said and no know
| ledge of the use of the weapon had been
| shown.
The evidence shows that the defendant
did not know where the alleged weapon
was kept. Lizzie Borden was at home
the morning the murders were COM
mitted and if she had gone up stairs and
|
seen the body of her stepmother. Both
Lizzie and Bridget tell about note
which called Mrs. Borden out and both
were told of it by Mrs. Borden. Lizzie
said she had been in the barn twenty
minutes. An ice cream peddler who
knew Bridget went by and saw woman
but not Bridget walking to the house
| from the barn.
| A five minutes recess was here taken
and the address was discussed freely by
the spectators, much disappointment be-
| ing expressed about it.
| Bridget, said the governor after recess,
when she heard Mr.. Borden was dead said
she would go to Mrs. Whitehead's and
tell Mrs. Borden, if she was there. That
coroborates the note theory. Bridget
| Sullivan, who for two years had been
closer to the family than any one else, had
never heard quarrel between Lizzie and
| Mrs. Borden. The speaker then related
the fact of the alleged blood stained dress
and the burning of it. If Lizzie Borden
killed her stepmother at 9:45, did she
come down and greet her father in blood
stained dress. She must have changed
clothing and changed it again after the
get Bridget out of the house? Don't you
think she would have sent her on some
errand?
| The attorney pointed out that the
doctors disagreed as to what was used to
| kill the Bordens, and touched upon the
claw headed Ratchet and Ratchet without
handle. Ii those were not the imple-
ments with which the murder was COM
mitted where are they? The exclusive
opportunity theory was simply an an
ticlpation which might be realized. Any
body could have gotten into the house by
simply avoiding Bridget on the outside
and Lizzie on the inside. The lawyer
held that the young man seen in the
vicinity was an outside spy for the person
committing the deed, and that the job
J was not done by one person.
The dinner recess was taken and the
ex-governor resumed when the court re-
assembled. If there had been any blood
on defendants head he said those who
, were bathing her face would have dis
| covered it. 1t was O'Clock when the ex-
7 governor closed and District-Attorney
: Knowlton began to sum up for
the defense. However we may differ
we can agree that this is the most heart
rending case. The woman we are trying
| is christian and it is hard to consider {
woman guilty of such a crime, but the
greatest criminals of the world have beer
women, and we must face this case as men
1 No one who has told of it saw Lizzie Bor
den burn that dress. While Mr.. Bor
den was down at the bank that morning
e her. 1t was against her that hate wa
directed. There was one woman in tn
world who believed the old woman stoot
between her father and herself. Their
was nothing in these blows but hatre'
4 and great strong man with one blow
e only, would have made an end of it.
O The speaker reviewed the movements o
the family on the morning of the TRACED,
: and said that up to the time the murde
was committed there was no opportunlt,
d for the assassin to come in. When tina
= 200 pound woman fell it must have bee
: heard by whoever was in the house. l
9 Lizzie was down stairs she was in tn
:. passageway OF the murderer. If she wa
s up stairs she could not have helped hear
8 ing.
She was alone in the house with tn
p murdered woman, and knew that by an,
s by there was coming into the house
$ stern, just man, who would notice tn
d absence of his beloved wife when he cam
j.. in, and she said to him, "Mother receive
t a note and has gone out. But ther
was no note. There never was anyon
n sick, and the note story originated wit
n Lizzie Borden. Bridget Sullivan said sh
(, first heard of it what Lizzie said. Coul
: adjourned with the Knowlton argument
not finished.