Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-06-20
"ExCLUsIvE OPPORTUNITY"
The Keynote of the District Attorneys
Argument in the Borden Case.


Argument in the Borden Case.
It was o'clock when Governor Robinson
closed his plea Tor the defense in tine Borden
case Yesterday afternoon and District Attorney
Knowlton took up his work He said: This is
a most heartrendiug case Whether we are
considering the case or the difficulties upon all
sides. there is tina: in it all which lacerates the
heartstrings Of the multitude. 1t was an in
credible crime. but the cold. hard facts crush
incredulity II you had read the facts else
where you would have said this will do for
story. but 1t could never have happened In
the midst of populous city, in bright day
light, poor old man and woman were brutally
murdered. 1t seems impossible crime, and
vet it was done.
Iam bound to say. out Of a full heart, it is
scarcely more credible to believe the charge
which followed the crime. The prisoner Is a
woman and a Christian. as the expression Is
used; il is a criminal Of the rank OF a lady we
are trying today OF whom such things had never
been dreamed of or suspected before. we are
trying a crime which we would have believed
impossible, but il was committed, and we are
irving a woman whom We would never maze
believed would have been charged with the
crime but she was. II was found that those
men over in Fall River who went wrong Few
wears ago were members Of a church; that they
were rotten to the core, and 1t was demon
strated that those who stand close 10 the sanctu-
ary are not free from the faint of sin. II Is not
for me TO sheer at Christians; they are all sons
of Adam and are but human.
NV learned associate asked You. and adj
iure vou that IN ths cause no unworthy con-
siderstion shall be tolerated There Ia not
room fcr s yestige Of prejudice. When 1t has
heeu said OF me that when took this case
there entered into il anything like personal
ambition the shaft struck home, for this case
has been the sasidest duty Of nv life. and be-
FORE do that woman sry injustice NAV my
RICH, arm withe-. Before passing In consider
alton Of the evidence in the case. let me say
word as To the nature OF the evidence We nave
brought YOU ever witness whom We thought
knew ANYTHING Of that case, and many Of them
were and are the fastest friends Of this woman.
There was another class of citizens-the police
who did their work "a honestly and faithfully
as thew knew how. Tney collected every clue
thev could get at. Don't you suppose they
wo1ld be glad to find she innocent. and
that somebody else did il? Is there any one so
base as to hope she did il? think not The
police are men as well as police, and are not 10
be stood up and criticised as officers, but as
men
CIRCUMSTANCES TELL THE TRUTH.
"Men will not tell the truth always; circum-
stances will tell the truth; they are not under
oath What impresses me the distinguish
ing feature Of the is the fact that these two
people did not meet their death at the same
time. II has been proved eonclusiveiy tna'
this was so. Mrs. Andrew j. Borden probably
never heard the city hall clock strike the hour
of ten She was stricken down with the dust
cloth in her hand as she went abou. her work
At $50 the assassin met her and put an end &c
her life That is the KEY OF the case II was the
malice against Mrs. Borden that inspired TN,
murder II was the act of \ person who spent
the forenoon in that house. and this fact bears
on this case from beginning to end.
Il shall have to ask you to go back to that
death chamber and stand over the body Of
that woman who had not an enemy In all the
world: there she Law. bleeding and dead. prom,
by the hand Of an assassin, and in all this uni
verse there cannot be found anybody whC
could have had any motive for doing it Lei
rs see what kind of a household this was. II
there was skeleton it was well guarded; the'
never tod anybody Of it, and least of all die
they tell the servant. 1t was locked up in tn
closet but it was not large enough for It, 1t L
useless to tell you there was peace and harmon,
in that family: we know better. That remarl
made to Mrs. Clifford was not q petulant out
break: that remark made on the stairs whe
the body of her stepmother lay dead not TEL
feet from her was not a random one
she WAS FAITHFUL GUARDIAN
Lizzie Borden has no more remembrance G
her mother than any child Of her age, at tn
time her mother passed away. And yet sh
had a mother, a woman who came to the hous
two years later and reared that girl, and ha
stood in the attitude OF the closest friend St
had been a faithful and honorable guardian
1t was the only mother she had ever know
Ard then they had quarrel: what a quarre
MN worth one-quarter OF a million wants
buy and give his wife the interest IN the hom
stead where her sister lives. and because IN
was done this woman repudlated the mothe
The stroke Of that instrument at the last ney'
went so deep as the coutemptuOus treatmel
and the withdrawal of the word mother
Here the speaker reviewed the movements
the family on the morning OF the tragedy
Up to the time the murder was done the
was no room for the assassin to come in Whe
that acknowledgement woman fell under Il
blows the fall must have been heard by VIII
ever was in the house at the time. III Liz
was down stairs, she was in the passageway
the assassin: If she was upstairs. she was ON Il
same floor quite near. and she could not ha
helped hearing. No matter how craftlly rurd
is planned. there il always some point vine
the plans fail. and they failed here at the cr
ical time; she was alone IN the house with IN
murdered woman
She must have known il. and she knew th
bv and by there coming into the house
stern and Just man who would have noticed
absence of his wife and who would have ask
for her. and that question must be answers
He came in and she went TO him and sa
.Nother has had note and has gone on
When Bridget got through her work Lizzie L
her that she was going TO lock the screen do
as Mrs. Borden had gone out and she might
out, too. Counsel on tne Olher siCe siiu
statement was not lie. But there was no no
there never was anybody sick. and the IA
originated with Lizzie Borden Bridget Su
van said she never heard anybody come will
note; she never saw any note. and the first
heard of il was what Lizzie said Bird
knew no note came when she was gu
outside and inside. IL did not come to the 5
door, because the door was locked most OF
time And the front door bell never rang I
morning. repeat there never was note
Mr. Knowlton had not concluded his ar
ment when court adjourned for the day.
A Concert by Prof Bischon-s Pupils.