New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-06-15
THE STATES CASE CLOSING.
POINTS AGAINST MISS BORDEN.
SCRAPS AND FAG-ENDS OF EvIDENCE!
VAGUE BUT SIGNIFICANT
MANY WITNESSES TESTIFY TO LITTLE occuRs
RENoEs WHICH MAY BE TRUE AND YET
LEAVE THE PRISONER GUILTLEsS-
A POLICE MATRON's STORY.



ends Of the prosecutions case. The giving Of the
testimony was interrupted twice by long argu.
ments from the lawyers on tho tlmissibility OF
certain portions Of it, These arguments occupied
| so much time that the prosecution did not finish.
Mr. Knowlton and Mr.. Moody had stated that
| they expected to close to-day Undoubtedly they
would have succeeded in doing so if the rate at
| which testimony has hitherto been given had
| becn maintained. Whatever they may now bring
| forward, il is pretty safe to say that the hour
| Of surprises and startling now developments has
passed. 1t Is most unlikely that anything will
now be brought forward the material facts eS
| which are not already known.
MISS BoRDEN's APT SUGGESTIONS.
The prisoner at the bar, so far as her physicat
condition is concerned, was better to-day. That
does not say much. She looks ill. Her face Is
white and haggard, its pallor going away only to
lie succeeded by complexion sgnifying anything
bnt vigor and ease. She has given strict atten-
ton to the proceedings The skulls, the bloody
carpets and the plaster casts were the things she
could not face, and they are gone The descrip-
ton Of tho blows and how they were given, the
blood they drew forth. and all that sort Of
harassng detail, she could not hear without emo.
tons which shook her frame and marked her face
deeply. But to the ordinary evidence she listens,
il not with composure, at least with nerve
When the witnesses began to tell what she said
to them or did in their presence, she is always
alert and ready with promptings TO her counsel
for use in cross examination. Her suggestions
display remarkable saeacity. They are not the
promptngs of quibbler She goes directly to the
kernel of the subject, and either brings up recol-
lcctions which greatly qualify what the witness
has already said, which render 1t consistent with
innocence, which put another construction on it
kko< bx,x .l,
altogether. She is weak and ill, but she still has
her wits about her.
MORE VAGUE AND INCONCLUsIvE TESTIMONY.
dozen witnesses took the stand to-day Each
had among many words one little point TO make,
and like all the rest Of the States evidence, Il
was significant, but vague and inconclusive. Il
may have meant something, but it did not need
to. There is. in fact, nothing that has been
told Of her conduct which might not be true
and Yet leave her guiltless of the crime she
is charged with. Its force is derived solely
from the circumstances that there seems 10 be
no other WY in accounting for the deaths OF
Mr. and Mrs. Borden unless they came by tho
hand Of Lizzie.
Marshal Hilard who is at the head Of tho
Fall River police force. told of his visit to the
Borden house after the killing and of the things
Lizzie said and did The essential point OF 10
was that on the Saturday night following tho
Friday morning when the murders were
committed. he and the Mayor Of Fail
River being present, she manifested
anxiety TO know whether anybody in the house
was suspected. Well why shouldn't she! All
that Friday afternoon she had been questioned
and cross-ouestioned by score of different Of
fcers All that Friday the house had been sur
rounded and her movements watched. On SAT-
TO basement and demand had been made upon
her for the clothes she at the time OF the
murders The Mayor and the Marshal Mad told
her that she must not go out OF the house, exc
plaining that the mob in the street might do her
injury This instruction applied as well 10 her
sister Emma and her uncle, John V. Morse, az
70 herself. and il was scarcely remarkable that she
shonld reply TO il with the inquiry, Is any ono
in this house under suspicion?' The States suS.
gcstion is that her question proceeded from
guilty conscience. But surely 1t might nave
como from mind wholly innocent but naturally
anxious The rest of the Marshals testimony
was repetition of that given by other policemen
as to tie careful nature and fruitless result OK
their searches through the house. The Mayor OF
Fall River corroborated the testimony Of the
Marshal as 10 Iizzie's inquiry. Both he and the
Marshal agreed that she showed no trepidatlon
when they replied that she herself was the person
suspected She said she was ready to 60 with
them whenever they wanted her.
MORE. EVIDENCE FOR TIE STATE EXCLUDED.
Then a woman was put on the stand VINO had
been a cloakmalSer for the Borden family durinS
a series of years. Her point was that some time
in March Of last year she had had a talk with
the prisoner who said that her stepmother was o
mean old thing" with whom she did not have
much 70 do The prosecution undertook to follow
up this line OF evidence by the testimony OF Wit
ness who had been Lzze's companion IN lsoo on
\ trip abroad, and who was prepared to say that
willie they were the returning steamer Lizzie
said she was sorry to be coming back, because sh0
was returning TO such an unhappy home. 1t ap-
rearing from the preliminary questions that q
spcech of this sort was about TO be introduced,
the defence objected on the ground that II was
too remote in time to be competent. The District
Attorney said that the objection would naturally
prccipitate a discussion in which he would be
comnplled to disclose the character of the testi-
mony offered and the jury was sent out Of tho
room An extremely interesting discussion fol.
lowed, ard at It's close the court decided not to
receive the evidence.
Then string Of witnesses came forward who
on the morning Of the murders and NJ about
tie time they occurred had been standing OF
sitting or walking on doorsteps, at windows in
yards, and in and about other places from which
they had views, more or less sufficient and COM
pete, Of the Borden premioes They said that
they did not sec anybody going into coming
out Of the Borden house and yard. The value
of this evidence is obviously small. 1t calls to
mind the defence of Western horse thief who
brought forward crowd of witnesses TO sweap
that they never saw him steal. The physical
possibility Of some one escaping from the Borden
hons Wit y
simply because sundry people who might have
observed him did not do
An example Of the twopcnny little things on
which the Commonwealth seeks TO convict the
prisoner is furnished in tho testimony to-day Of
A Mrs Reagan. the mltron OF fine Central Police
Station If Fall River. II the State had sue.
ccelcd in connecting this tragedy with Lizzie
Borden by means of any single incident, no
matter how small il they had found a single
4 l-Ax.i. l.. L.