The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-06-09


ceeds In Tearing Some OF IL Into Tatters-
Two Persons Say the Dress Was the
Ono Sho Wore at the Time or the AGur.
der-Stin They Saw Blood 1.-THE
IIatchet Was Hidden In n Tool Box, aaa
Had Been Freshly Rubbed with Ashes-
n Bloody Handkerchief that Also
Appears Mystsriousiy In tho Case.
NEW BEDFoDD. Juno SIT was bad day for
Lizzie Borden-a day full OF suggestion OF her
guilt As usual her physical condition seemed
to foreshadow what was TO come. She was all
but motionless most OF the day. All OF her
stoicism seemed to have returned to her. It
is the general belief that the Government
brought out its worst to-day and reached the
summit Of its little hillock OF circumstantial
evidence against the unhappy woman. And
yet. after oil. the principal testimony was a.
to the burning OF her dress. which had been
foreshadowed by the Government. That and
the facts connected with her singular action
made up the measure OF the injury done to
her case
Queer and unaccountable as 1t was for Q
young woman so placed to burn dress. es-
pecally in so frugal New England house.
hold. 1t was yet an easy thing for her counsel
to show much that was in her favor with 70.
gard toit For instance. she made no effort to
hide her act. She did 1t In broad daylight. in
the presence OF her sister and friend. when
policemen were Just outside the unlocked
door. All day the Government kept bringing
out its most important and. as 1t thought, its
most damaging points. and just as steadily
ex-Gov Robinson. on behalf OF Miss Borden.
either rlddled them or tried to do so.
In this most expeditions court swollen
tide OF witnesses seems ever pouring in the
courtroom door. Swearing them. Kidding them
OF their testimony. and sending them away
again goes on as lot OF cooks might squeeze
basketfnl Of lemons To-day. as nearly all
OF the witnesses were very important. the tono
and temper OF the proceedings were feverish
and strained most OF the time. The witnesses
and the counsel on both sides were. like pugil.
lists. steadily sparrin9 each to get advantage
OF the other.
Tho operation could almost be likened to Q
Demonstrating match. in which District At
torney Moody kept flinging up the birds and
defying his antagonist to hit them. while the
Ex-Governor as constantly fired, and often. but
by no means always wounded or brought
them down.
Ex-Gov Robinson is certainly without an
equal in New York city as a cross examiner.
Hamlet. in the play. Is no more necessary or
conspicuous than this gifted lawyer 10 In this
case.
He has not yet found O Government witness
less to his own account His ability 10 worry
like that OF an actor. He changes his mood I'd
suit his own purposes. He 10 very courtly and
winning to woman witness until he lands
her where he wants her. and then. II 1t suits
him. he becomes as stern as pirate Heis
as confidential and chatty as q gossip and his
witness becomes very DESTROYS OF pleasing
him and Is easily led into 0 trap. Then his
manner changes, and he makes short work Of
a u hn yvff m tnnx hah oa htv,c rtf.,n
To-day he seemed determined to anger one
OF tho Witnesses Then he showed his con.
summate art by Stimulating irritability. stern
ness. and impatience. That witness was O
police officer named Fleet and was the COOL
est. clearest-headed. shrewdest man the willy
lawyer has yet had to deal with. In tho other
duels the Ex-Governor has matched his big
brains against far smaller ones. but John
Fleets brains were as good In their way as the
lawyers.
Fleet is assistant marshal In Fall River. and
is evidently believer In Lizzie Borden's guilt
Like q typical policeman having some one in
custody. he finds 1t simpler to construe all the
evidence against that one than to take up
new clue and hunt out another prisoner He
gave great deal OF testimony which the Gov
eminent evidently thinks 10 very hurtful to
Miss Borden and some Of 1t the Government
had not outlined. Then. again. Fleet is the
man who found the handleless Ratchet. which
they are going to show to have borne traces Of
blood.
Mr.. Robinson set out to dlscredlt all this tes-
timony. and his plan was to get the witness
angry and ratified. He succeeded In i've
minutes. and had the policeman glaring at
him and answering him impudently. He also
made the witness contradict himself aud In o
measure disparage his own evidence. But
Just then 1t was time to close the court SO the
wonderful wizard OF a lawyer will have to work
the witness up all over again to- morrow.
The Government kept on weaving It's web an
day, and the woman's counsel kept breaking
through 1t at every vulnerable point. so that.
while The web WAS there re- at the close Of the
doors OF the Borden house were all locked on
and two women went through the house soon
after tho murder, that the officers saw work
fssoes nrouad the Boren I rae "ef and thas
was next to impossible that any one except
they showed that other police men were quickly
sent to scour the woods and watch the dep9ts.
cleyerIy ar. kob bin dealt with ali Of It viii
be seen In what follows.
Miss Lizzie Borden attracted tn general attsa
deserve IT. she might BIZ be said d to have done
rirht G lam i in Tie mornns and her sie oss
IN the alterpoon. Once she attracted adverse
terribly bloody case WAS shown In the form OF
a saturated handk srchief carried about Ikea
British flag by District Attorney Moody. She
turned hsr head as she had never done before
so that her chin was over her shoulder and
Abe cast her eyes down. And yet any woman
N lght have done the same thing.
That last reflection brings TO mind the fact
hat unless tho Government has got more than
i has shown. the Borden case will pass into
history az, one OF the most mysterious Of the
'eebrat tad cases OF the century. Most fair
minded persons here are OF the opinion. that
here has been nothing yet brought forward
hat does not tend to prove the woman inno-
'ent quite us much as to suggest her guilty.
The Commonwealth to-day continued its
,Norts to exactly fix the time OF tho murder Of
IIr. Borden. 1t has at least narrowed things
he could have had only from 8 to 10 minutes
n which to conceal all traces OF the murder OF
Ter father after she did the blood ydsed. In that
'eriod OF from . to IL minutes she must have
'ther changed her dress or put another one
ver It. she must have broken the hick oryhRpdle
4 IA hatchet. and she must have taken the
llnolY blade VI the MenuOn down into 1 M cal.