Sullivan republican. [volume] (Laporte, Pa.) 1883-1896, 1893-06-23
The Testimony I'm the Borden
Case summed up for our Readers

as SecOuu CidSs Iuuii haeti.
The Testimony I'm the Borden
Case summed up for our Readers
Monday the lawy ers in the Borden
murder case had their innings and
talked for the ediication of the jury.
The prosecution did all possible to
sustain disposition. At every point
however, it's evidence has been rid
died, and all that it has left is that
the murders were committed, that no
one has been suspected but Miss
Borden, and that she must as a con-
sequence be guilty. The evidence
presented in brief is this: On the
morning of August the 4th of last
year Mrs. Borden was killed in her
room, and short time later Mr.. Bor-
den was murdered while lying upon
a lounge down stairs. Lizzie Bor-
den had been in and around the
house all the morning. The servant
girl had been engaged in washing
windows from the outside. While
thus engaged Mrs. Borden was ap-
parently killed. The girl fin
ished her work and went up stairs
to lie down. Lizzie, meanwhile, ac-
cording to her own story, went to
the barn loft for a piece Of iron or
lead. When she returned she found
her father dead. This is all that is
known of the crimes. The prosecu-
tion contended that Lizzie first kill
ed her mother, then waited until her
father had come in and killed him.
According to the testimony of the
servant girl, Bridget, the latter re-
manned in her room only fifteen miu-
utes. In that time Mr.. Borden came
in, lay down upon the lounge and
was hacked a number of times with
a hatchet, the blood squirting in all
directions. The murderer had very
short time in which to commit the
crime. The prosecution claimed that
Lizzie had not gone to the barn, and
in proof produced Fall River police
officer who visited the barn shortly
after the murder and found that the
dust on the floor in the loft had not
been disturbed and consequently
that Lizzie could not have been up
there. A hatchet with broken ham
die was fished out of a box in the
cellar, and it was claimed that with
in these fifteen minutes Lizzie had
not only removed her blood STAIN
ed dress and hidden it, but had
cleansed the hatchet and burned the
handle, having taken the blade to
the cellar and covered it with dust
in the box. Three days after the
murder Lizzie burned dress that
she said was covered with paint, and
a neighbor, Miss Russell, who hap
pened around at the time, saw her
doing it. This dress, the prosecu-
tion claimed, was the one which was
worn when the crimes were commit
ted, and the District Attorney tried
to make it appear that the search of
the house after the murders had not
been thorough and that the dress
had remained in concealment until
the proper time came for burning it,
The third point was that Mrs. Rea.
gan, the matron at the police station
had overheard Lizzie say to her sis
ter Emma, "you have given me
away"
Every one of these points has been
met by the defense. It was shown
on the cross examination of one of
the policemen who handled the hat
chet found in the cellar that the han
die was there, hence, Lizzie could
not have burned it. What is more
there was no trace of blood upon the
blade that the chemists could find.
AS to the testimony Of the officer
that there were no tracks in the barn
loft, it was proven by two witnesses
that they had been in the loft them.
selves the morning of the murder
and before the crime was committed,
so the NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. story
went to pieces. Furthermore ped.
dler saw woman coming from the
barn at the very moment that Lizzie
claimed to have come from there, and
the fact that the peddler was in front
OF the Borden house at the time and
in a position to see was proven by
Others. The peddler told the police
Of it at the time, but they suppressed
the fact. Several witnesses swore
positively that Mrs. Reagan had de.
MED the story that she had overheard
Lizzie say TO her sister. 1You bora