The Dalles times-mountaineer. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1882-1904, 1893-06-24
THE LIZZIE BORDEN TRIAL

THE LIZZIE BORDEN TRIAL.
The trial of Miss Lizzie Borden for
the murder of her father and step
mother, which has been IN progress for
some days at New Bedford, Mass, and
which has been subject of great in
terest in all portions of the country,
came to an end yesterday by the jury
rendering verdict of "not guilty"
This case has elected considerable at
tentlon because of the social standing
of the accused and the atrocious man
ner ID which the crime was committed.
Miss Borden Is young lady of educa
tion, member of the Congregational
church, and highly esteemed by those
with whom she associates The wea-
pom used in the commission o. the
crime was an axe or hatchet,
and the bodies we're hacked and
bruised beyond recognition, pre-
senting a most sickening sight to all
who beheld them. Bridget Sullivan,
a servant employed in the family; and
the young lady were the only persons
known to have been OF the house at
the time. 1t was near the hour of L
o'clock, August 4, 1892, when the
step.mother was killed, and the father
was murdered about an hour after
wards, on his return from Fall River.
Miss Borden gave the alarm, and the
circumstances surrounding the homi-
eide were such that she was held for
the murder. 1t was proved that she
was not on very friendly terms with
Mrs. Borden; but nothing was intro
duced in evidence to infer that she
was in any way at variance with her
father. She knew that her father had
willed half of his property to his wife,
and this with her dislike towards Mrs.
Borden were considered sufficient mo-
tives for the double murder. Not a
half hour elapsed from the time Bor-
den was killed before she gave the
alarm, and there was no evidence in
her demeanor that she had perpe-
trated such a terrible tragedy. There
we're no traces of blood on her clothing,
and the act could not have been done
without the garments of the murderer
showing some stains. During all the
time since her arrest she has not given
the least sign of guilt; but has ap-
peared perfectly composed up 20 the
hour when the verdict was rendered.
1t may have been possible that Miss
Bord-n could have committed the
deed, removed all evidences of the
crime from her person, and by the
exertions of almost superhuman will
power assumed an expression of inno-
cence; but the moral and physical
probability of such being the facts is
very remote The acuteness and in
genuity in destroying all traces of guilt
are found only in hardened criminals,
and have never been known to exist
in persons whose environment have
been the church. Sunday school and
the peaceful houe. Dick Turpin or
Johnathan Wilde might plan mur-
der or robbery with all the cunning
possible; but it is hardly presumable
that young lady, who has led a spot
less life, should display the same dla-
bolical art in covering the usual traces
of an atrocious act.
Circumstantial evidence is very con-
vinclng when the chain is complete;
but there must be no other reasonable
supposition to account fer the facts
proved than the guilt of the prisoner.
This is the way the law is laid down
in the authorities; but frequently at
torneys for the state attempt to sup
ply the deficiency by deluding the
jury's minds into the belief that every
link in the chain is connected, and the
verdict is more often the result of the
successful argument of the lawyer than
an honest conviction of guilt. In the
Lizzie Borden trial the links in the
chain of evidence were far from being
connected, and there were many rea-
sonable supposltlons for the circum-
stances other than that she killed her
stepmother because she did not like
her, or was the murderer of her father
for the reason that he left half of his
valuable property to his wife.
The verdict will be approved by all
fair minded men, and it is to be hoped
that other juries will hereafter exer-
else their own judgment, FROM the
testimony produced, in rendering their
verdicts, and not be influenced by
popular prejudice or by the sophistries
of hired attorneys.
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