The Portland daily press., 1893-06-12
HER COUNSEL JUBILANT,
Lizzie Bordea's Lawyers Do Not
Hide Their Satisfaction.
CASE MAY TURN ON HER EVIDENCE
AT TIE INQUEST.

Prosecution Confident of Its Admission.
Defence Equally Sure of It's Exclusion
The Peculiarities of the Fall River
PoHce-The States Attorneys Cha
grined, But the Police Are Not Dis
turbed-The Trial Has Just Begun.
FALL RIVER, Mass, June 11.-It is
the general opiuion about town that the
prosecution in the Borden trial thus far
has very weak c ase. This opinion is
being strengthened by rumors current
here to the effect that Lizzie Bordens
counsel will shortly explode a bomb
shell in the camp of the authorities. II
is limited that the defense will show con.
clusively that Lizzie Borden purchased
same paint few days before the muir
der, and it was not an uncommon thing
to burn dresses in the Borden household.
The fact that the girl burned dress in
the daylight when officers surrounded
the house, will be related to show that
there was not the slightest attempt at
concealment. The defendants lawyers
do not attempt to disguise their joyful
feeling because of the present status OF
the case. The girls friends here are
jubilant. The hatchet incident with its
accompanying denials is source OF
much comfort.
Spirits of the police authorities are by
no means downcast. OfficersssMullally's q
strange and unexpected statement about
the finding of the handle is, they say, in
keeping with the general tone of the
The testimonyIgiven by him before in
the courts. He has been known several
times to take position in less i'm
portant cases, in defiance of the fact.
Five or six other officers and witnesses
testified positively that he was wrong.
One of the police authorities thinks so
little of the circumstance that he saws he
will not advise the district attorney to
contradict Mullally's alleged erroneous
sta tement. The matter of wrapping up
the hatchets, testified to in two ways by
Medley and Desmond, can be easily ex-
planned. They say both men did wrap
up the hatchet, Desmond wrapping it up
first and passing it to Medley who after
ward opened it in the cellar to show it to
another officer. 1t is the frequently ex-
pressed opinion here that the defence
has built mine under Medley's testi-
mony and will set it off, before the case
is finally submitted.
If tomorrow the cour. decides to ad-
nit the stenographic report in the Lizzie
Borden testimony at the inquest, the
government will,feel superlatively happy.
1t is believed, with reason, that upon
this testimony the government largely
relies, while in the event of it's being al
lowed, Lizzie must necessarily take the
stand to refute the statements made at
that time, under pressure, or to tell her
story under totally different circum-
stances. 1t is felt should the jury hear
those first statements, nothing which
can be said at this day can counteract
the influence of the previous work. In
conversation with Mr.. Moody this
evening he showed he was firmly per.
suaded that the arguments of the pros
ecution for the admission of the testi.
mony, would prevail. Counsel for the
defence were equally confident that the
testimony would be excluded. In this
| case Lizzie will not go on the stand un-
less some more damaging evidence
comes up against her than yet shown.
1t is authoritatively stated tonight that
| the case has but just begun. The med.
ical expert testimony will take up quite
long time and the trial will last two
weeks longer. There are symptoms Of
disappointment on the part of the gov
ernment. The peculiar methods of the
| Fall River police force in general art
| being severely commented upon here
and are alluded to partially explana-
tory of that disappointment.