New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-06-20
ALMOSTREADYFOR THE JURY
ARGUMENT FOR THE DEFENCE IN THE
BORDEN CASE.

1
PROSECUTION WILL FINISH TODAY
THE ADDRESSES NOT UP TO
EXPECTATION.
trRoM A STAFF CORRESPONDENT OF TRrsuNsJ
New-Bedford Mass, June l9-The twelfth day
Of Lizzie Bordcns trial has ended. There will
he thirteenth, and it looks now as if the trial
itself would end that day If the close to
which it comes is disastrous TO the d"fen iant
some people will bc quick to point out the 'lr'
lucky number. Reason other than any drawn
from the testimony will be necessary 70 account
for such a result. To-day occupied with
the addresses OF the counsel both sides In
their final appeal to the jury. Ex-Governor Rons
insOn spoke for five hours, consuming the entire
morning session and an hour in the afternoon.
Court adjourned for the day before the Dis
trict Attorney had concluded. It is expected
that he will talk two three hours longer
Probably the will be committed 10 the jury
before they go 10 dinner AT o'clock tomorrow.
The courtroom here though large, was packed
to the full of its capacity. Hitherto only that
number of people has been admitted for which
seats could be found in the chairs and benches
ordinarily allotted spectators. The alses aid
antcrooms have been kept open, but the !
that besicged the High Sheriff and his i5s g.
! to-day was simply irresistible and desp. q the
| barbados OF WOOD anu hcSi tIiat Wcrc tico'CA
against it in all sorts of places leading to tue
doors of the courtroom, in the end 1t was trl-
umphsnt and no inch of space in the room was
left unoccupied except in the prisoners dock.
! Miss Borden who had been sitting beside her
| counsel was to-day removed back 10 the dock
which she and the deputy who guards her held
alone.
AN INTERFERING AUDIENCE.
| m All.
most everybody who has had to do with the case
! in any capacity Emma Borden and party OF
friends of the sisters surrounded the table Occu-
pied by the prisoners counsel. Among those friends
WAS Elizabeth Stuart Phe ps They made de-
cidcd showing in behalf of Miss Borden. For tho
first time during her trial she had about her
| oroun who felt q sincere and interested sympathy
for her The rectangle forming what might be
called the pit Of the courtroom contained men,
bcrs of the bar not only from New-Bedford, but
from Taunton and Fall River and other cities In
Bristol County. Several came in from Boston.
Here TOO, were seated many persons who had been
witnesses in the ca~e.
| Two-thirds of the audience proper were cou'
posed of women and the number Of these adj
mitted was about one-tenth Of the rabble, for IL
deserves no better name that scrambled ana tus-
sled and pushed in the effort 10 get in. Women
actually fought for places, tore one anothers
dresses and made remarks full of that peculiar
epithct which only angry and eager women employ.
1t was an audience distinguished, on the whole
for intelligence good looks and pretty costumes
IL made q holiday Of the occasion, and came ouS
| in an evident effort TO introduce as much color
and light upon the scene OF Lizzie Bordens misery
| and peril was possible.
The prisoners manner and behavior throughout
a day that has not been. of them all, the least
trying were exceedingly strange Ii was curious
speculation 10 consider what she was thinking
about For the most part her face was as inn
passive as little indicative of feeling or OF sense
of her plight, a stone wall possibly could be.
She seemed physically better than at any time
in the last week, and she manifested more nerve
! and strength. This especially noticeable dur
| ing the address Of the District-Attorney. The
oldest thing about II that, while the attitudes
of her body were always languid, and always
gracefully languid. her face was bold, almost hard
| To look at it alone one would think she was
sitting bolt upright, so stern and determined was
its appearance While Ex-Governor Robinson
talked, though at no point was his speech cali
culated TO play upon the emotions she gave evil
dences of much agitation, and when he endedi
she was weeping bitterly. But she was in fun
control Of herself the very instant the DistrictAt-
torncy's voice broke in upon the stiffness OF the
room, and from that time until court adjourned
the look Of hard constraint never left her face.
THE ADDRESSES TO THE JURY.
| The speeches were both disappointing. II IL
simpe Justice TO say that the Distrtct-Attorney,
with much the poorer opportunity and much tho
more difficult task. made the better and more
impressive address. Ex-Governor Robinson had
the opportunity of lifetime, and possibly that
was lust the reason why il was not improved.
| With the most bewldering tragedy that has
disturbed the public peace and fired popular i'm
| acination for many year his theme; with
n Young woman as the object of his protection;
with a mass OF incidents and circumstances to talk
about, confused, contradictory and mysterious
he made speech, 10 sentence Of which was other
than commonplace. Ills work throughout tho
trial had been so brilliant; he had broken the
armcr of the prosecution so often and at 80 many
noints: he had prevented them from proving so
| much that they had advertised they were going
! N prova and had provided such effective expa-
nations of almost everything that their evidence
had tended to represent as suspicious, and his
reputation as a speaker 80 high, that every
one looked for noble deliverance.
The best that can be said for it is that IL was
good though tedious analysis of the evidence But
| il waS-planncd on wrong theory and was not
skiIfully Judged There is nothing much in this
| case against Lizzie Borden for which some kind
| of explanation has not been made, excepting the
| story she told about :he stepinother having re-
| ceved a note on the morning Of the MURDERS and
having gone out of the house in consequence This
| is really the only thing that the defence needed
| TO be especially serious about. II Ex-Governor
| Robinson had consumed an hour in keen ridicue
and sharp rebuke Of the States evidence. point
| ing out the absence of anything in it that tended
| to fasten the prisoner TO the crime and denying
| the right of the Commonwealth to ask for a con-
| viction on such a case; if then. he had spent
| another hour in anayzing the evidence. showing
| the contradictions. inconsistencies. absurdies and
| downright falsehoods that had been developed In
| the testimony for the people, and il he had de-
| voted final hour 10 an ardent and eloquent ap-
| peal he would have planned his address 30 as
IL mil n,.A