Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-06-09
THE BORDEN MURDER CASE.
Assistant Marshal Fleet Tells About Find
ing q Hatchet.

Assistant Marshal Fleet Tells About Find
ing q Hatehet.
The afternoon session of the Borden murder
trial at New Bedford. Mass, yesterday opened
promptly at 2:i5, the court room at this time
being crowded. The testimony of the morning
is considered very important and Assistant
Marshal Fleet, in conversation with a reporter,
said he was at a loss to understand where that
dress was Lizzie is alleged to have burned
when they went through the house. Certainly
they saw nothing of it.
John Cunningham took the stand to finish
mp his testimony. He detailed seeing DIR.
Bowen, Miss Russell and Miss Sullivan passing
up 2d street, and remembered seeing Officer
Allen going toward the Borden house He
went up afterward with Walter 2. Stevens of
the Fall River Ne,cs and John Manning of the
Globe and examined the grass in the Borden
yards for footprints. They tried the
cellar door and found it was locked. (This is
considered important for the prosecution as
showing that there was no way to get into the
house by the cellar
The testimony the first part of the afternoon
was very tame. After cross-examination of
cunningham Officer Allen and Deputy sheriff
Wixom testified to their search of the Borden
premises after the murder
THE HArCHET IN EVIDENCE
Then Officer Fleet was put on the stand.
After corroborating their testimony he de-
scribed the finding Of the handleless Ratchet
produced by the prosecution. This Ratchet
was found on the dav of the murders in the
box down in the cellar. A fragment of the
handle showed fresh break, and the iron was
covered with ashes. The outside cellar door
was locked. Saturday he examined the dresses
IN the house very closely, bat found no paint or
blood on any dress
On the day of the murders witness went to
LlZzie's room and knocked on the door. and
DIR. Bowen opened the door and asked what
was wanted, and he told him. Then he closed the
door and opened it again, and said that Lizzie
wanted to know If il was absolutely necessary
20 search that room. and he told him ii was
The doctor closed the door again. and finally
he opened it, and they went in and searched
the room. Then said to Lizzie: You said
this morning that you were in the barn half
an hour this forenoon. Do you say that now?'
i did not say half an hour. sir. said from
twenty minutes TO half az hour We'll. wen
call it twenty minutes. Is that correct?
"'Yes,' she said.
Il asked then when she had seen her STEM
mother last. and she said when she was in her
loom making the bed. She told me also about
the note which she had received. 1 found the
door between Miss Borden's room and Mrs
Bordens locked. Up against the room door
leading into Mrs. Borden's out of Lizzie's was a
combination book case and desk and the door
was fastened with a hook. In the guests cham
Der noticed there was blood on the dressing
case and some on the pillows There was
another door leading from her room. which was
locked, but Lizzie got key and let us in.
1--WE searched that room. When We asked to
get into Mr.. Borden's room and she told us to
get the key from Maggie went down and got
the key from Maggie and she showed us in
there. found tine door bolted and locked. and
at no time did i open that door; then We went
into the attic and came down stairs and out of
the cellar and found DIR. Dolan and the officers
there. In consequence of what Officer Mulally
told me found in box IN the middle cellar
the head of hatchet the box was about twelve
or fourteen inches long and eighteen inches
wide. and four or five inches Deep
Here the counsel produced the hatchet head
and asked the witness if this was the one he
found In the box and the witness said il was.
Witness said the hatchet was covered with a
heavy dirt or ashes, white ashes. on the blade.
upon both sides, and, in fact. all over it; the
dust was of ashes. very fine; other tools in the
box had dust on them, but not the same as on
this hatchet
Officer Fleet. in his cross-examination. said
that he thought he could have seen blood on
the clothes he examined if any had been there
If there had been any paint there he believed
he could not have seen it unless he looked
closely. Court here adjourned until today.