Waterbury evening Democrat., 1893-06-07
LIZZIE BORDEN'S TRIAL
Examining the First Witness
For the Prosecution.
THOMAS HERMAN ON THE sTANu


ing Address for the Prosecution - Mis-
Borden Paints at Its Conclusion.
NEW BEDFORD, Mass, June THE
court house was again packed this morn
ing when court opened Miss Borden and
her attorneys were in their places promptly
at 9 o'clock and shortly after that time,
Thomas Herman, the first witness for the
prosecution, began to give his testimony.
When court convened yesterday the
jury heard the indictments against Miss
Borden read as soon as Court was formally
opened, and were charged as "good men
and true, stand together and hearken to
your evidence"
Mr.. Moody then stepped to the railing
and opened the governments case. He
said that on the fourth day of August last
an old man and an old woman, without a
known enemy in the world, were stricken
down by an unknown assassin. La the
prisoners dock was a young woman, a
daughter Of the murdered people, young
woman Of coed social standing. charged
with the crime Of numbering these people
1t was his purpose to put the story OF the
crime in the easiest manner possible.
MIR. Moody got down to the early morn
ing of the day upon which the tragedy was
enacted. He told at what hours the differ
ent members of the household had arisen
and what had passed between them imme
diately after that.
The speaker called attention to the dis
crepauces that existed in the stories told
by the prisoner. In brief, they were that
she told one story, in which she said that
while in the barn she had heard q noise in
the house, something in the nature of an
alarm.
She rushed into the house and discov-
cred the body of her father. The other
story was that she had been in the loft of
the barn and had discovered the body of
her father when she entered the house to
get her hat.
She had told. too that she had gone to
the barn for the purpose of getting some
lead from which to make sinkers. Another
story was that she had gone there for a
piece of iron with which to repair screen
Mr.. Moody unrolled bundle and d is
closed the clothing Miss Borden had worn
on the morning her father and mother
were killed He held them up for inspect
tlon by the jury. There was no trace of blood
on any of the garments on except the front
of the skirt, whore there was a minute
particle of blood.
Two axes and three hatchets were shown
| to the jury.
There was no evidence of struggle
anywhere in the house." Mr.. Moody went
on, mot an article anywhere in the house
had been disturbed. The one who COM
mitted the murder was familiar with the
premises.
From the middle until the end of the
opening address Miss Borden leaned back
in her chair and never moved a muscle.
| She put the fan up over her face, and
| holding her head forward, pressed it close
against her forehead and held it there.
| Her eyes were closed and she appeared
as if asleep. Not by any motion did she
| betray that she was conscious of what was
| going on about her.
just as Mr.. Moody had ceased to speak
| and taken one step toward his seat, there
was noise where Miss Borden was sitting.
She had tainted.
The Rev Mr.. Jubb hurried over to her
and placed bottle of smelling salts to her
nostrils Deputy Sheriff Kirby and an
| other officer hurried after some cracked
| ice.
The woman's face grew white. The off
GERS returned with ice in moment, and a
couple of minutes later Miss Borden began
i to recover.
The jury was allowed recess of about
five minutes and when it had returned to
| the box she had recovered her usual man
| ner and bearing.
When the jury returned the case was
opened by the Government putting on its
first witness i'll the person of Thomas
| Herman.
Mr.. Knowlton then asked the court tc
allow the jury to take view of the Bor-
den premises Gov. Robinson, who con-
suited Miss Borden in regard to accom-
panying the jury to Fall River, announced
that his client waived her rights in the
matter and would not go with them
Messrs. Hodges, Brown, Nickerson and
Arnold of the Deputy Sheriffs were desig-
mated by the Sheriff to look after the jury,
and Messrs. Moody, for the commonwealth,
and Mr.. Jennings for the defense, were
designated as representing counsel.