The state chronicle., 1893-06-16
AT rHE END OF FIRST
WEEK OF THE BORDEN TRIAL.

A Careful Summary of the Evidence
Thus Far Introduced by the Govern
ment.
Boston Herald.
Busy people don't have time to
read the detailed reports of the
murder trial at New Bedford in
which Miss Lizzie Borden is being |
defended against an accusation by |
the commonwealth of Massachusetts |
of having murdered her father and
stepmother. This is how the case
stood at the end of the trial.
It is the States theory that Liz
zie Borden had the opportunity to
murder both persons and that no
one else had it. All admit that
nothing points toward any other
human being as the culprit. The
State says in effect: To assume that
any one else could be concealed in
the house, do those deeds Il hours
apart and rush from the house with
a hatchett dripping with blood
without being seen is absurd. She
chose, at first, to do the killing with
prussic acid. but tailed to get it.
That fatal forenoon, the State theory
assumes, while Bridget was wash
ing windows, Lizzie killed her
stepmother upstairs and then chan
ged her dress, supposing she wore
one while committing the first mur-
der, and went down stairs, after her
father had been let in at the front
door by Bridget, and began iron
ing. While Bridget was up in her
room, leaving Lizzie the last person
so far as is known who saw her fa-
ther alive, the daughter placed her
self in the doorway near which the
old man was taking his nap and,
protected from blood spatters by
the wall, chopped his head. Lizzie
then managed to break off the
handle of the hatchett and burn
it in the kitchen stove. She cleaned
, the hatchet blade and carried il
+ into the cellar where she smeared
: it with ashes and placed it in 6
box where it was found by the off
GERS. Then she gave the alarm
The story about the visit to tht
a barn was lie and in telling it tn,
n State makes Lizzie contradict her
self. She also lied about the not
! she said her mother had received
f Mrs. Borden never left the hous
y that forenoon. No one in the worlt
r has been found who saw her out
r side of it and no one has come for
O ward as the author of the allege'
s note. As soon as Lizzie got chanc
to get the blood-spattered dress ou
r, Of the way she took it into tn
kitchen and burned it, claimin;
d that it was soiled by paint.
n That being the theory of tn
Il State, as outlined up to date, wha
J. evidence has been put in to supper
J. it? Two important points are to b
4 noticed. Miss Russell testified O
J. Thursday as follows:
IA On Sunday I got the breakfas
% After breakfast left the lower pal
i of the house and returned befor
,r noon, When I came back I wer
in the kitchen and saw Lizzi
t. standing by the stove, Emm
,e by the sink. Lizzie had a dres
A. skirt, and 1 asked her what she WE
q. going to do with it, and Lizzie sal
2r she was going to burn it. It WI
ID all covered with paint. I said notl
or ing and went out. When I came j
the room again Lizzie was tearin
the dress. I said Il would not |,
is anybody see me doing that" an
ut she stepped one step back. It WI
the waist she was tearing. I do NJ
remember about the skirt. The
e' were no officers in the house at tn
ne time, though there were some abo1
re the premises. Bridget had left b
nj fore that. I saw Mr. Hanscom ar
saw him at the Borden house {
v. Monday and conversed with him
10 the parlor. In consequence of tn
IL talk saw Lizzie and Emma in Il
dining room and said "I'm afra
the worst thing you could ha
y. done was to burn that dress. 1 ha
h- been asked about your dresser
IN. and she said "Why did you let I
of- do i.?"
IT. Miss Russell's testimony is 81
ct unsupported; but if Miss En-,
:, Borden shall corroborate it
10 burning of the dress must stand.
as The nextimportant point conce1
'ut the handless hatchet which Ofic,
Fleet and Mullaly found in the c
lar on August 4, and did not
move, but which was later on tak
to the police station by Medl
tn Every officer who saw that hand
tn less hatchet swears that it was
;ia- covered with fine coating of
in cumulated dust, as were the otl
in scraps" lying about, but that
son blade had been smeared with ash
4 is fine wood ashes. They all ag1
OF too, in saying that the break in
nth wooden handle seemed fresh O
the Even Mullaly testified to that.
any his cross examination by Law
ads Robinson came this passage
Vily Q Were you and ne alone?
7ay. When he took the hatchet out I
leve we were.
Q. Well, how was that? "
!ies was the condition Of that? A. T
OA0 | hol