New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-06-14
CPOUNER'S QUEST Law.

The prosecution in the Borden trial has not
strengthened its case by the introduction OF cx-
merit testimony. The vagares Of DR.. Dolan,
the Coroner cannot be dgniicd by that method
of classification. lie seems to be an incx-
rc.ienccd speculative person. incapable OF
or. ginal suggestion and OvcrZcluS in con
frming police con lectures lli' demonstration
Of the method Ly which the faal blows were
administered by a left-handrd assaSsin wa
purely hypothetical and whol'y unscicnific His
first attempt t. identify the claw-hcad Ratchet
as the Wanderers tool was fiat failure since
the hairs found on i; were from n COW and the
red spot either rust or paint. Then the police
gave him second cue and he again tried his
hand with the haEdlcc,s Ratchet the shoes
and stockings worn by the prisoner On the day
of the murder and al.o whit skirt. lie soon
succeeded in forming positive the iric> rc.pect-
ing stains found on all these articles. With a
single exception. a pinhcad blood spot on the
skirt. all his iicniiticlt.onS were c'ni-'iict
bv Professor Wood. of Harvard College. 1t
was about the >orricsi exhibition of Growers
quest" law which has been made during thi,
generation
Profc SIR Wool was practically a wtnc>, for
the defence, although called by The >'atr. lie
found no trace, Of prlI,>c acid either in the
,tomachs Of the Murdered B,rdcn> or in thc
samples Of milk There were IL, signs If blood
on any Of the Ratchet. and aXc>-no even the
handlele>S Ratchet which was assumed to ii
some Of the wounds. There wa, II, blrol on
the 81 g. AID Stockings. There was imply
the pinhcaI SPIT on the SKIRT. ath ,ugh be was
ccnstianrd 10 conclude that the ASSASSIN mrs:
have been bc-pattclcd with blood. This
minute spot with few particles Of coarse dust
on the handclc,> haichct WIS all that remained
Of the p lice AMI e Ione!'s "csper testimony
when PROBES Wood c included hi, statement
As for the haichct head with The broken handle,
concerning which the police and Coroner
have been di>puting in their zeal for contra
dieting one another and di>crcdiing t." pr'so-
cution, the Harvard cNp"r; cnlha'ic,lly stated
that h. dill not believe i, - BE- III" ASSASSIN
tool Possibly the state has something more
soi.uS in reserve. but - far aS ii has gone
il ha, made signal failure in is expert tc>ti-
mouy.
In>cntlblc as is The mystery cf thi> remark
able case, the prisoners chances oi acqu!;ial
are certainly Frightening. The difficult! Of
accounting for the two murders ~ The work
# a conc aled asa sin is I more inc plicab..c
than the difficulty of explaining how Lizzie
Borden could have killed her stcpmDiher and
father and have removed all traces Of blood
from her clothing AMI the instrument, of death.
Gne pirhcad spJ; On the skirt and Il few grains
Of coarse dust on u, hatohct-hcad ThcS, and
nothing more, although there was an incredibly
short interval for the second murder, and the
Police were rIn,aclling every room in the house
| for evidence Of guilt half an hour after Mr..
. Boldcn's death. II is easy TO understand why
, the Coroner and the police were anxious to
| draw the suspected murderer into a trap al
the inquest. and to induce her to convict her
self and ID disclose her motive. With their
| hatchcl, and broken handles. their bolts and
| locks and their one wee blood stain, they were
| hard pressed for evidence in support Of their
| only Theory