Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1893-06-23
LlrrIe nnrden AcnnIttrd.

by the jury at 1880 Tuesday afternoon.
Ex-Goy. Robinson made the plea for the
defence Monday, occupying the greater
Knowton began the argUmen; for the state,
finishing Just before the noon adjourn
ment Tuesday. The district attorney, i'm
his argument, made mastery and effective
use of all the evidence against the prisoner,
and many who listened to him thought its
effect on the jury to be such that there
would at least be a disagreement. When the
court reUssembled at l :45 the chief Justice
addressed Miss Borden by name, telling
her that she now had voice and could say
to the jury what she chose to say. She
arose, somewhat agitated, and said to the
jury 81 am innocent, but l will leave my
ease in your hands and in the hands of my
counsel" Judge Dewey then charged the
jury. His charge was counted as in favor
of the prisoner, but if so, it was because
the evidence was that way. He admonish-
ed the jury that before a verdict of guilty
could be found some reasonable motive for
the murders must be discovered the chain
of crcumstantial evidence must be com
plete, and guilt must be established beyond
any reasonable doubt. The proof of guilt
lay with the government, and if the pris-
oner was not proved legally guilty the jury
must say So
The jury took the case at 3:15 and re-
tired, returning with their verdict at half
past four. After it had been announced,
Miss Borden standing meantime, the dis
trict attorney moved that the other cases
so ordered.
The most perfect decorum had been main
tanned throughout the trial, but the des-
patches say that;
when the verdict Of Not guilty was returned
a cheer went up which might have been heard
half mile away through the open windows, and
there 10 attempt to check it, The stately
justices looked straight ahead nj the bare walls.
Sheriff Wright poWeTless TO WELD the gayel
which lies ready for his use, and not once during
the tremendous excitement which lasted fully
minute, did he make the slightest sign of having
heard il. He never saw the people rising in their
seats and waving their handkerchiets in unison
with their voices because his eyes were fun Of
tears and were completely blinded for the time.
Miss Borden's head went down upon the rail IN
front of her and tears came where they had not
come for many long day. Mr.. Jennings was al
most crying and his voice broke as he put his
hand our to Mr.. Adams who sat next to him and
said. Thank God. while MIR. Adams returned the
pressure of the hand and seemed incapable Of
speech. EXGuv. Robinson turned to the rapidly
dssolviug jury they filed out of their seats and
beamed on them with a fatherly interest in his
kindly eyes AS soon as possible the room was
cleared. although il was hard task since every
body wanted To shake hands with Miss Borden.
Then she was taken to the room of the justices
Nd l4~ nFs.zH In nl
the eyes of friends upon her and the Caresses Of
devoted admirers. AT the expiration of an hour
she placed in a carriage and driven u the sta
tion where she took the train for Fall River.
To the public who had so closely follow
ed the course of the trial the result was in
no sense surprise, for the verdict was the
only one that seemed possible to be found
on the evidence. The Borden murder is
the most remarkable and mysterious of
which this generation has had a knowl-
edge, and the result of the trial only deep
ems the mystery which surrounds it. What
ever individual opinion may be, there was
| absolutely no legal proof that Miss Borden
was the murderer. The only two directly
incrminating features of the evidence We're
the burning of the dress, which was eX-
! plained on a reasonable basis, and the sto-
ry of the note which Lizzie Borden said
her stepmother received on the morning of
the murder and no trace of which or its
sender has ever been discovered. 1t is far
easier to believe, however, that the send
ing of this note was the work of a secret
or crazy assassin than that Miss Borden
herself committed both these bloody crimes.
1t may be possible to imagine that, as the
result OF sudden anger, or of long sup
pressed hatred, she could have struck down
her stepmother, but it is incredible that
after the lapse of an hour and half, she
should, with fiendish malgnity, have alsC
stricken down her unoffending father fol
whom she had always shown daughter
love.
The prosecution made the mistake of as
suming that Miss Borden was guilty anC
then going to work to make up string o
evidence to convict her, instead of lookns
for facts regardless of their theories. Ii
this way they laid their case open from tn,
start to be quickly riddled by the defence