The Portland daily press., 1893-06-10

Search of the House Shown to Have
Been Careless1y Made.
NEW BEDFORD, Mass, June 9.-Two
of the government witnesses fatty con-
tradicted each other in regard to the
hatchet, to the finding of which in the
cellar of the Borden house yesterday
Officer Fleet testified. As Officer Fleet
is one of the parties to the contradiction,
the case of the government has been
greatly weakened. In fact, the cross-ex-
animation of Fleet has robbed the hatchet
story of much of its weight.
Fleet On the Rack,
Assistant Marshal Fleet again faced
Gov. Robinson from the witness stand.
The officer eyed his sharp inquisitor
warily, and made haste TO say that if he
made certain statements, as reported by
the stenographer at the preliminary hear
ing, they were pretty nearly correct. The
Governor drew from the witness the sig
nifcant fact that there was pile of ashes
in the mid-cellar where the Borden hatch
cts were found. Gov. Robinson struck
an interesting pose as he thrust his left
hand behind his coat tail and raised aloft
the original COW s-hair broadaxe, which
was SO ignominiously abandoned after
Prof. Woods's testimony. The number
of individuals on the Borden premises,
when Mr.. Fleet arrived, was quite ma
terially increased as the witnesses mem
ory returned. He did remember seeing
John Donnelly. the hackman, round the
Borden house, though he refused to spe-
city the time.
The important bearing of this lies in
the fact that it is Donnelly who will swear
that he went up into the Borden barn
chamber at the desire of Mr.. Southland
Miller, and went all through it before
Officer Medley had gone up at all, and
yet the officer testified that there was no
indication of anybody having been round
the chamber that morning.
Very neatly and adroitly Governor Rob-
inson drew from his unwilling witness
the facts of the search up stairs, which
Mr.. Fleet and his two associates made in
the Borden house that Thursday after
noon. There was trunk but they did
not ask to have it opened. -
ssAnd you three officers were making a
search?" queried the Governor with Bit
ter sarcasm.
And you didn't make one, did you?''
1t was hard place for the witness. His
reply was not distinctly audible. The
blunt question straight from the shoul-
der, ibid you find any blood on Bridgets
dresses?'' startled all in the court room.
Mr.. Fleet was taken by. surprise; for
minute his guard was down.
"On Bridget's dressesp, No. he did
not see any. Did he look for blood on
Bridget's dresses? He didn't, and yet
the three officers were making search.
How clearly its superticiality stood ex-
posed under the Governors searching
questions They looked at Bridget's
dresses, and on top of the bed, and
under the bed, but nothing more. A little
amused laugh ran round the benches
when Gov. Robinson asked the witness
if he saw man there, or expected to.
Then Gov. Robinson attacked the lit
tie hatchet axe. And when he brought
out the fact that it was found in the eel
lar on the 4th of August, he arraigned
the witness sharply for not being frank
with him when he asked if he had told
all that he found and he had not spoken
a word of this.
Then he put the unhappy assistant
marshal on scorching gridiron. The
witness was forced to admit that the
place where the present alleged murder
GUS blade was found was filthy.
1T was nasty old place, wasn't it?''
came the question.
eyes, it was
Back and forth went the Governors
rapier blade, keen as razor it's sharp
edge, and with every thrust came re-
sponsiye writhe. The fencing became
intensely exciting. Mr.. Fleet found
himself between Scylla and Charybdis.
Yesterday he said the two parts of the
hatchet were covered with ashes, the
broken part as we'll as the head. This
morning he declared that there were no
ashes on the broken portions.
Look at that with the eyes of man
and not police officer" said the Cover
nor sternly, whether you dc not see
traces of ashes in there now"
District Attorney Knowlton for the
first time manifested uneasiness. He
submitted that it was not proper way
to address the witness. The Governor
was quick to acknowledge it. Officer
Fleet was unable to see any.
Then the Governor struck hard. The
answer last night and the answer this
morning couldn't both be true. The
witness frankly admitted they were not.
'Will you take your pickup And again
there was ripple Of amusement. In
VoIy u6Sp6IdUlOA CAO WjbuO5S uoCldT6u
that he wouldn't say whether there were
ashes on the broken part or not, and
finally said: II didn't discover any ashes
on it,
Shorthand notes and typewritten COPY
were too much for Mr.. Fleet. Last
night he said the broken part of the
hatchet was covered with ashes.
The Governor scored another signifi-
can't point when he forced the Assistant
Marshal to admit that when he had stat
ed ON his oath at the police court that the
axes found were all he had discovered
that he had not included the hatchet.
He admitted that he had not included
this hatchet.
But you had found it?'' was the cut
ting question.
Il put it back again in the box"
''And SO because you didn't take it
awayiwith you, you hadn't found it?'a
The witness was cornered. lie had no
reply.
District Attorney Knowlton urged that
there should be some limit put to the ex-
tent with which this reading of prior ex-