The morning call., 1893-06-16
A THIRD HATCHET.
Plenty of Them in the
Borden Case.
SOMEBODY HAS BEEN LYING.
The Case Opened for the Defense
and 1t Promises to Be
Strong One.
Special to THE MORNING CALL.

NEW BEDFORD. Mass. June 15.-The
tenth day of the Borden trial opened with
big crowd. The prisoner was over
wbelmed with floral offerings and ap-
peared in excellent spirits. despite the
seeming disheartening proceedings yes
terday.
The witnesses to-day we're the druggists,
who testified as to the use of prussic acid.
The defense vigorously contested every
point of the Prosecutions testimony,
which went to show that the acid was nj OF
used for other than medicinal purposes 8
and was unsuitable for cleaning furs, the
purposes for which Miss Borden said she
wanted it,
Finally the court excluded all testimony
in regard to the purchase of prussic acid,
The commonwealth rested its case here.
After recess Mr.. Jennings opened the
case for the defense. He sad they would
show the previous spotless character of
the prisoner and the absence of intent,
purpose or opportunity. The defense
would show that the relations between the
father and daughter excluded all motive
Tor killing him, and a motive to Kill the
mother was not strong enough for the Gov
Oi II uioue W CldilH lldt tuS SdIle person
killed both. He said that the evidence
against the prisoner contained no particle
of direct testimony. but was wholly and
absolutely circumstantia.
I'VE shall show you," he said. "that
there were others about the house on the
day Of the murder, and that there were
people in the barn and all over it before it
was examined. We shall sho W you that a
dress was soiied with paint early in the
day and burned without any attempt at
deception. The officers and other wit
nesses will admit that the prisoner had on
the dress she said she wore, and we shall
ask you to consider the fact that no blood
was found upon it or upon her."
During the opening the prisoner sat
with her face buried in her handkerchief,
crying.
Martha Chagnon, the first witness for
the defense, testified that about IL o'clock
preceding the murders she heard a noise
like pounding on the Borden fence.
Charles n. Clifford and Ufiah Kirby
both swore to having seen a strange man
near the Borden residence at the same
hour.
Mark Chase swore that he saw buggy
standing in front of the Borden house at
IL O'Clock on the morning of the murder.
Ia it was a man whom he never had seen
before or since.
DIR. Handy testified that on the morning
of the murder he saw in the neigh Dorhood
a medium-Sized young man, very pale and
acting strangely. Mrs. Hart testified to
the same effect. Walter P. Stevens swore
that he went into the barn on the morning
of the murder and heard people walking
about in the upper part. This c0ntradicts
Officer Medley's tes timony. Herman
Robinski testified that he saw woman
come out of the barn of the morning that
the murders were comnitted and 60 to the
stairs at the north side of the house.
After some other testimony the jury re-
tired while counsel argued the admissbil-
ty of the evidence of Joseph L. May, who
found a man covered with blood near
Steep Brook on August 16, who talked
about the Borden murder. The question
was reserved until this morning and court
adjourned.
FALL RIVER, Mass. June 15.-Last night
son of &. c. Potter. while looking for a
ball, found hatchet on top of John
Groves barn, which is located just in the
rear of the Borden property. Potter this
morning reported the find to the police.
He still has the hatchet in his possession.
and describes it as an ordinary imp ment
with hammer head The handle is
weatherbeaten and the blade covered with