The Breckenridge news. (Cloverport, Ky.) 1876-1955, 1893-07-05
LIZZIE BORDEN'S CASE.
A Remarkable Murder Trial That
New England Watched
With interest.
A Chapter of Horrors the Police At
tempted to Weave About The
A,ful Deed.
The Girl Acquitted Though Every
Effort Was Used TO fnsfen the
GuIit Upon Her,
THE VERDICT A POPULAR ONE.

One OF the most remarkable murder
trials ever known in the history of the
United States was that of Miss Lizzie Bor-
den, just completed at New Bedford,
Mass, which resulted in her acquittal.
She was charged with having murdered
both her father and step-mother on the
4th day OF last August.
So far as it appeared in the testimony,
the motive was confined to a property
grievance against the step-mother, leading
to failure Of cordial relations with the
murdered woman Behind this, and
necessary to give it any importance, was
the vague idea Of discomfort in Lizzie
Borden's mind with her home surround
ings, so strong as to impel her to hack
both her step-mother and her father to
death despatching the step.mother first,
in order that the entire fortune of her
father might pass directly to her sister
and herself, and no part be diverted to
Mrs. Abby Borden's relatives. The tes-
timony to that effect consisted of gossip
and the repetition of pettish remarks
made at times by Miss Borden about her
step-mother, indicating an attitude on
her part toward Mrs. Borden precisely
like that which is held by thousands and
tens of thousands OF grown-up daughters
in New England or elsewhere, toward
the women their fathers have married.
But even had the government proved
that Lizzie Borden regarded her step
mother with hatred leading irresistably
to murder, the fact would not account for
the second crime on the morning OF
August A. Absolutely no reason was
presented for supposing that the girl did
not entertain toward her father the most
aflectionate and fIial sentiments. From
the prosecutions point OF view there was
an utter absence OF motive for the muir
der OF Andrew Jackson Borden by his
daughter.
The theory OF the Fall River police
and OF the prosecution assumed that
Lizzie Borden was strong and bold and
brutal enough to fell her step-mother
with a Ratchet ana then. standing
astride of the PROSTATE woman, to hew
away at her skull and neck, striking
seventeen more crushing blows, deliv-
cred right and left with free arm as a
woodchopper swings his axe; that she
was cunning enough to remove imme-
diately from her person every trace OF
the blood whichmust have deluged her
that she was so hard and impassive that
in full sight of the corpse of her first
victim she was able to laugh and Jest as
her father and intended second victim
entered the house, when within on his
part, or the most trillng accident, might
have led him ~ stairs that she was
monster enough to lure her father to the
sofa and send him to sleep with his head
in position favorable for an attack from
the doorway; that having TRANQUILITY
ironed handkerchiefs while waiting for
the old man TO go to sleep, she approach
ed him with her hatchet and slaughtered
him as she had butchered his wife, strik-
ing ten swinging blows, right and left
again like a woodchopper's and so fu-
riously dealt that six of the ten strokes
cut through the skull to the old mans
brain. Continuing the prosecutions
theory, this Sunday-school teacher, be-
came Fury, had the incredible GOODNESS
and nerve and swift and sure intelligence
to remove second time from her per-
son and clothes every trace of the butch
cry to conceal her blood-stained gar
ments where they have never been
found; either to remove by elaborate
cleansing process every microscopic spot
of blood from the Ratchet or axe she
had employed, or to hide that weapon so
artfully that no search has covered il
and all of this within period of from
eight to thirteen minutes after the muir
der OF her father, and with the servant,
Bridget Sullivan, likely to come in upon
her at any moment.
The only motive firmly established by
the testimony at New Bedford was the
motive of the police to make case
against Lizzie Borden at any cost. The
bias and unscrupulousness of these Of
fcers of the law was demonstrated from
beginning to end. Within few hours
after the discovery OF the crime they had
determined to fasten the guilt upon the
daughter of the house. Thy have shift
ed their assertions in regard TO details OF
the crime a dozen times, but every time
to make new facts fit their one theory of
the daughters guilt.
Proceedings OF the Democratic County
Committee.
Pursuant 10 call of Chairman w. X.
Barnes, the Democratic Committee, met
n A.