Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1893-06-12
THE BORDEN HATCHETs
Still the Center Of Attraction at Miss
lizzie's Trial.
Handle Stili nississ- -ess. Rsbissss Goa
issss Ssas Il ~ Witnesses.

NEW BEDFORD, Mass, June 1I.--Ths
weather Saturday morning was warm and
mnggy and as \ consequence there was less
Of rush for seats at the Borden murder
trial than any previous day of the eele-
brated case. Miss Borden took her seat q,
SIS within the bar. She looked quite fresh
and appeared more interested in her sur
roundings than heretofore. She held her
smelling bottle in her hand and toyed with
the little glass stopper somewhat nervoasly
as she furtively glanced about under the
brim of her black lace hat.
The first witness was Lieut.. f. l.. Edison
of the Fall River police. He tes,idel tc
having called with Officer Mshoney at the
Borden house Friday night to search for
the hatchet handle spoken of by Office,
Mullaley, Friday, but that he was refused
admittance by Emma Borden.
He described thoroughly the search Of
the cellar the day after the murder and
said he saw no loose hstchet handle. He
took three axes and hatchet to the Gen.
tral police station and had had nothing to
do with them since.
August sth smother search of the Borden
cellar was made. Officer Medley that day
took away a hatchet head. lie showed it
to the witness. 1t was wrapped up in paper.
IL had no handle, and Medley had no han
die in his possession.
He didn't know where Medley got the
hatehet. He found nothing in the cellar
bearing upon the case. The witness went
to the barn and there saw among others
State Detective SeaYer and Seaver's friend,
McHenry.
They were looking about the place. He
did not know that McIIenry had ever helped
the Fall River police in this case. Nc
Henry had been about the police station
great many times since the murder. In the
barn the witness saw piece of lead in q
box on the ground floor.
The witness was promoted in February
last; Captains Harrington, Conners, Do
herty and Medley had been promoted; Des-
mond will also be promoted to captain.
MclIenry was engaged with the witness
on the case after the finding of the Ratchet
He couldn't say whether he had ever had
any conversation about the case with the
marshal in McIIenry's presence.
Capt. Dennis Desmond of the Fall River
police, testified to the finding of the broken
handle of hatchet on Monday following
the murder. 1t was all dry and covered
with coarse dust, not a sediment that might
have fallen on it by long rest in one posi-
ton.
There were many spots on it, the heav
lest dust being on the sides of the blade.
The break in the handle appeared fresher
than now. The dust on other articles in
the box was much lighter than on the
hatchet. The dust about the cellar was
entirely different from that on the hatchet;
waa much finer.
William II. Medley, inspector Of police
at Fall River, was sworn. He said he was
now doing special work on the force. Last
year he was patrolman. He went to the
Borden house at LAO on the day of the
murder. lie looked around the house and
found the cellar door locked.
Lizzie said to the witness that she was in
the barn when the murder was committed.
She had no idea, she said, who did it. The
went right out into the barn. The
door was LOT ked with hasp. lie went up
stairs and saw the dust was thick on the floor
He stepped on the floor, and could plainly
see the mark of his foot steps; saw no
other foot marks on the floor; searched
about the yard, but found nothing.
On Monday after the murder he searched
the house again. In the celler he found a
box containing besides the handle and
haicbet a lot of old rubbish. He took il to
the marshal. He says he has not had pos
session of any other part of the handle, ex-
cept that which was IN the hatch.
The witness Unidentified the small hatchct
and said that when he found it the piece
was in the iron. When he saw it first it
was covered with dust, apparently the dust
of ashes. The break in the han1le was
new. lie did not notice any dust or ashes
on the point of breaking
In the search of the house upstairs, on
Saturday, not a trace of anything of " sus-
picious character was found; the search
was thorough.
George +. Seaver, state detective, 'csti
fed that he was at the Borden's house at
the time the hatchet with the broken handle
was found. lie corroborated Capt. Des-
mond's testimony as to the coarse ashes on
the blade and the apparently fresh break in
the handle.
On cross examination he admit, he
couldn't tell within three months as Ia the
time when the break in the hatchet handle
might have been made. Robinson also cx-
amined the witness sharply rs to the dr sses
he searched and confused him about them,
much to the amusement of the prisonr.
Nothing of Importance was brought ont
in the last half hour, anil at 1875 the
court adjourned until Monday morning at
q o'clock