The morning call., 1893-06-21
THE LIZZIE BORDEN CASE.

but twenty minutes 10 come 10 the de-
cision. n evidence was adduced connect
ing the woman with the murder, and the
prosecution has been compelled to rely
upon the theory of exclusive oppor-
tunity." If Lizzie had been convicted the
verdict would have rested on the unstable
ground that no one but herself had an
opportunity of committing the crime. On
such grounds in times past human life has
been sacrificed to passing prejudice and
passion.
The theory of the prosecution is that in
period of time varying from eight to
thirteen minutes Lizzie Borden hacked her
fathers head with an ak. broke the handle
of the AK. cleaned the blade with ashes
and placed it in tool-chest, then changed
her clothes and shoes, which were spat-
tered with blood, washed her hands and
face and gave the alarm. The whole
annals of crime contain no example of
such swift work. An expert assassin,
used to welding the ak as an instrument
of murder and familiar with the work of
effacing blood stains, would have been
embarrassed to do so much 10 so few min
utes; TO assume that a girl whose first
essay in crime this was could have done
so is straining credibility.
The readiness of the authorities, the
police and part OF the people OF Fall
River to suspect Lizzie Borden may in
part be explained by her unsociablity.
She mad been soured by her surroundings.
Her father was rich, but made her such
niggaIdly allowance that she was contin-
ually in need of small sums of money.
She had been educated and had travelled.
She knew the uses of money and had none.
Between herself and her stepmother there
was no sympathy. Their dislike for each
other almost amounted to hatred. Nor did
she seek outside her home for consultations
which her domestic circle failed to afford.
She had no male acquaintances, attended
no church parties, belonged to M church
clubs or reading clubs, and fulfilled her
duty as Sunday-school teacher mechanic
ally and alphabetically. She led a hard.
narrow, bare life and she was herself hard
and narrow. Such woman could make
no friends, and she had none. None of
the girls she had known from childhood
could pierce the cold reserve in which she
wrapped herself. 1t WAS thus not I'M
natural that when the crime was COM
mitted suspicion fell on this icy, impene-
trable oman.
The prosecution made the point that
nature long repressed. after enduring al.
most intolera BILE restraint for years, would
be likely to burst out in an eruption of
morbid vitality in which free rein would
be given to instincts thus far kept unde r
iron control. Examples have been known
of such explosions Of animation among
persons who had been subjected to crush
a Dot
explosions were always preceded by
premonitory symptoms. No one be-
comes a homicide without previously
revealing homicidal tendency. Gusts of
intoIerable passion are prefigured by out
breaks Of anger. No one has ever sud
denly emerged from a condition of stag
nant apathy TO condition of intense fury.
There are steps in the transition. There
never was murderer whose previous life
did not reveal the presence Of the murder
Gus instinct.
No conscientious prosecutor can act on
the theory Of exclusive opportunity"
without trepidation. Practiced detectives
exhaust, as they suppose, the field of sus-
picion, and finding only one person VIII o..
In their judgment can have committed the
crime, they assume that he must have done
so and they clamor for his conviction
But the field Of suspicion Ia often larger
than they imagine; parts Of it may remain
unsurveyed when they fancy their explora-
ton has been complete. In this case 1t Is
quite possible that some highway robbie r
may have killed Dir. and Mrs. Borden and
have made his escape ia the confusion
which followed LIzzis's shrieks The
| hypothesis involves difficulties, but they
are not nsurmountable. Murderers some
times defy pursuit IN daylight and in busy
streets when the weapon they nsed is in
their hand and their clothes are still be.
! spattered with the blood OF their victim.
1t is better to assume that the Bordens
! died by the hand Of dexierOus assassin
| than hang woman who may be inn ocent