The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1893-06-20


done in the daylight is nothing. II tho
government fails to prove the charge, then
1T is your duty to say she is not guilty.
There is not showing by the government
by which it would be safe to convict her.
You will find her not guilty for two rea-
sons. Because it has not been proven; be-
cause il you are convinced she Is not
guilty, then you will report she is not.
What is there to prove to you absolutely
that she is guilty?"
THE PROSECUTORS ARGUMENT.
Tho Circumstances That Point TO Lizzie
as the Murdoress.
1t was o'clock when Governor Robin
son closed his plea, and u recess of five
minutes was allowed before District At
torney Knowlton took up his work. He
said in opening:
Upon one common ground in this case
all humane men can stand together. This
is most heartrending case Whether we
are considering the case, the difficulties
upon all sides, there Is that In 1t all which
laccrates the heartstrings of the multitude.
1t was an incredible crime but for the cold,
hard faets which crush incredulity. IL you
could have read the facts elsewhere you
would have said this will do for story.
but it could never have happened. Itseems
an impossible crime, and yet 1t was done.
am bound to say out Of fall heart it is
scarcely more credible to believe the charge
which followed the crime.
THE prisoner is woman, and Chris
tinn, as the expression is used. 1t is
criminal of the rank of a lady we are try
ing today, of whom such things had never
been dreamed of or suspected before. We
arc trying II crime which we would have
believed impossible, but it was committed,
and we are trying woman we would
| never have believed would have been
charged with the crime, but she was. 1t
| was found that those men over in Fall
River who went wrong a few years ago
were members of a church, that they were
rotten to the core, and 1t was demonstrated
| that those who stand close to the sanctuary
| are not free from the taint OF sin. 1t is not
| for me to sneer at Christianity. They are
all sons of Adam, and are but human.
They fall all the surer that their reputa-
tion has been spotless before.
| "My learned associate asked you, and
| adjure you, that in this cause no unworthy
consideration shall be tolerated There is
not room for vestige OF prejudice. When
| it has been said of me that when 1 took
this cause there entered into it anything
| like personal ambition the shaft struck
home, for this case has been the saddest
| duty of my life, and before do that
woman any injustice may my right hand
| wither.
1.-THE police did their work as honestly
and as faithfully rs they knew how. They
collected every clew they could get at.
Don't you suppose they would be glad to
find she was innocent, and that somebody
else did 1t? Is there any one SO base as to
hope she did itY think not. The police
are men as we'll as police, and are not to
be stood up and criticized as officers, but
as men.
"Nten will not tell the truth always.
Circumstances will tell tho truth. They
are not under oath. What impresses me
as the distinguishing feature of the case ia
the fact that these two people did not meet
their death Mt the same time. 1t has been
proved conelusively that this was so.
cit was the malice against Mrs. Borden
that inspired this murder. 1t was the act
of person who spent the forenoon in that
house. and this fact bears on this case
from beginning to end. / shall have to ask
you to go back to that death chamber and
stand over the body of that woman who
had not an enemy in all the world There
she lay bleeding and dead, prone by the
hand Of an assassin, and in all this uni
verse there cannot be found anybody who
could hayo had any motive for doing it.
"I.et us see what kind of household
this was. II there was skeleton it was
well guarded. They never told anybody
of it, and least OF oil did they tell the ser.
want 1t was locked up in the closet, but
it was not large enough for it. 1t is useless
to tell you there was peace and harmony In
that family. We know better. That re
mark made to Mrs. Clifford was not 0
petulant outbreak; that remark made OF
the stairs when the body of her stepmothei
laid dead ten feet from her was not a ran
dom one.
Lizzie Borden has no more remembrance
of her mother than any child Of her age at
the time her mother passed away. Ant
yet she had mother; u woman who cam,
to the house two years later and rearet
that girl and had stood in the attitude o
the closest friend. She had been faith
full and honorable guardian. 1t was thu
only mother she had ever known. Thei
they had quarrel What quarrel.
man worth u quarter of n million wante,
to buy and give his wife the interest in tn
homestead where her sister lives, and be
cause this was done this woman repudi
ated the mother. The stroke of that in
i strliment at the last never went SO deep a
; the contemptuous treatment and tn
withdrawal of the word Mother"
! Here the speaker reviewed the move
tragedy from the time of their arising il
| the morning, through the time when MI
and Mrs Borden and Morse took break
fast together, to the time of Morse goin
away and Mr. Borden locking the screei
door after him; then Mr.. Borden goe
, down town. Mr.. knowlton then cor
+ tnued;
. "rhen Bridget goes out washing win
: dows, Mrs. Borden goes into the guest
| chamber and Lizzie and she are abov
: stairs. Lizzie then goes out doors too Sc
: If Bridget is fairly at her work, and the
. goes back and murder was done. Up t
the time the murder was done there wa
a no room for the assassin to come in. Whe
a that woman fell under the blows, the &C
+ pound woman, the fall must have bee
! heard by whoever was in the house at th
n time II Lizzie vas down stairs she wa
t IN the passageway Of the assassin II sh
A was up stairs she was on the same tloo
. quite near, and she could not have helpe
:. hearing.
Il mo matter how craftily 1t was planned
d there is always some point where the plan
n fail, and they failed here at the critics
u time She was alone in the house Wit
u that murdered woman. She must hay
known it, and she knew that by and b
= there was coming into the house q ster
70 and just man, who would have noticed th
! absence Of his beloved wife and who woul
= have asked for her, and that question mus
be answered He came in and she went
/ him and said: Mother has received moi
y and has gone OUT
"When Bridget got through her wor
), Lizzie told her that she was going to loc
g the screen door, as Mrs, Borden had gor
(. out, and she might go out, too. Couns
II on the other side said this statement WI
e not lie. But there was no note, tho