The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1893-06-21
A Proper Acquittal.

Inc acqultCal OF LIZZIE BORDEN, VINO
was charged with the murder OF her
father and her stepmother, will give
paid close attention to the evidence adj
duced at the inquest and at the trial.
will breathe more freely on reading this
morning, the verdict of the jury.
That Mr.. and Mrs. BORDEN were foully
murdered admits of no doubt. Who
committed the awful deed is a bloody
mystery. There were many suspicious
circumstances pointing in the direction Of
the young woman who has been so long
under the stigma of accusation and in
confinement awaiting trial. But to be-
lieve her guilty involves number of in
consistencies, and there is no direct evil
dence which would warrant the conclu-
committed the awful crime.
1t may be possible that young woman
of irreproaohable character who never
was known to do any act of cruelty or
brutality or to break out into violent
anger or show revengeful disposition,
could blossom out suddenly into female
fiend and kill her own father whom she
loved, as well as her step mother whom it
has not appeared that she hated. But
the probabilities are against such pre-
sumption. It would be something ex-
traordinary if not unprecedented in Grim
inal history.
There are cases on record which appear
on the surface to show that individuals of
previous exemplary life, have suddenly
figured as violators of the law and deyel-
| oped traits never before perceived in
their character But that is usually be-
| cause their exact disposition and their
whole course has not been accurately
| known. Those who were closely inti-
mate with them have been aware OF devil
ations from the path of rectitude that
have not appeared to the public eye. 1t
| is contrary TO the course of nature for
criminality of a henious sort to crop out
at once after proper life up to the time
of attaining majority. There is some
thing out OF plumb in such people and it
appears during their growth and earlier
history.
There was an evident disposition to
fasten the crime of killing the BoRDENs
upon the young woman who has been
acquitted. Her guilt was the theory OF
the officers and they did their utmost to
prove it correct. They have signally
failed. A fixed theory of that kind is very
dangerous to suspected person. Cir
cumstances sometimes aid SO strongly to
support it that it is most difficult thing
to explain them away. That LIZZIE
BORDEN has escaped from the network
of suspicion and circumstantial evidence
woven around her is a matter OF con-
graduation.
1t is barely possible, of course, that the
young woman committed the crime. But
be that as it may the evidence was en-
tirely insufficient to establish the fact.
and the summing up Of the Judge as well
as the lack OF direct proof of guilt amply
justified the verdict of acquittal brought
in by the jury after patient investigation
of the case.
There is one thing about the trial that
is worthy of special remark. The coun-
sci on either side abstained from thos c
tricks and banterings and personal en-
counters which so often disgrace import
ant trials in regions farther west. Every
proper step was taken on either side tc
j, bring out the facts and evidence ano
} arguments proper to be presented. But
there were no attacks OH witnesses
quarrels between counsel or Yituperative
and Incorporate harangues. The triaI
was conducted with due decorum ano
that as we'll as the result must be highly
satisfactory to the thinking people who
have been interested in the Borden case