New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-05-28
KILLED BY UNKNOWN MEN
,,vsrER1OI,s MURDER IN THE HOME OF
NJ. C. d. BORDEN.

,,,,n,v,Np HARRIS. MR.. BoEDEN's SECOND BUT
,rr ANSWERED RING or THE BASEMENT
,.,, or, THE HOUSE AT NO. % WEST
FIFTY rY-sIXTH-sT.. AND WAS SHOT ON
OPENING THE DooH-No TRACE
OF THE MURDERERs.
checking mysterious and desperate crime was
committed yesterday. when a colored butler was
n,uraered In a rich mans house In fashionable
nor, of the city at midday. Two men took part in
the murder and the police last night were with
~, even clew to their identity. II robbery was
tho motive for the crime the murderers were dis
o,no,nted. for they were frightened away as soon
as they had shot their victim If revenge was the
motive the police have yet to learn the cause Of
the grudge
The victim was Ferdinand Harris, a negro. who
was employed in the family of NJ. C. d. Borden
linen merchant. who is in business at No III
Duane-st.
The Borden home Is No. % West Fifty-slxth-st.,
and is a four-story brownstone dwelling. The
main entrance is reached by high stoop. built
Il" shaped Beneath this stoop is the basement
entrance Three or four steps lead down to the
basement door from the sidewalk. There out
side iron doors. which are not fastened during the
which are always kept locked
The Borden family consists Of Mr.. Borden his
wife and four grown sons There are seven
wants Five Of them girls. named Katie
Lynch Katie Fitzgerald. Katie Murphy Katie
Keefe and Mary Ryan. There two colored
buffers one was Harris. Henry Wallace is the
head butler. The murdered man had been in the
employ Of Mr. Borden since last october. He was
hired on the recommendation OF Wallace. Pre-
yous 10 assuming the place OF butler the mur
dered man had been employed for four years a
porter on the Pennsylvania Railroad. He was
born in Petersburg Va. and came North about
eight years ago. He has brother and uncle in
this city.
Mrs Borden out Of the house. and her
husband and sons were away, when the MUIR
der was committed yesterday. The head butler
was absent also. 1t was about /: 80 p. m and
the city was still darkened by the storm when
the basement bell rang. 1t is the duty of Kittie
Murphy TO answer this bell. When IT rang she
in the kitchen talking to Katie Fitzgerald.
the cook She started TO open the door but
as she stepped into the long. narrow hall lead
ing from the kitchen to the basement entrance
she saw the butler come out Of a room close to
the entrance. He called to her that he would
answer the bell and then stepped to the door.
he turned tnt Key anu unlOChSu tllS uppl. AS
he pulled it open two men stepped into the
hall. This S the story told by Kittie Murphy:
NO QUARREL HEARD
She says she stood on the threshold Of the
kitchen and saw the door opened by Harris
and the enter. She did not hear any
words passed. but suddenly several shots
fired. She did not a weapon drawn by the
men, nor did she the butler shot. The only
cha will el Sc hat he hear I'd he
shots fred and then ran into a pantry and
locked herself in She did SO. she says because
she was frightened.
Katie Fitzgerald. the cook not nervous.
though much startled. She looked into the
hall and saw the butler making toward her
He staggered as far the threshold Of the
kitchen and called to the cook: Get doctor.
shot" Katie Fitzgerald says he never spoke
another word that she heard. He standing
by the kitchen door she ran out Of the house
in search Of the nearest doctor She stood on the
sidewalk a few minutes waiting to see II po-
liceman would appear. No officer came. 50 she
hurried along toward Sxth-ave. watching every
house for doctors sign. At No. AZ West Fifty
sxth-st, she found DR. Dessau. who hurried
with her TO the Borden house. When he got
there Harris sitting against closet near
the threshold Of the kitchen dead. A bullet had
pierced his abdomen. The doctors services
not needed. and he went away just as
several policemen arrived at the house.
DARKNESS HID THE MEN
An investigation was at once started. but II
was not productive Of important results. Katie
Murphy could not give any description Of the
men or tell how the shooting occurred. The
detectives went outside and found Carl Schmidt,
Sheppard Knapp's coachman, who told them
that he heard the shooting and two men
dash out of the basement where the murder
was committed but he could not say whether
they were black white. He ascribed his
failure 10 distinguish the men TO darkness.
Schmidt said that man came out first and
the other followed in about minute. They
ran 70 Fifth-ave, and turned the corner in
the direction Of Fifty-seventh-st. No trace OF
them could be found after that. The other
Ohlliger. Of No. 40S East Sixty-tbird-st.. who is
employed laundress in private family at
No. 80 West Fifty-sixth-st.. directly across the
street from where the murder occurred. She
told the police that she stringing line
in the front basement when she heard four
shots fired. and minute two later saw two
men run out Of the basement Of the Borden house.
She could not say whether they were black or
white. but. according to her recollection. one
Of the men wore a derby and the other souch
hat.
THEORIES REGARDING THE CRIME
Matthew c. d. Borden, when seen by Trib-
une reporter at his home shortly after the muir
der Of his second butler yesterday afternoon.
said that he at his office, at No III Duane
ST., when he was Informed by telephone Of the
trouble at the house Mr.. Borden said that ne
could form no idea to the how the wherefore
Of the crime. All he knew was that when he got
TO the house the body had been removed to an
inner room. and that he should give II up TO
the relatives of the dead man as soon as he re-
ceved authorization 70 do The brother and
uncle Of the murdercrs victim are the only rela-
tyes II Is said. that he had in NewYOrk.
There seem TO be TWO theories regarding this
sudden and startling crime. One Is that the two
men watched the house and after seeing Mrs.
Borden and the head butler 90 out approached
the front basement door thinking that the placc
was empty and the coast clear. They may have
rung and In dispute with the assistant butler
the first OF the shots may have been accidental.
and they were obliged 10 finish the victim In
order TO escape or Harris may have attempted
TO oppose their entrance. and met his death
while trying to defend his employers property.
The second theory is less tenable one. II sup
poses that the murder the outcome OF some
private quarrel between Harris and des