There was intense excitement in Fall River the day the murder was
reported. It grew hourly and showed no signs of abatement, but rather
continued on the increase, until on Tuesday following it was at fever
heat. Men no longer gathered in knots on the sidewalks. On some of the
streets, and particularly the thoroughfares in the vicinity of the
police station, people were scattered along the curbing for blocks.
The report that an inquest was to be held in the Second District Court
before Judge J. C. Blaisdell, was sufficient to draw the crowds.
Everything was in readiness by 10 o’clock and when a hack started for
the Borden house to convey Miss Lizzie and a friend to the police
station where the inquest was to be held, the news spread with great
rapidity. Business was partially suspended in the center of the city
as it had been on Thursday noon, when the story of the tragedy was
first made known. The report went out that a hack, containing Marshal
Hilliard and Officer Harrington had gone to the Borden house. Groups of
men found time to rush to Court Square, and to the streets approaching
and await developments. Others still more curious ran after the
carriage, and others more on the alert, to jump toward Main street in
case the driver took that route. Hundreds who were not so well informed
were content to join the groups mentioned, and to stand still without
asking questions. What was there to see? A hack drawn by two horses,
with two ladies on the back seat and two officers in the front seat,
dressed in citizen’s clothes. Men on wagons saw the vehicle coming and
they drove post haste for the police station. Men, women and children
joined in a wild scramble for the narrow alleyway, and Court Square was
choked in a twinkling. The crowd would have waited complacently all the
afternoon, rather than have missed one brief glance at the carriage
and its occupants. The driver saw what was going to happen and he laid
the whip on his horses, but to no purpose. The sightseers would not
be outdone and they arrived ahead of time. Windows were thrown open,
heads were thrust out, crowds pushed through the streets and for
ten minutes it seemed as if the whole town within a stone’s throw of
police headquarters was vibrating. It was not strange that the tension
tightened. The community had reached a point when it felt that it must
clear up the mystery or go insane. Men complained that they went to bed
with murder on the brain, and that the same grim phantom was visible
the moment they opened their eyes in the morning. It is the pace that
tells, and for five days the pace had been furious. The human mind
will not cease to work. Its possessor has no control over it when it
takes hold of such a subject as this. It demands an assassin caught
red-handed with the dripping axe concealed beneath his coat. It asks
that the evidence of his guilt be made conclusive. It wants no guess
work. Then it attempts to rid itself of the horrible theory on which
it had been feeding for one hundred and twenty hours and travels off
in another direction. It conceals a maniac in the upper part of the
Borden house, watches him kill the woman, follows him as he descends
the stairs and slays Mr. Borden, sees him pass out unobserved and takes
him off and sets him down a thousand miles from the scene of his work,
safe from capture. This would be a relief to the mind if it were more
than temporary; but the mind does all this in the twinkling of an eye,
and in the next moment asks why the maniac could not be appeased with
one slaughter, and is back again at the beginning, asking questions
and hunting clues. This is not overstating the mental condition of the
populace during the first few weeks subsequent to the killing.
[Illustration: JUDGE JOSIAH C. BLAISDELL.]
Up to the time of opening the inquest there had been nothing but
circumstantial evidence found whereon to base a suspicion of guilt,
and the fact that District Attorney Knowlton and Attorney General
Albert E. Pillsbury, a distinguished and acute lawyer, had been called
into the case, showed that the authorities needed the wise counsel
of the foremost legal talent in Massachusetts, before taking the all
important step of making an arrest. If, after a thorough sifting of
this circumstantial evidence, it was discovered that the theory of the
state was wrong, then the guard would be called away from the Borden
house, and the authorities would be compelled to start on a new trail.
The police were free to admit that there was but one theory, one clue,
and if it proved unsuccessful, they had no other to take its place.
Officer Doherty was sent to the Borden house to bring Bridget Sullivan
to the police station to appear as the first witness at the inquest. He
had some difficulty at the house because the impression had gone forth
that he intended to arrest the servant girl. For a time there were
tears and lamentation, but finally the officer made it understood that
the only intention was to have the young woman talk to the District
Attorney. On the way to the station Miss Sullivan’s tears came forth
again. She told the office that she had given all information in her
power to the police, and that she knew nothing more than what she had
stated. Talking about the family relations, she remarked that things
didn’t go in the house as they should, and that she wanted to leave
and had threatened to do so several times in the past two years. “But
Mrs. Borden,” she declared, “was a lovely woman, and I remained there
because she wanted me to. Now that she is gone, however, I will stay
there no longer than I have to, and will leave just as soon as the
police will allow me.” Bridget also said that the strain of remaining
in the place was intense. All the women there who were members of
the household—the Borden girls and Miss Sullivan—were almost ready
to give way to nervous prostration. Awaiting her presence were
District Attorney Knowlton, State Officer Seaver, Marshal Hilliard
and Medical Examiner Dolan, and soon after they were joined by Mayor
Coughlin. A report that an inquest was under way quickly spread, but
received prompt denial by the Marshal. When asked the meaning of the
gathering he said it was an inquiry and the officers were searching
for information. The domestic was in the presence of the officials for
several hours and was subject to a searching cross examination, every
detail of the tragedy being gone over exhaustively. After this informed
conference in the Marshal’s office the party adjourned to the District
Court room which is situated on the second floor in the building. There
were present Judge Blaisdell, District Attorney Knowlton, City Marshal
Hilliard, District Officers Seaver and Rhodes, Medical Examiner Dolan,
the District Attorney’s stenographer, Miss Annie White, and a couple
of police officials, who were among the first called to the house of
the Bordens. Bridget Sullivan was in deep distress, and, if she had
not already cried her eyes out, would probably have been very much
agitated. On the contrary, while tremulous in voice and now and then
crying a little, she was calm enough to receive the interrogatories
without exhibiting much emotion and answered them comprehensively. The
first question put to her was in regard to her whereabouts all through
the morning of Thursday up to the time of the murder. She answered that
she had been doing her regular work in the kitchen on the first floor.
She had washed the breakfast dishes. She saw Miss Lizzie pass through
the kitchen after breakfast time and the young lady might have passed
through again. Bridget continued that she had finished up her work
down-stairs and resumed window washing on the third floor, which had
been begun the preceding day. She might have seen Mrs. Borden as she
went up-stairs. She could hardly remember. Mr. Borden had already left
the house.
The witness went up into the third floor, and while washing windows
talked down to the sidewalk with a friend. She went on with the windows
and might have made considerable noise as she raised and lowered
them. She heard no noise inside the house in the meantime. By-and-by
she heard Miss Lizzie call her. She answered at once, and went down
stairs to the first floor, not thinking of looking about on the second
floor, where Mrs. Borden was found dead shortly afterwards, because
there was nothing to make her look around as she obeyed Miss Lizzie’s
call. She found Mr. Borden dead and Lizzie at the door of the room.
The last point touched was the letter sent to Mrs. Borden warning her
that she might be poisoned. Bridget said she knew nothing about this
matter at all. Bridget finished her testimony shortly after noon and
then returned to the matron’s apartments. City Marshal Hilliard had
served the summons on Miss Lizzie at the house and she arrived at the
station about 2 o’clock. About this time Attorney Andrew J. Jennings
appeared at the City Marshal’s office and applied for permission to
be present at the inquest in order to look after the interests of the
witnesses, but he was refused. The Counsel argued at length against
being excluded, but the Court would not yield and he was compelled
to withdraw. All the afternoon Miss Lizzie was kept on the witness
stand and testified to what she knew of the killing of her father and
stepmother; and at the close of the day District Attorney Knowlton
gave out a bulletin stating that two witnesses had been examined. As
the inquest was held behind doors closed and doubly guarded by the
police, there was no way of finding out what had transpired within.
Although the inquest was held in secret, the day was marked by
numerous happenings which lent interest to the already famous case.
The Attorney General who had been in consultation with the local
authorities left the city in the afternoon, but before going he took
occasion to say to an assembly of newspaper men that the case was not
so mysterious as had been reported, and bantered them concerning their
clues. Perhaps his conversation was a bit of sarcasm. He was informed
that the murder was mysterious enough to baffle the police, and that
five days had elapsed and that there had been no arrest. Somebody
took the pains further to inform him that the evidence was purely
circumstantial. “You newspaper men know, or ought to know,” said Mr.
Pillsbury, “that you may not be in a position to pronounce on the case.
There may be some things which you have not heard of and which may
have an important bearing.” The reply was to the effect that the head
men who had been working on the case, had conceded at noon that day,
that they had no other evidence, and that they ought to be pretty good
authority. “Police officers do not always tell what they know,” was the
parting shot of the Attorney General as he withdrew.
At 5 o’clock Bridget Sullivan left the police station in company with
Officer Doherty and passed down Court Square. She was dressed in a
green gown with hat to match and appeared to be nervous and excited.
Nobody knew her, however, and she attracted no attention whatever.
She went to the Borden house for a bundle and, still accompanied by
Officer Doherty, walked to No. 95 Division street, where her cousin,
Patrick Harrington lives, and where she passed the night. She was
allowed to go on her own recognizance and seemed to be much relieved
to get away from the Borden house. The Government impressed her with
the necessity of saying nothing about the proceedings at the inquest
and she was warned not to talk with anybody regarding her testimony.
Bridget Sullivan is one of fourteen children. She came to this country
six years ago. For three years she worked for a number of families
in this city and the police reported that she bore an excellent
reputation. For three years she had lived with the Borden family and
for some time had been threatening to return to Ireland. She said
that Mrs. Borden was a very kind mistress and that she was very much
attached to her. Mrs. Borden used to talk to her about going home to
Ireland, and used to tell her that she would be lonely without her.
Accordingly, the girl said that she did not have the heart to leave,
but she never expected to be in such an awful predicament. She had been
terrified ever since the tragedy. Prof. Wood, of Cambridge, arrived on
the 4 o’clock train Monday afternoon, but was not called to testify
at the inquest on Tuesday. He was questioned regarding the nature
of his visit, and stated that he had come to Fall River to see what
there was for him to do. “Have you examined any axe, Professor?” was
asked. Prof. Wood hesitated a moment, and said: “I have seen an axe.”
“Will you make an examination down here?” was the next question. “I
do not expect to,” was the reply. “I could not very well bring down
my laboratory.” At 6 o’clock Miss Lizzie Borden, accompanied by her
friend, Mrs. George Brigham, and Marshal Hilliard, entered a carriage
and drove to Miss Borden’s home. The excitement was not over for the
day, but the District Attorney’s bulletin made it plain that the
authorities would make no further move that night. When the inquest
adjourned, the situation in a nutshell was this: The authorities were
evidently convinced that they could rely on Bridget Sullivan, and she
was released from custody. She had been in custody since Thursday noon.
Miss Lizzie Borden had been partially examined, and the police had
completed their work on the case, so far as the collection of evidence
was concerned.
There was almost as much mystery about the scenes incidental to
the inquest as there was about the murder. In the first place the
authorities seemed to want it understood that there was no inquest.
Some of them intimated that the Government was simply conducting an
informal examination with a view to drawing from the witnesses their
last stories and making a comparison of them. In fact, that was the
impression which prevailed up to noon, and it was reported that the
oath was not administered. Nevertheless, the great pains which all
connected with the proceedings took to keep information from the public
made it plain that the officials were attempting to conclude the case.
It was common talk around the police station Tuesday evening that there
was something very significant in the fact that Bridget Sullivan, the
only government witness, with the exception of Miss Lizzie Borden,
and a person on whom the prosecution must rely to explain certain
occurrences before and after the tragedy, was allowed to go upon her
own recognizance; and the bearing of the officials who had worked up
the case indicated that they were in possession of information which
they considered very valuable and which they had before been unable to
secure.
At a meeting of the Board of Aldermen held that evening the following
order was adopted: “Inasmuch as a terrible crime has been committed
in this city requiring an unusually large number of men to do police
duty, it is hereby ordered that the City Marshal be and he is hereby
directed to employ such extra constables as he may deem necessary
for the detection of the criminals, the expense to be charged to
the appropriation for police.” Up to this time, for all the public
knew, the police had been unsuccessful in the hunt for the weapon.
That was still one of the missing links in the chain of evidence
which was claimed. In the afternoon, a story became circulated that
Peleg Brightman, a paper-hanger, had been at work in South Somerset,
near the two farms owned by the late Mr. Borden in that region. The
story went that a bloody hatchet had been found on one of the Brayton
Farms, the implement being wrapped up in a piece of newspaper and
hidden in a laborer’s house. As the story circulated a great breeze of
inquiry and excitement arose. Several vehicles containing newspaper
reporters, started immediately for the scene of the alleged discovery.
Officer Harrington was also dispatched to the farm by the Marshal.
The several parties reached the place about 4:30 o’clock and found a
Portuguese woman in charge of the house. The woman was frightened by
her visitors, and being unable to understand English well, there was
no little excitement. She called her husband from the fields and he
understood. He said he knew nothing about the finding of such a hatchet
as had been described, but gave the squad of investigators leave to
search the house. They looked it all over. The only weapon with an
edge which they found was a hatchet lying on the kitchen shelf. It
had no blood stains upon it. The police returned to the city in the
evening, but some of the newspaper men continued their search to the
two Borden farms and did not return till late. After the issuance of
the official bulletin, with its practical announcement that there would
be no further developments before the continuation of the inquest on
Wednesday morning, there was a decided lull in the feeling of general
anticipation which had existed for the past few days. This brief lull
and the authoritative knowledge that nothing of importance would
develop until the renewal of the inquest and the re-appearance of
Bridget Sullivan and Lizzie Borden before the authorities came as a
great relief, temporary though its character was, and confident in the
assurance, the wearied people and the weary workers retired from the
streets and at midnight the city was asleep.
As was natural, the newspapers throughout the country began at about
this stage of the proceedings to take sides upon the question of the
wisdom exhibited by the police. The editorial quoted below is from the
_Springfield Republican_ and is a fair sample of the opinions of those
who saw the investigation from a distance. It read:
“All through the investigations carried on by the Fall River police, a
lack of ability has been shown seldom equalled, and causes they assign
for connecting the daughter with the murder are on a par with their
other exhibitions of lack of wisdom. Because some one, unknown to them
and too smart for them to catch, butchered two people in the daytime
on a principal street of the city, using brute force, far in excess
of that possessed by this girl, they conclude that there is probable
reason to believe that she is the murderess. Because they found no one
walking along the street with his hands and clothes reeking with blood,
they conclude that it is probable, after swinging the axe with the
precision and effect of a butcher, she washed the blood from her hands
and clothes.”
Wednesday morning the inquest was resumed. At its close the District
Attorney issued the following bulletin:
“Inquest continued at 10 to-day. Witnesses examined were Lizzie Borden,
Dr. S. W. Bowen, Adelaide B. Churchill, Hiram C. Harrington, John V.
Morse and Emma Borden. Nothing developed for publication.”
Among those present, in addition to the prosecuting officials, was
Prof. Wood of Harvard, to whom the stomachs of the murdered couple had
been sent for analysis. After an hour’s stay in the Police Station
a carriage was ordered by the Marshal, and, upon its arrival, Prof.
Wood entered. Next a trunk was brought out under the charge of Medical
Examiner Dolan and placed upon the carriage. The latter bade Prof.
Wood good-bye and the Cambridge man was driven to the station. It was
promptly presumed that included in the contents of the trunk were
the axe and articles requiring analysis, and an inquiry covering
these points was directed to Dr. Dolan. He declined to affirm or deny
anything, and informed the newspaper representatives in a jocular vein
that all the clues and secrets of the case were carefully secreted in
the trunk. All this time public interest was centred in the fact of
Miss Lizzie’s presence in the court room, and it was felt that the
most important hours of the investigation were dragging along. If the
young woman, toward whom such suspicion had been directed, should come
forth and retire to her home, but little more could be expected in
this direction. Certainly, after the searching examination, which all
knew she was undergoing, any further questioning could but be useless,
and there were those in the gathered crowds in the vicinity of Court
Square who openly proclaimed their earnest convictions that with the
exit of Lizzie Borden from the station house the cloud of suspicions
which had hovered about her must be dispelled, with the accompanying
practical admission by the authorities that they were unable to connect
her with the commission of the crime. This statement was based upon
the wide-spread knowledge that the police had been moving with the
greatest caution in their investigation upon the thoroughly understood
line.
The members of the Borden family held a high position, their wealth
was great, and, apart from the fact that their interests were being
guarded by one of the ablest attorneys in the city, it was known that
influential friends of the family had deemed it wise to request the
Marshal to move with the utmost care before taking active steps toward
the arrest of any member of that household. Perhaps the accusation
that, had certain suspected persons been possessed of less wealth and
influence, they would long ere this have been apprehended was unjust
to the hard-working police, but the fact was patent to everybody
that the extreme care in this particular case reached far beyond the
usual, particularly as all the time every movement of the Borden
girls was only made under the surveillance of a police officer.
During the afternoon carpenter Maurice Daly, the Marshal and Officer
Harrington appeared at the Borden house. The first mentioned had a
kit of carpenter’s tools in his hand and the three men entered the
house. After half an hour they came out and were noticed carrying
three bundles. These contained parts of the woodwork about the doors
and windows which showed blood spots. Marshal Hilliard, previous to
the opening of the inquest, had employed Detective Edwin D. McHenry
of Providence, R. I., to assist his men in running down clues. Mr.
McHenry was destined to form an important factor in the case and its
subsequent developments, as will be seen farther on. His first work,
so far as the police knew, was in connection with Officer Medley in
following the clue given to the police by Dr. Handy. It was at a
cottage at Marion, owned by Dr. Handy, that Miss Lizzie Borden intended
to spend her vacation, and this, coupled with the prominence of the
physician, made the authorities feel particularly anxious to ascertain
the personality of this “wild eyed man,” confident though they were
that he was entirely innocent of any complicity in the tragedy at the
Borden house. The chase was not a difficult one, and the individual was
located promptly by the officers. He was Michael Graham, better known
as “Mike, the Soldier,” a weaver employed in Border City Mill No. 2,
and for some days previous to Thursday he had been drinking freely.
The officers learned that Graham was in the vicinity of the Borden
house just before 10 o’clock on the morning of the murder and that his
physical condition, as a result of his excesses, was such as to render
his countenance almost ghastly in its color. He reached the mills where
he is employed shortly after 10 o’clock, and his condition was at once
apparent, and the men in charge there declined to allow him to go to
work.
The officers found the saloons in which Graham spent Wednesday
night, and learned there that he drank immoderately, and was feeling
badly as a result. The description of Graham corresponded in every
particular with that given by Officer Hyde, who furnished more details
as to the clothing of the man than could be advanced by Dr. Handy.
His trousers were of a peculiar texture and hue, and were rendered
extremely noticeable on this account. This, in itself, was believed to
be sufficient identification, but in all other particulars there was
an unmistaken similarity, and the authorities arrived at once at the
conclusion that the man was identical with the person described by Dr.
Handy and the police officer. The explosion of this theory afforded
much satisfaction to the authorities. Yet there appeared many weeks
afterward reasons known to the Marshal alone which caused him to start
Officer Medley in search of “Mike the Soldier” again. The search ended
in a day and the suspect was again located. Superintendent Hanscom of
the Pinkerton Agency, was in Fall River for several days about the
time of the inquest. He declined to be interviewed about his work and
as the public observed, made numerous visits to the law office of Mr.
Jennings. The conclusion of some police officers, perhaps erroneous,
was that he was present to protect the members of the household. He
talked very little but was credited with saying with a smile, that
Marshal Hilliard was doing good work. The local authorities, however,
expressed themselves in very strong terms regarding the doubts which
the Pinkerton man cast upon the reliability of a portion of their
accumulated wisdom.