Dr. Dolan Cross-Examined.
In the afternoon Dr. Dolan was placed upon the stand and continued his
testimony under the cross-examination of Col. Adams. He said: “It was
about noonday when I got to Andrew J. Borden’s house. First heard of
the murder when I was in front of the Borden house. Was out driving to
visit patients. It was in consequence of questions I asked when I saw
the crowd before the house that I learned what had happened. I went
into the hall or entry-way in the rear of the house. I met Bridget
Sullivan and Dr. Bowen in the kitchen. I then went into the sitting
room. Andrew Borden lay in such a way as to face me. There were two
officers present. I looked at the body and inquired where Mrs. Borden
was. I went up the stairs; they were winding stairs to a certain
extent; there was a Brussels carpet on the floor; I had to turn to the
left to enter the doorway. On my left side between me and the bureau
was a bedstead; the bedstead was opposite the front of the house; can’t
remember if anybody was in the room when I entered it. Dr. Bowen gave
me my information about Mrs. Borden; Dr. Tourtellot and Dr. Hartley
were with me afterwards to examine the room; I looked across the bed
when I got into the room and saw the body; the woman’s arms were raised
a circle above her jaw, and her head lay in the circle, the woman lying
on her face; I pointed out three things to the architect or engineer
when he was there. As nearly as I saw then, should say the distance
between the bureau or dressing case and bed was more than two feet ten
inches which the architect gave as the distance this morning. Mrs.
Borden was a stout woman; her body did not fill up the space between
the bureau and the bedstead; there was a foot of space left on either
side of her. She was lying a little on her left side; it was diagonally
on her left side; this left the right and a portion of the left side
of her head fairly well exposed; it must have been 12 o’clock nearly
before I went upstairs; the body had not been changed in position at
that time; I was told by Dr. Bowen it had not been. I put my hands into
the wounds of the old lady; am very confident no blood dropped from my
hands when I drew them away; I got several spots of blood on me either
upstairs or down stairs—I think down stairs. Cannot recollect if my
hands touched Mr. Borden before I went up stairs: I think I touched
Mrs. Borden first, when I saw her the second time.”
[Illustration: CENTRAL POLICE STATION.]
Col. Adams spent an hour in questioning the witness about irrelative
matters and then the Medical Examiner continued saying: “I took notes
the second time I was in the room; after that I assisted Officers
Mullaly and Doherty in searching the house. We searched the lower floor
first, I think. Don’t know where Miss Lizzie was at this time. She was
up in her room, where I saw her last before the search. I think she was
up in her room when we began the search; think she went upstairs by
the front way; saw her in her room three or four times; wouldn’t say
I saw her in her room when I took the view; am not positive whether I
made the examination of Mrs. Borden before or after the search; saw
Miss Lizzie last at 1:30 o’clock. At the time of the examination of Mr.
Borden others were also present. Mrs. Borden was dressed in a calico
gown.” The lawyers for the defence now both began to cut the strings
of a bundle which had been placed on Mr. Jennings’ desk. As they were
doing it Judge Blaisdell asked Dr. Dolan if he wouldn’t sit down. The
doctor said not just yet, but Mr. Adams, looking up, asked if he was
the one referred to. The Court said he wasn’t, and Mr. Adams remarked
that he wasn’t quite ready yet. Out of the bundle which Messrs.
Jennings and Adams were opening there now rolled a doll about ten
inches in height, and the head of a record doll. Mr. Adams called the
doll a manikin in talking to the Court afterwards, but it was simply a
doll. As it was produced the crowd in the court room laughed.
Dr. Dolan testified that a pillow sham with spots of blood on it was on
the bed in the room where Mrs. Borden was. The piece of door jamb was
brought in and with it a piece of plastering. After careful examination
of the moulding Dr. Dolan indicated a tiny spot on the paint. It was
about the size of two pin heads. After Mr. Adams had finished with the
piece of moulding, Mr. Jennings took it and showed it to Rev. Mr. Buck,
who sat behind him, pointing out the spots to the reverend gentleman.
Rev. Mr. Buck smiled incredulously and settled back in his chair. Mr.
Brigham, whose wife was the firm friend of the Borden girls, looked at
the moulding and said nothing. The relic was being passed along further
when Mr. Knowlton suggested it be returned to the desk and it was
placed there. Mr. Adams discussed the wounds of Mr. Borden next, and
had them carefully described to him with marks in the doll’s head and
by measuring the extent of the blows on his own face.
Dr. Dolan continued: “Did not go to the house Friday; went there
Saturday and met Marshal Hilliard, Mr. Jennings, Assistant Marshal
Fleet and Mr. Seaver; took up and carried away a great many things;
took away a white underskirt; there was a spot of blood on the meshes
of this skirt; the spot was about a foot from the ground. There was
also a smooch found at the upper part of the opening to a pocket in a
dress. I saw this through a microscope. All these things went to Prof.
Wood. I think Mr. Jennings gave them to me. There were in all a dress,
a blouse waist and underskirt and a pair of shoes. The shoes were sent
for afterward. We had searched everywhere on Saturday and been afforded
every opportunity for looking around. There were two hairs on one of
the hatchets found in the cellar. They were gray hairs and one was
very short. The short one was three-quarters of an inch long and was
caught in the rough end surface of the handle. I looked at it under a
microscope. I do not know whether or not this was a human hair, but it
looked as if one end was broken; the other end was fine.”
At this point the hearing was adjourned to Friday morning at 10
o’clock. District Attorney Knowlton stated that as his presence at
the hearing was purely voluntary, he would ask the Court to question
three or four witnesses who might be called before his arrival in the
morning. He said they would testify to the movements of Mr. Borden
while out doors on the morning of the tragedy.