Evan Hunter - Lizzie

“Now Mr. Doherty, when you returned to the house the second time, did you see anybody you hadn’t seen before?”

“Yes, sir. Mrs. Churchill and Miss Russell and Miss Borden.”

“Where did you see her?”

“In the kitchen, I think.”

“Can you give any description — and if so, do it the best you can — of the dress that she had on when she was downstairs in the kitchen?”

“I thought she had a light blue dress with a bosom in the waist, or something like a bosom. I have a faint recollection; that is all I can say about it.”

“Any figure on it? Do you remember any figure?”

“I thought there was a small figure on the dress, a little spot like.”

“What color was the figure?”

“Something... I can’t tell exactly.”

“Did you have any talk with her at that time?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Will you be kind enough to state what that was?”

Miss Borden told me that Bridget would show us where the axes were. When we started to go downstairs, I told Bridget what I wanted to find, that we were going for axes and hatchets in the cellar. Bridget led the way for me and Officer Mullaly. We went into two or three dark places, wood or coal rooms or something. We separated. I got over near the sink and I noticed a pail and some towels...

“Pass from those,” Knowlton said quickly. He had no desire to have the thrust of Doherty’s testimony detoured by any talk of the menstrual towels in the pail under the sink.

“Mr. Mullaly was looking at something,” Doherty said. “I came and looked over his shoulder. He had a hatchet in his hands.”

My name is William A. Dolan. I’m a physician, been in practice eleven years at the Fall River Hospital. I was educated at the University of Pennsylvania, Medical Department. I’ve been engaged in general practice, including surgery as well as the practice of medicine, more surgery than anything else. I’m also the medical examiner for the county of Bristol, have held that office for two years next month. I was in office for a year when this thing happened.

I first went to the Borden house that day at about a quarter to twelve. I happened to be passing by the house, and I fix the time because I was in there about ten to fifteen minutes when I heard the City Hall bell strike twelve. The first person I saw was Charles Sawyer. He was at the door. And the next person I saw, I think, was Dr. Bowen, who met me at the kitchen door. I saw also, I think — in the kitchen — Bridget Sullivan and Mr. Morse. I’m not sure about Mr. Morse, but I think so. Mrs. Churchill and Alice Russell were in the dining room.

I went in the sitting room and saw the form lying upon the sofa. The sofa was placed against the north wall of the room, running east and west with the head toward the parlor — that is, toward the east — and the feet toward the west, the kitchen. The end of the sofa was flush with the jam of the dining-room door. The body was covered with a sheet. Dr. Bowen was with me when I looked at the body.

I took hold of the hand of the body and found it was warm. The head was resting upon a small sofa cushion that had a little white tidy on it. The cushion in turn, I think, rested on his coat — his Prince Albert coat — which had been doubled up and put under there, and that, I think, rested upon an afghan, or sofa cover... a knitted affair. The lowest of the three was the afghan, then came the coat, and then the sofa cushion.

The blood was of a bright red color and still oozing from the head. At the head, it was dripping on the carpet underneath, between the woodwork, the head of the sofa and the sofa body. It was not coagulated. The blood that was on the carpet had been soaked in. There was no blood, really, on top of the carpet. I should think there were two spots soaked with blood. I should judge eight inches in diameter. Right under the head of the sofa. That is, practically underneath where the head of the sofa joins the body of the sofa. I made an examination and found that there were from eight to ten wounds — I wasn’t positive at that time — on his face.

I observed the position of the body, and the clothing he had on. On the outside, he had on a cardigan jacket — that is, a woolen jacket — black vest and black trousers, and a pair of Congress shoes. He had a watch and pocketbook. I examined the pocketbook and found some money in bills and some in specie. I couldn’t tell the exact figure, I have it here in my notes — he had $81. 65.

I think that’s all that was in the pocketbook, possibly some specie in his pocket. The largest portion of that was bills. The sixty-five cents was in change. I didn’t find anything else in his pocketbook. The watch and chain were in his upper vest pocket, the watch. He had a ring on his left hand — I’m not quite positive as to that, I forget really. A gold ring, if I remember correctly.

Upstairs, Mrs. Borden was lying between the dressing case, which was on the north side of the building, and the bed. She was lying with her back exposed, and also the right back of the head exposed, and her hands were something in this position. That is, just around the head. Her head was not resting on them. Her hands didn’t touch. They came very near to each other, but they didn’t touch. The face was resting in such a position that the right back of the head was exposed. Turned to the left. Probably a more convenient way to express it would be to say that she was lying on the left side of her face. That is, the left side of her nose and eye were resting upon the floor. Her clothing was bloody — the back of her clothing, that is. The upper part of it. Her waist.

I felt the body with my hand, touched her head and her hand, and found it was warm. I could not say the temperature, but a warm body. I had a clinical thermometer with me, but I didn’t use it. When I use the word warm, I don’t quite mean the warmth of life. I’m referring to the warmth as distinguished between the warmth of life and the coldness of death. I’m using it in the medical sense, the word warmth. The body was much colder than that of Mr. Borden. Her blood was coagulated and of a dark color. The blood on her head was matted and practically dry. There was no oozing from it as in Mr. Borden’s. I counted the wounds, and lifted the body with Dr. Bowen’s assistance, in order to get at the wounds more quickly.

Then, in consequence of what had been told me, I collected a sample of that morning’s milk, and a sample of the milk of the previous day. Bridget Sullivan gave me those samples. I sealed them up hermetically, put them in separate jars, and marked them according to the day on which the milk was sampled. I think I put something like this: “Sample of milk of August 4th”... “Sample of milk of August 3rd.” Then I put them in charge of a policeman to keep, and sent them later to Professor Wood.

I went with the officer then, through the lower floor and through the cellar. In the cellar, we saw some axes and hatchets that were there. I think there were two axes and two hatchets. I made no examination at the time, other than just to look at them. I used no glass or anything of that sort. But I noticed that one of them — the heavy claw-hammer hatchet — looked as if it had been scraped. When I went again to look at Mr. Borden a second time, Mr. Fleet was just coming in...

I should say I got the information about twenty-five minutes to twelve. A driver for Mr. Stone, stablekeeper in Fall River, brought it. I was at my residence, number 13 Park Street. I put on my coat and hat, or cap, and went to 92 Second Street.

I was then, as I am at present, assistant city marshal of Fall River.

I went there in a police-department buggy, arrived there at about fifteen minutes to twelve, I should say. As I approached the house, I first saw Mr. Manning, reporter for the Fall River Globe. I saw Officer Medley outside of the house, had some words with him and then went into the house. Mr. Morse and Bridget Sullivan were in the kitchen, and I think Mrs. Churchill. I went through the kitchen to the sitting room, and saw Dr. Dolan standing or leaning over the body of Mr. Borden. Andrew J. Borden. I found that the blood was on his face and ran down onto his shirt, his clothing, and also went through the head of the lounge and on the floor or carpet. There was quite a little pool of blood there.