1. "Re: another morse contradiction!"
Posted by jeffery on Jun-23rd-02 at 11:16 PM

i found this article from the new bedford daily mercury;
tuesday aug 9,1892,
state officer seaver-fall river aug 8-
westport promises something,and again comes to the front in the flat contradiction of john v. morse's statement that he had no knowledge whatever of the horse traders at westport.
before i knew anything about this case whatever,i heard that a large consignment of wild horses to john v. morse had arrived at westport,
and i went down to see them.
i wanted to see the mustangs,and see them lasso them.
there were 30(80) horses,i should think,together.
i went down there with a gentleman from westport factory and saw the horses in a field.
they were consigned to john v. morse,south dartmouth,because there are farmers about there;and it is the best place to make a trade.
there had been an auction,and about 12 horses had been sold by the auctioneer.
then they were brought up to westport as the most convenient point to dispose of them.
"that was a week ago today exactly,and john v. morse was the man to whom they were consigned.
the murder happened about two days later,and i knew nothing about the case until thursday night".

new bedford daily murcury,monday,aug 8,1892;
marshall hilliard  interviewed
says there is not sufficient evidence to hold anybody.

the most surprising event of the day was the visit of messrs. davis and howe of south dartmouth,who drove to this city to visit mr. morse.
they went at once to the house,but were not admitted for some time.
they said mr. morse was not connected with an extensive horse trading business that would connect him with mr. borden in financial affairs.
it was true that he brought some young colts of his own raising and sold tham as western horses,but he was not in any way affiliated with the gang of traders who were selling montana horses in the southern section of the state.

here we have two conflicting statements;i believe that davis and howe lied to help morse in this matter.

PORTER, Fall River Tragedy, pg. 38-9

"Notwithstanding the fact that Mr. Morse had clearly established an alibi there were those who insisted that he knew more of the murder than he had made public. Proceeding on this theory the officers took up the task of investigating Mr. Morse. Officer Medley was given the work, and in company with Inspector Hathaway of the New Bedford police, he discovered that Mr. Morse had lived, as before stated, in Dartmouth

There was at that time a camp of itinerant horse traders in the town of Westport. It was related that Mr. Morse had had dealings with these men and the sensational press soon coupled his name with a possible hired assassin, a member of the gang of traders. The story was given color by the then unexploded [sic] story of young Kierouack, especially when it became known that officer Medley had discovered a man who seemed to fit the description of the stranger alleged to have been seen around the premises. This suspect was the head trader in the Westport Camp and when accosted he readily consented to come to Fall River and surrender himself. He succeeded in showing beyond a reasonable doubt that he was in the city of New Bedford at the time of the Borden murders. "

--According to Hoffman, this person who was the lead horse-trader was Bearsley Cooper, and for a while "The Fall River police believed...that Cooper was Dr. Handy's 'Wild-eyed man'...(but )was able to prove that he was in New Bedford at the time the murders took place..."

--Just adding to your info.
-- ....But your newpaper sources are cool.
--Also, see Rebello, pg. 128:
An interview with Sherrif Kirby of Westport, Fall River Herald, Tuesday, Aug. 9, 1892: 4.

kat,could you post that interview with sheriff kirby of westport.
rebello,page 125-fall river herald-tue,aug 9th 1892.
i truly appreciate it.
                                   thanks
                                        jeffery

http://www.lizzieandrewborden.com/SuspectsListPart2.htm

Bearsley Cooper -- Rebello, pg. 121 & 128:  Fall River Herald, Tuesday, August 9, 1892: 4:
"Sheriff Kirby of Westport was interviewed Monday [August 8] in regard to the investigation being made in his town, with a view of connecting some well-known shady characters of the place with the crime. He said, 'I know that the officers have been working here, but, so far as I know, have not been made any progress towards a solution of the mystery. They first started to follow up Lincoln and Cooper, the two western dealers who are here at present, but they soon gave up that scent. I can say this much, that not the slightest suspicion attaches to any member of the Borden family so far as any dealings in Westport may be concerned. Throughout New Bedford there is a strong feeling that either the guilty party or parties or someone with a guilty knowledge are located in this section, and increased efforts will be made in this direction.' "

--That's all of the excerpt from Rebello.
It may be elsewhere.  I will look, a bit later.

The Lizzie Borden Sourcebook, pg. 38, also has the same quote as transcribed above.  The only difference is the Sheriff's quote ends at:  "...so far as any dealings in Westport may be concerned."
That means that the following statements are made by the paper and are not a quote of Kirby.
There is no more.  The Sourcebook has the whole article (seemingly) of which the "interview" is this small piece.
I have also checked:
Porter
Pearson
Knowlton Papers (for Sheriff Kirby)
Brown
Evening Standard
&
The Casebook

There is a very slight mention of horsedealers on pg. 30 of Sourcebook, about a man visiting Andrew Monday, supposedly called again at 10:30 a.m. Thursday...and then climbed over the fence..."Then the story led to a neighboring village and a band of gypsy horse dealers, and then the strange man disappears."

I would be suspicious of a newspaper article that talked about wild horses and mustangs in Massachusetts. Out west here we still have some wild horses but they are now managed wild horses.  The part about Morse having brought some of his own ponies from his farm to sell sounds more appropriate. I wonder how a bunch of really wild horses could have been driven to Massachusetts from Montana without attracting attention until they got there, or if they came by railroad how did they get a bunch of really wild horses into the cars?

I once read that 1914 was the year when the horse population peaked. Needed for motive power. You can feed a horse from local grass and hay, no foreign imports needed.
I wonder if we'll ever go back to this in the next century?

AR Brown questions JV Morse's assertion that he came by train. (To hide the fact that he rode in with some people?) That's like a car dealer saying he used a taxi!!! Believable?