The Evening Standard—Tuesday, August 9, 1892 Page 1

THE CRISIS REACHED.

Action in Borden Tragedy to be
Taken at Once.

Bridget Sullivan Locked in With
the Authorities.

Thorough Examination as to Her
Knowledge of the Crime.

[By Associated Press.]
Fall River, Aug. 9. — This morning the servant girl, Bridget Sullivan, was summoned to the central police station. She walked down in company with officer Doherty and talked quite freely on the way. She looked very much worried and was quite pale as compared with her appearance last Thursday morning when seen first by a reporter. She told the officer that it was hard to be watched so closely and to have one’s private affairs torn to pieces. She was willing, however, to have the police or anyone else examine her every action since the time she arose Thursday until she was asked to go to the police station with the officer. She did not care to talk very much about the details of the family relations. She allowed that she wanted to leave two or three times, but she was urged to remain by Mrs. Borden, of whom she spoke very kindly.

She was taken at once into the city marshals’ presence and also into the presence of District Attorney Knowlton and Medical Examiner Dolan. These gentleman, who, with Judge Blaisdell and the two detectives, are now handling the case, do not care to be quoted as having given any opinion on the merits of the present status of it, but they all agree that affairs are at a critical point and action may be taken at once.

Miss Sullivan was brought before the gentleman to undergo a thorough examination as to the facts before and after the murder as far as she knew them.

While the servant was in the district court room, locked up with the authorities, Mr. Morse was walking along through Main street, and down to the banks, closely followed by Officer Devine.

Another Clew and Discovery.

Still another clue is advanced, and there is a discovery which may and may not belong with it. The residence of Dr. Chagnon on Third street is situated close to the Borden property, being divided by a fence seven feet high. Mrs. Chagnon and her daughter Martha say that Wednesday night about 12 o’clock they distinctly saw a man jump over the fence into the Borden yard, and subsequently they heard a slight noise in the barn.

Miss Collet stayed at the house to answer telephone calls. She was absent for an hour from 10:45 to 11:45 on Thursday morning.

With the statement of the midnight intruder going over the fence and subsequent noise in the barn comes another story. Shortly after the murder was discovered a great crowd surged in the yard, and some more adventurous and inquisitive than others went into the barn. Upstairs in the hay, according to two men, the hay in the loft lay in such a condition as to plainly reveal the fact that someone had laid in it. It has been suggested that probably the man who came over the fence was the murderer; that he slept in the barn overnight, and accomplished his hellish purpose when the opportunity offered in the morning.

But, if this be so, it is remarkable that no one saw him leave the barn or enter or come from the house. That he could have escaped, provided he committed the murder between 10:55 and 11:20, is hardly believed. It has been shown why and how he could be discovered, no matter which direction he took after leaving the place, and yet circumstances may have so favored him that with everything seemingly pointing to detection—the time, the place and the surroundings—he might have gotten away.

This is another theory the police are thinking over