1. "Orrin Rounds"
Posted by augusta on Jun-12th-02 at 9:31 PM

"Orrin Rounds was a horsecar conductor in Fall River.  He told police officer Patrick Doherty on August 11, 1892 that he saw a stranger conversing with Andrew Borden on the morning he was murdered.  Rounds said that it looked like Borden and the stranger were having an argument when Borden suddenly turned from the stranger and began walking away.  The police did not follow up on Rounds' statement and nothing came from this lead to affect the Borden investigation."

(From "Yesterday in Old Fall River", by Paul Dennis Hoffman, Carolina Academic Press, NC, c. 2000.)

I'd never heard of Mr. Rounds before.  I wonder where he saw this argument take place, and what time it was?  This was NOT followed up on?  Oh, come on... 

Very interesting post, Augusta!  Its news to me that Andrew argued with a stranger on the murder day.  Sometimes it seems as though the Fall River police department were afraid of actually finding something or someone. 

Witness Statements, page 15:

"Doherty: Orin (sic) Rounds, car conductor, saw a man talking to A. J. Borden ONE WEEK BEFORE THE MURDER. They stood at Woods & Halls's corner.  Mr. Borden appeared not to desire to talk to him, and walked away, but the man followed him a few steps, and then turned north, and left him.'

Thanks, Bill.  There's quite a difference between a week before the murder and the morning of the murder.  And reading your excerpt from the Witness Statements, it might not have been an "argument" at all.
(Strange name "Orrin Rounds".  Sounds like a cracker.)