Summary Of Dr. Dolan On The Stand

Further into the trial, there was a day dedicated strictly to the forensic discoveries. During this time Dr. Dolan, the examiner, was called to the stand to testify. The skulls of Abby and Andrew Borden accompanied Dr. Dolan and his testimony. He provided evidence that criminalized Lizzie, but that was not what the jury or media cared about. Specifically, the Author of the article “Dr. Dolan on the Stand”, wrote about the atmosphere in the courtroom that morning. He described the audience, how unlike other days, only men were present.
According to the author, women were encouraged to stay home due to the graphic testimony that occurred. Women were incapable of stomaching the gory details of the murder due to their fragility.
Furthermore,

The judges who presided over the case dismissed a bloody pail and cloths that was brought as evidence against Lizzie. The police discovered the pail filled with blood, water, and cloths in the Borden’s cellar during their investigation on August 4th, 1892. The authorities claimed the bloody bucket proved the killer used the cellar to clean up after the two homicides, further incriminating Lizzie. Despite the hefty evidence, the court dismissed the provided evidence. The three judges concluded that this could have been the blood from menstruation. During the 20th century, this was not an outrageous claim. Women would tend to their menstrual cycle by using cloths as protection. Yet, the only reason why this evidence was removed from the court and the trial was because she was a woman. Had a man who lived with women sat in Lizzie’s position, the idea most likely would never be discussed. The dismissal of the provided evidence furthered the pity Lizzie received from the media and public alike.
Clearly, Lizzie received a copious amount of support from the media and indirectly acquired support from the judicial system. From the beginning, the court was favorably imbalanced for Lizzie. Her future rested solely in the hands of white, educated men. During the 19th century, these types of men’s beliefs largely mirrored the Cult of True Womanhood, defined by Barbra Welter. If Lizzie faced a fair trial, the court room lacked one two things: a seemingly unbiased media presence and