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Lizzie Andrew Borden |
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| Lizzie Borden born July 19, 1860, Fall River, Mass., was charged with murdering her stepmother and father; her trial became a national sensation in the United States. Lizzie's mother died in 1862 leaving two daughters. Her father Andrew Borden, an affluent businessman, was only interested in money. He was worth $500,000 in gold but refused to install plumbing in his home. He was strict with others and tight with his money. Andrew married spinster Abby Durfee Gray, 38 in 1865, when Lizzie was three and Emma was 12. Abby rarely left home except to visit her half-sister. Lizzie never dated; she was well liked and active in civic and charitable work. She taught Sunday school at Central Congregational, was an officer of the Christian Endeavor Society, and member of the Women's Christian Temperance Union. Emma 42, rarely went anywhere except to visit another nearby spinster, Alice Russell. Both daughters were upset about their father withdrawing their inheritance for Abby. Lizzie and Emma were constantly upset with them, usually over financial matters. Five years before the murders, when Andrew put a rental house in Abby's name, Lizzie and Emma were so enraged; Andrew bought each daughter a house of equal value as Abby's. Emma and Lizzie quit eating with their parents and referred to Abby as "Mrs. Borden." Bridget Sullivan, 26, a recent Irish immigrant, had been in the Borden's' service for nearly three years. She would testify that the Borden's never raised their voices to one another. Andrew and Abby knew Lizzie stole his cash and her jewelry but still ordered a police investigation. Abby bolted her door to Lizzie's room. Andrew' put a strong lock on the master bedroom, but kept the key on the sitting-room mantelpiece. Neither Lizzie nor Emma spoke to Uncle John because he was planning to reduce their inheritance and Abby would put the farm in her name and make John's brother-in-law, John Morse, the caretaker. A week before the murders, to escape the heat, Emma went to Fairhaven while Lizzie stayed at Buzzards Bay. The five friends sharing a beach house with her noticed she was unhappy and distant. She left Buzzards Bay and her friends early to return home. On the day preceding the murders, August 3, Lizzie tried to procure illegal prussic acid. In the trial, the pharmacist's testimony was excluded. On the same day, for the first time in five years, Lizzie had lunch with Abby and Andrew. That evening she visited Alice Russell where she recounted stories about her father's enemies before returning home and going straight to her room since Uncle John was spending the night. Thursday morning, August 4, 1892, Bridget and Andrew were the first ones up. Breakfast was mutton soup, sliced mutton, pancakes, bananas, pears, cookies, and coffee. Uncle John and Mr. Borden left home to carry out separate business. Bridget ran out to the back yard and vomited. Showing no compassion towards Bridget's illness Abby instructed her to immediately wash all the windows inside and out. Abby was preparing to go to the bank to sign the deed for ownership of the farm. She did not want Bridget in the house hearing her argue with Lizzie about it. Abby was blitzed in the guest room making Uncle John's bed at approximately 9:00 A.M. Andrew was murdered about 2 hours later (died 1-2 hours within each other). During this time Lizzie, ironed handkerchiefs, sewed, visited with Bridget, and read. Andrew was napping on the sofa after he returned home at 10:30. Bridget was resting in her room. At 11:15, Bridget heard Lizzie scream that her father had been murdered. Lizzie sent Bridget for Alice Russell and Dr. Bowen. A neighbor, Mrs. Adelaide Churchill heard and responded to Lizzie's cries and asked about her stepmother. Lizzie told her she felt her stepmother had been killed too. Bridget returned with Miss Russell and Dr. Bowen, who pronounced Andrew dead. After a brief search, Bridget and Mrs. Churchill found Abby's mutilated body upstairs. Dr. Bowen sent a telegram to Emma in Fairhaven. Evidently, in no hurry, she did not return home until that evening. Lizzie claimed she was in the barn (with the tools and water pump) when she returned to find her father dead. Witnesses who saw Lizzie after the murders testified there was no blood on her. She was menstruating though at the time of the murder. Uncle John returned for lunch and became the first suspect. Bridget who adored Lizzie for her kindness was the only other person in the house during the murders. A detective saw a foot-long stick in the flames. He found a hatchet head washed and rolled in furnace ash in the basement. Lizzie had motive, opportunity and showed awareness of culpability with conflicting responses at an inquest that was never allowed into evidence. Henry Trickey, a Boston Globe reporter paid a private detective, Edwin McHenry, used by police $500 for affidavits they published then discovered were bogus. Trickey was indicted for obstruction of justice and The Globe apologized. Lizzie was arrested and tried for both murders in June 1893 but was acquitted, due to a lack of substantive evidence. During the entire ordeal, she showed self-confidence and composure. Lizzie's attorney was George D. Robinson, a former Massachusetts Governor. The jury was sequestered for 15-days and took one hour to make a decision. Most refused to believe a wealthy Sunday Schoolteacher would kill her parents. Major newspapers, feminists groups such as "The Bloomer Girls," the Women's Christian Temperance Union and clergy criticized her arrest. Lizzie inherited half of her father's estate and bought a mansion for herself and Emma in Fall River's best neighborhood. She was no longer welcome at Central Congregational. The citizens of her Fall River no longer accepted her. In 1913, Emma abruptly moved and never spoke to Lizzie again. She led a reclusive life but in 1904, when she was caught shoplifting. Lizzie loved the theatre and was a fan of actress Nance O'Neill. They developed a close friendship after meeting at a hotel. Remaining single, she lived alone in her mansion, until she died of pneumonia in 1927. In New Hampshire, Emma read of her death in the news but did not respond. Ten days later, Emma died from a fall. Both left their assets to the Animal Rescue League. The Lizzie Borden / Fall River Case Study -- Using primary source materials from the Lizzie Borden ax murder trial and from Fall River, Massachusetts, this project teaches to reconstruct the historical past using evidence at hand. The virtual archive and tools developed for this project include materials not generally available anywhere else. Center for Computer-Based Instructional Technology at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst What was Lizzie doing on August 4, 1892? The prosecution presented an overwhelming case of circumstantial evidence, Lizzie's jury of twelve men acquitted her. Some think Lizzie's verdict was "jury nullification" - when the jury ignores evidence. It was said the jury didn't believe a Christian young woman could have killed. Others think the verdict was right. The evidence in this story (including crime scene photos and Lizzie's inquest testimony) will help you answer that question. lawbuzz.com Famous Trials UMKC Law School The Virtual Lizzie Borden House Spend the night in the house where the murders took place at 92 Second Street, Fall River, MA. The Bordenhome is now a bed and breakfast. Cybergrrl UNEXPLAINED LIZZIE BORDEN HOUSE - Cold spots, voices, crying and footsteps; indentations appear on beds. Objects move, lights flicker, and doors open on their own. Guests reported an "older Victorian woman" dusting and making the beds. Unsolved Mysteries Ghost Investigator Volume 2: From Gettysburg, PA to Lizzie Borden, AX Find A Grave - Lizzie's final resting place and online memorial Berni, Christine. Taking an axe to history: the historical Lizzie Borden and the postmodern historiography of Angela Carter. CLIO . Fall 1997 v27 n1 p29 (27). Indiana University, Purdue University of Fort Wayne. 1997 Whittington-Egan, Richard. Scrutinisng A New England Parricide. Contemporary Review, Nov 2000 v277 i1618 p312 Contemporary Review Company Ltd. King, Florence. A WASP looks at Lizzie Borden. National Review, Inc . 1992 Eaton, William J. Just like O.J.'s trial, but without Kato. American Journalism Review . Dec 1995 v17 n10 p12 (1). "Lizzie Borden." Encyclopædia Britannica . 2004. Encyclopædia Britannica Premium Service. 25 Apr. 2004
Kari & Associates April 26, 2004 Copyright Kari Sable Burns 1994-2006 |
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Lizzie Didn't Do It! The Borden Tragedy: A Memoir of the Infamous Double Murder at Fall River, Mass., 1892 |
