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THE STRANGE CASE OF LIZZIE BORDEN
Fall River, MA.
"Lizzie Borden took an axe
And gave her mother forty whacks.
When she saw what she had done
She gave her father forty-one."
- Anonymous
THE BACKGROUND
On August 4, 1892, the 32-year-old spinster daughter of Andrew and Abby Borden - Lizbeth or “Lizzy” - was
tending to chores around and about the family home at 92 Second St. in Fall River, MA. Industry in Fall River at
that time was centered around the burgeoning New England textile industry and 70-year-old Andrew Jackson
Borden was an affluent businessman who owned several prosperous commercial properties, served as President of
the Union Savings Bank and on the boards of a number of local businesses. Lizzie's mother, Sarah Borden had
died in 1862 when Lizzie was but two years old and Andrew would eventually re-marry to 38-year-old Abby
Durfee Gray three years later.
Andrew Borden Abby Borden Sarah Borden Lizbeth Borden Emma Borden
It was an especially hot day in the city of Fall River and after eating a breakfast of mutton soup, sliced mutton,
pancakes, bananas, pears, cookies, and coffee, Andrew left his home to run some postal and banking errands. His
brother-in-law from his marriage to Sarah, John Vinnicum Morse, was visiting at this time and had left the house
around 9:00 am to tend to the matter of purchasing a pair of oxen and to visit a niece who lived in the city.
Another daughter - 41-year-old Emma - was also away from home visiting friends in Falmouth, MA. that day
leaving Lizzie, her stepmother and their Irish-born maid of three years, 26-year-old Bridget Sullivan - who had
served Andrew his breakfast - as the only people there. For whatever their reason, the Bordens referred to
Sullivan as “Maggie”.
John Morse Bridget Sullivan
The atmosphere in the Borden home in those days was far from idyllic. Andrew, while financially successful,
was not particularly liberal with his spending. As an example, because of the cost, he refused to install indoor
plumbing in the house even though it was easily affordable to them. Rather than reside in a more upscale part of
town befitting a man of his means, he instead chose to live in a more "unfashionable" location in order to remain
closer to his business interests. Lizzie and her sister Emma did not entertain male company and both led very
sheltered and restrictive existences. Lizzie's interaction with the outside world was limited to teaching Sunday
school at nearby Central Congregational Church, holding the position of officer in the Christian Endeavor Society
and membership in the Women's Christian Temperance Union. Activities that her strict and sanctimonious father
approved of and that brought her respect and relative approval in the community despite her marital status. She
was said to be a kind and generous woman with a particular fondness for children and animals. Her sister Emma's
forays into the world were more or less limited to visiting another nearby spinster named Alice Russell.
Central Congregational Church
Perhaps the only thing that made this all somewhat tolerable was the promise of their inheritances upon their father's death and
cynics might say his passing would be something of a liberating event in their lives. However, this small ray of hope was dashed
when Andrew turned their inheritances over to stepmother Abby, who by all accounts was very devoted to her husband. Their
distress was compounded by some valuable properties being turned over to relatives of their stepmother. In one case, both
daughters became very upset that Abby was also given a rental property. So vehement were their protests that the normally frugal
Andrew purchased each a house of equal value to placate them. In fact, their Uncle John's visit that week was to complete the
property transfer of a summer home that was originally intended to be theirs and as a result, the girls relationship with him also
quickly deteriorated.
Any anger and disappointment that remained bottled up inside them now became more overt as there were constant fights over
finances. Andrew and Abby became convinced Lizzie was stealing money and jewelry from them and at one point in June of 1891,
police were called to the house to investigate the theft of $100, some small items and a watch and chain. (There were also some
local merchants who openly suspected Lizzie of shoplifting from their stores.) While Andrew and Abby did not actually accuse Lizzie
of theft, the door connecting their room to Lizzie's was bolted shut and the house became literally divided - the upstairs front
relegated to Lizzie and Emma and the rear to Andrew and Abby. Meals were taken separately and the daughters took to referring to
their stepmother as "Mrs. Borden." One week before the murders, Lizzie and Emma left on trip to New Bedford. Upon their return,
Lizzie chose to stay in a rooming house for four days rather than return to the family home.
So it was on this sweltering August day that Andrew returned to the house at 10:30 am after completing his errands and
remained downstairs to nap on the sofa. At the same time, Abby was tending to the guest room where John was staying. Bridget
Sullivan claimed she was lying down upstairs in her third-floor bedroom as earlier, around 9 am, she had gone outside to vomit due
to falling ill. Abby up to then showed little compassion for her maid’s condition and instructed her to wash every window in the
house, inside and out. At the same time Bridget and Abby were having their issues, Lizzie claimed she was ironing and sewing and
later visited with Bridget before doing some reading on her own.
A GHASTLY DISCOVERY
When Andrew returned, his key failed to open the door so he knocked to be let in with Bridget answering the
call. Fumbling with the lock, she uttered an epitath which she claims made Lizzie laugh from a vantage point at
the top of the stirs, although she could not actually see her standing there. At 11:15 am, Bridget heard Lizzy
scream to her from downstairs, "Maggie! Come down!". Asking what was the matter, she heard Lizzie respond,
"Come down quick! Father's dead! Somebody's come in and killed him!" Rushing downstairs, she was immediately
dispatched by Lizzie to get neighbor Dr. Seabury Bowen. She was not allowed by Lizzie at that point to focus upon
the horror of Andrew Borden half-lying on the sofa with his head bludgeoned beyond recognition by 11 blows with
a sharp instrument, 4 of which had crushed his skull. Frantically running to the Bowen's house, she was told Dr.
Bowen was not there and then informed his wife Phoebe of what had transpired. Another neighbor, Adelaide
Churchill, saw Bridget running toward the Bowens and called out to her. "Something awful has happened!" Bridget
responded. Mrs. Churchill then went back into the house and through a window saw Lizzie on the back stairs of
the house, head in hands. She called over to Lizzie to determine what the trouble was. "Oh, Mrs. Churchill," Lizzie
cried, "please come over! Someone has killed Father!" Told that Dr. Bowen was not available, Mrs. Churchill sent
her handyman to fetch a doctor and to phone the police.
Alice Russell (1931) Dr. Seabury Bowen Adelaide Churchill
Upon seeing Mr. Borden's lifeless body, Churchill asked Lizzie about her stepmother and was told that Abby had
gone off at some point to visit a sick friend. By this time Bridget, who had been sent away again to inform yet
another neighbor, Alice Russell, of what had happened had returned. Dr. Bowen soon arrived back home and when
informed by his wife what had transpired, rushed across the street where he immediately upon viewing the crime
scene, pronounced Andrew dead. He then asked for a sheet to cover the body and subsequently spoke to Lizzie in
private for no more than a minute.
The Fall River police received the call at approximately 11:25 and Officer George Allen was dispatched to the
scene, running about 400 yards from the station to the Borden house where he was met by Dr. Bowen at the front
door. Upon entering and seeing Mr. Borden's body, he also found Lizzie sitting alone at the kitchen table. Allen
then ordered a bystander named Charles Sawyer to watch over the crime scene while he returned to the station
to summon more officers. In total, seven policemen were ordered to the home. By this point, a crowd of curiosity-
seekers had gathered on the lawn, all trying to catch a glimpse of the carnage that was on display inside the
house. Literally hundreds of people clamored for a morbid glance of the corpse of Andrew Borden, but even in the
absence of law enforcement, Sawyer held his ground. It should be noted here that a bulk of the police department
were attending an outing at Rocky Point Amusement Park in Warwick, R.I. that day leaving mainly junior officers
available.
After Allen left for the station, Bridget again inquired of Mrs. Borden's whereabouts, believing as Lizzie had
previously informed her, that she had been sent for by a friend who was ill. Lizzie somewhat surprisingly
remarked, "Maggie, I am almost positive I heard her coming in. Go upstairs and see." At first frightened and
unwilling to do so until joined by Mrs. Churchill, the two women's worst fears were realized when they came upon
the body of Abby, lying face down on the floor upstairs in the guest room where John Morse was staying. She had
been slaughtered in a similar manner as her husband, receiving 19 blows to the back of her head. Returning to
kitchen and sitting down while exhaling an audible sigh, Mrs. Churchill was asked by Alice Russell, "What,
another?" "Yes", Churchill replied. "Mrs. Borden is killed too."
Before Mrs. Borden's body was discovered, Dr. Bowen had briefly excused himself to wire Emma Borden, who
was still away visiting friends. Upon his return he was informed of the grisly findings upstairs and performed a
cursory examination of the bodies. Mr. Borden had apparently been attacked from behind judging by the blood
splatter patterns and the location and angle of the blows he received. An eyeball had been completely cut in half
and his nose severed from his face. The blows were concentrated within a small area of the head, around the
eyes, nose and ears. Mrs. Borden's wounds were also generated from behind. At this point it was reasonable to
assume the same instrument was used which had taken her husband's life. The one revealing discrepancy
between the bodies was that Mr. Borden's blood was still relatively fresh while his wife's had already begun to
congeal, indicating that she was murdered first.
At this point, Officer Patrick Doherty & Deputy Sheriff Wixon arrived at house where they were let in by Dr.
Bowen. Officer Doherty questioned Lizzie who told him she had heard a "scraping noise" somewhere in the house
prior to finding her father's body. Doherty then went with Bowen to view Abby's body, moving the bed adjacent to
where she was found to get a better view. He then went to a nearby undertaker's shop around the corner to
phone the station and inform them of his findings. Upon his return he found the home now teeming with police
officers who had by then responded to the initial call. Ironically, the County Medical Examiner, William Dolan, was
passing by the Borden home and noticing all the ruckus, stopped in to see what was happening there. After
viewing the grisly scene, Bowen informed him of something that happened two days prior that when Lizzie had
come to see him claiming she had been poisoned the previous night. In hearing about Lizzie's tale of "poisoning"
from Dr. Bowen and the police - for whom Lizzie had related her story as well - Dolan photographed the bodies,
had their stomachs removed and sent to Harvard Medical School along with a sample of milk taken from the
house. No trace of poison was detected after that examination.
It was then that John Morse, who had agreed to meet Andrew for lunch, arrived back at the house from his
visit to Werybosset St., about a mile from the Borden home. He stopped at a pear tree to pick and eat two of
them. He then met Charles Sawyer at the side door where he was informed by Lizzie of what had happened. He
was then allowed to enter the home and view the bodies of Andrew and Abby. By 5 pm that evening, Emma had
returned from her visit to Falmouth.
THE CASE AGAINST LIZZIE
On August 6, police returned to the home to conduct a more thorough search, inspecting Bridget, Lizzie and
Emma’s clothing. One of the officers asked Lizzie if she knew where any hatchets were stored on the property.
Lizzie then asked Bridget to take the officer to where she knew of some. In fact, four were found in the basement.
Two hatchets, two axes, and a hatchet-head with a broken handle. One actually displayed blood and hair on it,
although it was later found to be that of a cow. The rest were either rusty or covered in dust. One however was
discovered with a recently broken handle and covered in ashes so it was subsequently taken into evidence.
Because the break in the head was fresh and the ash found on it (that was absent from the other tools) seemed
to have been intentionally rubbed on to create the appearance it had been there for some time, Lizzie was
informed later that evening by an officer and the mayor that she was a suspect in the murders. The following
morning, one day after Andrew and Abby were laid to rest, Alice Russell stopped by and found Lizzie tearing up a
dress. "If I were you," Alice said, "I wouldn't let anybody see me do that, Lizzie." Lizzie explained that it was
covered in paint and she intended to toss it into a fire. Whether it was a dress she wore the previous day is
unknown. Police questioning her found her testimony to be confusing at best and contradictory at its worst. At one
point she heard a noise during the time of the murders then two hours later claimed she heard nothing when she
entered the house.
On August 8th, Lizzie appeared at an inquest hearing that was held in private therefore precluding the
presence of the family attorney to represent her. At the hearing, her behavior was deemed to be erratic which
could be attributed to the morphine which had been prescribed to her to sooth her nerves. At times she would
refuse to answer questions and continued to provide contradictory testimony as to her actions and whereabouts
the morning of the murders. At one point she was ion the kitchen reading then in the dining room ironing and
later to have been coming down the stairs from the second floor. On August 11, Lizzie was arrested and jailed.
Regarding her visit to Dr. Bowen on August 2nd, Lizzie made a startling and bizarre claim that she and Andrew
were very ill and that she suspected someone was trying to poison them. Dr. Bowen dismissed her symptoms as
nothing out of the ordinary, but still paid a visit to Andrew later on that evening. The ever-penurious Mr. Borden
claimed he was not ill at all and worried more about a potential charge for a house call. It was discovered the
primary cook in the house - Bridget - also had been ill that morning. It should be noted that Andrew's thrift may
have been the grounds for these spells as refrigeration in the Borden house was token at best. It was simply too
"expensive" to adequately insure the unsullied quality of their food and drink.
It was also learned through sworn testimony that Lizzie had attempted to procure a small amount of prussic
acid that morning from Smith's Drug Store, claiming it was to "kill moths in a sealskin cape" she owned. The
clerk, Eli Bence could not sell the chemical without a prescription and Lizzy went home empty-handed. Lizzie
claimed that while in fact she had been out that morning, she never visited Smith's Drug Store. This was called
into question based on eyewitness testimony that placed her there between 10:00 and 10:30 am. She later
renounced her first statement and stated she had not left the house until later that night.
One intriguing item of note was that John Morse had arrived on August 3rd with intentions of staying
overnight, yet brought no luggage with him. His said his intention was to visit relatives (his niece) across town the
following day. Both he and Lizzie testified they did not speak to each other at this time, but Lizzie acknowledged
his presence in the house.
Another compelling incident of August 3rd was a visit Lizzie paid to Alice Russell that evening. Miss Russell
stated that Lizzie seemed very agitated, referring vaguely to a perceived threat made toward her father regarding
a rental property as well as his general discourtesy toward people. She was convinced that something dreadful
was about to happen to the family. "I feel depressed. I feel as if something was hanging over me that I cannot
throw off, and it comes over me at times, no matter where I am." she told Alice. She also spoke of the family
eating baker's bread the evening before and all getting sick except for Bridget, who had not eaten any. There is
some speculation as to whether or not Lizzie was planting the seeds of her alibi by relating her true intuitive
feelings or setting up Bridget to take the fall.
Alice Russell’s former home
On the morning of the murders, Bridget said she had to let Andrew in the house and heard Lizzie chuckling on
the second floor stairway, which Lizzie denied claiming instead she was in the kitchen. The significance of this
cannot be understated as Abby was murdered before Andrew and anyone on the second floor would have easily
discovered her body. Lizzie said her father inquired about Abby and she informed him she had received a note
that a friend was sick and Abby had gone to attend to her. She also stated she had removed Andrew's boots and
helped him into his slippers before his nap, yet crime scene photos clearly show Andrew wearing his boots. She
then informed Bridget of a department store sale and permitted her to go, but Bridget did not feel well and went
to take a nap in her bedroom instead.
Because of the general appearance of the blood found on Abby, it was determined she had been killed around
or about 9:30 am on August 4th, some time before Andrew was. In order to pull this off, the killer would have had
to conceal themselves somewhere inside the home and waited for the opportune moment to strike as the front
door was found triple-locked by police officers. Had the killer left the home, how could they have locked the door
behind them? Bridget claimed after letting him in she left ever so briefly to fetch some water from the barn. This
would seem to present a very small window of opportunity for the killer to strike twice while she was outside.
At the time of the murders, Lizzie said she had not been in the house. This was simply not true. At the time
her stepmother's murder was committed - 9:30 am - she said she was inside, yet heard no peculiar noises or
sounds. This seemed dubious as Abby - a robust woman - was struck with an axe and fell to the floor. And where
was the note Abby had supposedly received that morning from her sick friend requesting a visit from her? Lizzie's
response to that query was that she might have inadvertently burned it.
Bridget had gone to her room to lie down at about 10:55 while Andrew went to the couch to take a nap. Lizzie
claimed at this time she was out in the barn looking for iron to make sinkers from. She claimed she intended to
join her sister in Fairhaven and do some fishing while there. Fifteen minutes later, she said she returned to the
house to find her father dead.
When questioned by Deputy Marshal John Fleet, Lizzie provided alibis for both Bridget and Uncle John,
claiming she was lying down and he was not present at the time. She did take umbrage with the Marshal for
calling Abby her "mother" and sharply reminded him she was her stepmother.
THE TRIAL OF LIZZIE BORDEN
This particular testimony was especially damaging during the August 11th inquest and prompted Judge
Blaisdell of the Second District Court to charge Lizzie with murdering her parents. On August 12th she was
arraigned and sent to the women's facilities at Taunton Jail. On August 28th, Lizzie's guilt was declared by Judge
Blaisdell and she was bound over to the Grand Jury. During this hearing, prosecutor Hosea Knowlton astonishingly
invited defense attorney Andrew J. Jennings to present his case, for all intents and purposes conducting an actual
trial before the Grand Jury. At first it appeared Lizzie's case might be dismissed, but Alice Russell's testimony
regarding the burning of the dress once again proved to be the smoking gun that resulted in Lizzie being charged
with three counts of murder - her father's, her stepmother's and peculiarly, in a separate count, both.
Hosea Knowlton William Moody George D. Robinson Melvin O. Adams Andrew J. Jennings
The trial took place in New Bedford, MA. on June 5, 1893 and was to last 14 days. The jury consisted of twelve
middle-aged farmers and tradesmen. The courthouse was filled each day from between 30 and 40 news reporters,
many from Boston and New York. Pressure from supporters of Lizzie that included religious and women's groups
resulted in Massachusetts Attorney General Arthur Pillsbury assigning the case to Fall River District Attorney
Knowlton. The politically savvy Pillsbury wanted no part of any ensuing backlash should he perform his duties too
well and secure a "guilty" verdict against Lizzie. Knowlton would be assisted by William Moody, District Attorney of
Essex County. Knowlton proved to be something less than an aggressive prosecutor. Some would even say he was
ambivalent during the proceedings. Moody proved in many ways to be the most competent of all present and in
fact would go on to serve in Congress, become Secretary of the Navy, then Attorney General and eventually be
named as a Justice to the Supreme Court by fellow Harvard classmate Theodore Roosevelt.
Borden jury
The defense was comprised of Jennings, a prominent Fall River lawyer who had been Andrew Borden's attorney
and became Lizzie's advisor from the time the murders occurred. His demeanor was one of calm and reserve and
he was extremely well-respected amongst his peers. He would be assisted by associate counsel Melvin O. Adams,
a former assistant District Attorney who had returned to private practice eight years prior and who would work
tirelessly cross-examining witnesses and provide crucial legal elements which would eventually result in a "not
guilty" verdict. The lead counsel was George D. Robinson, who while somewhat lacking in trial experience, was
held in high regard within the legal community. He was a former Massachusetts Senator, Congressman and as
Massachusetts Governor from 1883-1886 had appointed Justice Justin Dewey - who would hear the case - to
Superior Court. The significance of his presence on the defense team was not lost on most knowledgeable
observers.
Justice Justin Dewey
The prosecution, led by Moody, would argue that Lizzie had motive for the murders and that she had
bloodlessly planned their executions. They also would cite her contradictory testimony as inconsistent with
someone truly innocent of the crime. They sought to establish that Andrew Borden was in the process of changing
his will (though the original could not be produced) by calling John Morse to the stand. Adding to the confusion
over the will was "Uncle John" first testifying that a will did indeed exist, and later recant that by stating that
Andrew never told him of a will. The terms of the new will, according to Morse detailed that Lizzie and Emma
would receive $25,000 each and that the rest of the $500,000 estate would go to Abby, including the family farm
in Swansea, MA.
Former Borden family farm