Lizzie Borden & Emma Borden – Handwriting Analysis

(Recycled Post)

It’s curious to note that the sisters signed the below Deed on the very same day, January 31st, 1910, although they had been separated for well over 4 years.  Emma had packed her belongings and moved out of their French Street house, “Maplecroft”, in late May of 1905.  If they both appeared before Charles C. Cook, long time property manager, at the same time (perhaps in his offices in the A.J. Borden Building) then the legend that once Emma moved out the sisters never spoke or saw each other again – can be debunked.  On the other hand, if the riff between the sisters still had salty wounds, they may have appeared before Charles at different times during that day.  Imagine if Charles screwed up and scheduled them for the same time.  Oh dear.

Anyway, Francis and Chester Gardner, sons of Leander Gardner, were farmers and it can be read about HERE.

In March of 1989, Frances Allbright, graphics evaluator, submitted her solicited evaluation of the personalities of Lizzie Borden and Emma Borden from an analysis of their handwriting to Florence Brigham of the Fall River Historical Society.

I dug up from my files this Swansea farm deed and post it here because it shows both their signatures (along with their business/real estate manager Charles Cook) from 1910, when they were older.

It is my recollection that Mrs. Brigham provided Allbright this document as well as a letter written by Lizzie, and Emma Borden’s postcard from Scotland written to Mrs. Brigham’s mother-in-law, Mary Brigham, a friend and witness for the Defense at Lizzie’s trial. It’s my recollection from a conversation but I am not certain these were the documents.

You can find out who Francis and Chester Gardner were and their lives by reading HERE.

Mrs. Allbright’s cover letter to Florence and her “profiles” of the sisters can be seen below. Personally, I tend to put more validity in such interpretations when the “evaluator” has no knowledge of the person doing the writing. It should be mentioned that these are not the only handwriting analyses of the Borden sisters that have been done, but you can draw your own conclusions with this particular evaulator.

A Political Pause

I don’t usually use this blog for political commentary….but good grief….it’s getting ridiculous.  Can’t you all feel it?  Our Congress, made up of career congressmen, continue to sink us deeper and deeper in the Quagmire of Us versus Them.    America is slipping backwards.

Enough with the electronic gadgetry.  Discover a cure for Stupidity.  That disease is running rampant and will be America’s ruination.

If you still don’t get what I’m talking about – please read what I consider to be the best statement of the past year regarding our President:

“This is why it’s becoming impossible for elected Republicans to work with Democrats to improve our country,” said Markos Moulitsas, founder and publisher of Daily Kos. “They are a party beholden to conspiracy theorists who don’t even believe Obama was born in the United States, and already want to impeach him despite a glaring lack of scandal or wrongdoing. They think Obama is racist against white people and the second coming of Lenin. And if any of them stray and decide to do the right thing and try to work in a bipartisan fashion, they suffer primaries and attacks. Given what their base demands — and this poll illustrates them perfectly — it’s no wonder the GOP is the party of no.”

Excellent article here about the STUPID PEOPLE.

And here they are STATISTICALLY.

It’s really what I’ve been saying since a year ago: They hate him (or fear him) because he’s black.

Alone Painting – Part V

Yep, still more of this “Alone” painting coming in.  The latest is from “Tiffany” who is sure she has the original-original recently purchased on eBay.   Maybe.  Maybe not.   Here’s an image of hers:

Since there’s been so many inquiries to my blog about this painting and its mysterious origin, I thought I would recap some of the comments.  I’ve eliminated last names but included emails so you can contact and compare with each other.

chacdoc
sbashamharris@gmail.com
2010/01/11 at 10:34pm

I have been searching for info on this painting for over 2 years. A print was on my great grandparents mantle and my aunt copied it. Even the copy painting was lost to me and I now have an interest in painting it over. I only had a 30 year old memory of the content. Hundreds of searches key words were fruitless until I found your blog. I was even wondering if it could have been a post WWII paint by number since there are so many claimed “signatures.” I am thrilled to have found some information on the painting, at long last.

Donna
duteeter@aol.com
2009/12/26 at 7:04pm

I also have a painting this. It appears to be old, in a very old frame, somewhat darkish (?like night time) with a full moon in the painting. Minen is on a board not canvas but with no signature or date that I can find. I was surprised to see similar painting listed on ebay. I just liked the painting but would love to learn more about it or the artist.

Johnny
moondog0987@hotmail.com
2009/12/23 at 8:03pm

Hi
I have an oil of this painting which I bought from an antique dealer about 8 years ago. The painting is signed “Sartori” and dated 1876. The painting I believe predates that of Vosberg and Wahlberg. I have over the last few years tried to find out more about Sartori the artist and happened to find a undated and unsigned version of the painting on ebay. Comments from members had indicated that the painting appeared a copy done by Vosberg which I found curious due to the date. If you want a pic let me know and I’ll send you one,

Linda
lillulabelle@hotmail.com
2009/11/12 at 9:07pm

I just found your website. I also have this “print” which I love. It is framed and in a very nice old frame. I bought it in an antigue shop in MN but he didn’t know anything about it. I didn’t want to take it apart to search for a name so have just been searching the web.

Kristy
kayvee6@comcast.net
2009/09/16 at 1:18am

Hi, I bought a print of “Alone” at a garage sale for $5.00. This is the first site I’ve found with any info!!! My print has no signature, but it is in color and framed in a beautiful reddish and gold frame. The printing at the bottom reads: “Published by Amlica (sp?) Publishing Co., NY Printed in America. There is a number “3″ under that. On the right it reads “The KNAPP CO LITH NY. I love this print, although it is a bit melancholy. I will send you a pic of it if you’d like. Thank you, Kris

Laurie
3loop@myfairpoint.net
2009/08/19 at 2:02pm

I have been meaning to contact you for quite a while. About 10 years ago, I purchased a print of this painting at a flea market in Connecticut. I liked the subject and it reminded me of my property on the lake. A few months later I came across another print, and since then my collection has grown to include seven prints, one not so well done oil on canvas, a black and white etching(with the artist’s name, date and title)and two celluloid boxes with the print on the top. One of the boxes has an inscription on the bottom that indicates it was a Christmas gift 100 years ago. I have had them all displayed on the walls of my dining room for the last several years. The interesting thing for me is that they are all done differently with color and scenery, but they are obviously the same painting. I always scout for this print everywhere I go. It is always so much fun to find another one.

Bo
bo@cgitexas.com
2009/07/26 at 2:38pm

I have a copy as well. It was found in the attic of my girlfriend’s great grandmother. She had it framed. It looks to be oil paint and the canvas has large blank edges with writing on it. It is signed H. Vosberg 1887 on the bottom left. Send me your email and I will send you a pic.

jim derendingerjim@yahoo.com
2009/04/20 at 4:58pm

I have what I believe to be the original and find all this talk facinating, my painting is 17″ high and 37″ long painted on canvas and streached on an old window shutter. My research thus far has taken me to the artisr Fr. Janssen and also his sig is on the painting. it was painted in the early 1880 s prior to his saint hood in the religious order he attended. I wnder stand that there are several similar to copies out there and very much like mine. If you would like a pic I would be glad to e-mail you one thanks jim.

Leo
comway@zianet.com
2009/04/15 at 5:43pm

Hi;
This is Leo  in Alamogordo NM.
I saw your posting on the Web related to a painting like this.  Mine is on very old oil on a 14X27 canvas, since looking at different web pages I have found two others almost identical and now really very curious as which is original. Mine is titled Alone but no artist signatures, as are the others.If you have any knowledge or thoughts regarding this painting I would like to hear from you.
Further info at… http://www.zimbio.com/George+Montgomery/articles/2/LIZZIE+BORDEN+ALONE+PAINTING+MAPLECROFT

Thank You
Ps Send your email so I can send actual photo

searching for painter
jnfer_00@hotmail.com
2007/12/22 at 2:10pm

I have a copy of this painting and was fortunate to come across this webpage. It came from my great great grandfather. The family story is that it came from Sweden. I was looking for the name of the painter when I stumbled upon your posting. Have you made any progress into the details of who the painter might have been. I am a student at a University in the US and used the University’s art resources to look for the painter. I have found someone who might make a match….Herman Alfred Leonard Wahlberg. He was a Swedish artist born in 1834 and died in 1906. I was wondering what your opinion was on if this could be a match and if you had any other leads.

Remember, this all started HERE.

With some of the follow ups HERE and HERE.

SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION

(Recycled post)

We know Nance O’Neil is connected to Lizzie Borden. But actress Drew Barrymore? Yes indeed, and only by “six degrees”.

1. Actress Drew Blythe Barrymore

(b. February 22, 1975)

2. Her grandfather was actor John Drew Barrymore

(b. John Sidney Blythe, February 15, 1882, Philadelphia. – d. May 29, 1942, Hollywood, CA.)

3. He was the brother of actor Lionel Barrymore

(b. Lionel Herbert Blythe, April 28, 1878, Philadelphia – d. November 15, 1954, Van Nuys, CA.)

4. Lionel Barrymore married the daughter of McKee Rankin*

(b. February 6, 1844, Canada – d. April 17, 1914, California)

5. McKee Rankin was theatrical manager to Nance O’Neil

(b. Gertrude Lamson, October 8, 1874, Oakland, CA – d. February 7, 1965, Englewood, NJ)

6. Nance O’Neil was a friend of Lizzie Borden

(b. July 19, 1860, Fall River, MA – d. June 1, 1927, Fall River)

*Doris McKee Rankin (1888-1946) married Lionel Barrymore at age 17 in 1905, divorced December, 1922. (Time Magazine, May 19, 1923)

Source: (McKee Rankin and the Heyday of the American Theater. David Beasley, Wilfrid Laurier University Press, 2002.)

Tags: drew barrymore, nance o’neil

Artistic Depictions of Lizzie Borden

From Liberty Magazine,1929

Just “Google” Lizzie Borden and click “Images” and you’ll find all sorts of artistic depictions of Fall River’s most famous (infamous) celebrity.  The murders occurred on August 4, 1892 and since then this classic “Who dunnit” has been the subject of countless website and blog references,  magazine articles, books and documentaries.

Here is only a partial listing of other media and formats  in which our favorite enigmatic vixen has been represented:

Most widely known is the made-for-tv film, “Legend of Lizzie Borden” starring Elizabeth Montgomery, Paramount Pictures, 1975.  (Note:  There has never been a major studio or independent theatrical release of this case so Stephen Spielberg are you listening?)

Lizzie was the subject of the operas Lizzie Borden (1965) by Jack Beeson and Lizbeth by Thomas Albert.

Lillian Gish played “Effie Holden,” a character based on Miss Borden in 1933’s Nine Pine Street.

Rick Geary used the device of a fictional journal written by a Fall River contemporary of Lizzie’s as the basis of his comic book “The Borden Tragedy: A Memoir of the Infamous Double Murder at Fall River, Massachusetts, 1892.”

Lizzie appears as a character in Monkeybone (2001), Joe Killionaire (2004), and Saturday the 14th Strikes Back (1988), played by Shawnee Free Jones, Alice Alyse, and Lauren Peterson, respectively.

“Blood Relations” by Sharon Pollock premiered at Theatre Tree, Edmonton Canada in 1980. The play is set in 1902, with its “dream thesis” set in 1892, in Fall River.  It explores the events leading up to the trial.  (Of all Lizzie plays this one is performed most often in theaters, schools, community centers, and all sorts of other venues all across the country).

Borden was depicted in The Simpsons episodes “Treehouse of Horror IV” (1993), where she was one of the jurors in a trial for Homer’s soul, and “Cape Feare” (same year), in a part where Mrs. Krabappel puts Bart in a play about Borden with class nerd Martin Prince as the title character.

A figure of Borden appears on Captain Spaulding’s ‘Murder Ride’ in Rob Zombie’s film House of 1000 Corpses.

Lizzie was the topic of The Chad Mitchell Trio’s aptly named “Lizzie Borden/You Can’t Chop Your Poppa Up in Massachusetts.” It was written by Michael Brown for “New Faces of 1952.”

She was also the subject of the cockney knees-up style song “Oh, Mother Borden” by late 80s UK musical satirists The Dubious Brothers.

The Disney Channel show Smart Guy alluded to the Borden murders in an episode in which Yvette and a few friends pretend to be axe murderers and chant the well-known rhyme.

Angela Carter wrote a short story, entitled “The Fall River Axe Murders”, on the events leading up to the murders, as well as a short story entitled “Lizzies Tiger”, a strange little story written as a mock children’s tale.

W.O. Mitchell’s “The Black Bonspiel of Wullie MacCrimmon” features Lizzie as a minor character.

Alexander Woollcott of The New Yorker magazine, was fascinated by Lizzie and commented on her during his 1930’s radio broadcasts. He was the inspiration for the Sheridan Whiteside character in the George S. Kaufman and Moss Hartplay The Man Who Came to Dinner which had a very minor character supposedly Lizzie.

The song She Took An Axe by the thrash metal band Flotsam and Jetsam tells Lizzie’s story, portraying her as a demon inspired woman, treating the subject with humor.

In Mary Higgins Clark novel, No Place Like Home, the main character is compared to Lizzie Borden for having killed her mom as a child

Morton Gould wrote a ballet on the subject of Lizzie Borden, Fall River Legend, which was premiered by Ballet Theatre at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York on April 22, 1948. He later abridged the music into a suite which is the more commonly performed version.

The Mezco Toyz production Living Dead Dolls created one of their child-like dolls in honor of Lizzie Borden. As with all Living Dead Dolls, the Borden doll comes with a “Death Certificate” and poem (the poem for the Borden doll is the famous, “Lizzie Borden took an axe…” poem). The doll was released in the second series and can be seen at Living Dead Dolls.com.

Lizzie Borden is buried at her father’s feet in Oak Grove Cemetery in Fall River, Mass.  If his skeletal foot isn’t kicking her in the head at the stroke of 11:00 every day – perhaps her skeletal jaw is twisted downward signifying her perpetual disapproval to all of the above.

Emma Borden’s $45,000 Trust Made on January 14, 1925

Emma Borden in her early 60’s

At age 69, on November 20, 1920, Emma Borden signed her Last Will & Testament.  It would be greatly enhanced with a Codicil signed less than two years later, on June 27, 1922.  Her Will and Codicil have been uploaded as a separate page to this blog.  Click that selection at the top of this page to view them.

Subsequent to the Will and the Codicil, and something never written about before, is the fact that on January 14, 1925, Emma created an initial $45,000 investment Trust with the Rhode Island Hospital Trust Company that benefited – while she lived and beyond -  an interesting assortment of selected individuals.

In addition to providing an income for Emma herself, the four primary recipients of 10/45th income derived quarterly from the Trust were:

A.  Orrin A. Gardner (upon his death to Hamilton M. Gardner)

Orrin Gardner – July, 1930

(It was at Orrin’s home in Touisset, known as “Riverby” that Emma was taken upon her death for her wake prior to burial in Fall River.)

“Riverby” in the early 1920’s

B.  Hamilton M. Gardner (nephew of  Orrin who raised him as a young boy when his own father died).

Hamilton Gardner – July, 1930

C.  Maude G. Dawson (married daughter of  Mary & Preston Gardner)

D.  Annie C. Connor (the trained nurse and woman who would look after Emma in her last last few years of life in Newmarket,  New Hampshire — and upon her death to her son, John M. Conlon).  Note:  Annie C. Connor died at the age of 75 on October 11, 1936 in neighboring Lee, New Hampshire.

In addition, Emma allows for 5/45th to go to Mary Kelly (employed by Emma when she lived at The Minden Apartments in Providence, RI; and upon Mary’s death, the income to her son, John).

Emma could not know she would be dead in 2-1/2 years, so why was this established at this time?  Her Will & Codicil had already been written and witnessed a little more than five years previous to this Trust Fund.

Here are a few things that happened the year before the establishment of the $45,000 Trust Fund:

1924	Helen Leighton moves from Boston to Brookline, MA.
February 24, 1924	1924 Woodrow Wilson dies.
1924	The Society for Human Rights in Chicago becomes the country’s earliest known gay rights organization.
1924	Machinery from the Borden controlled Fall River Iron Works to their mills in Kingsport, Tennessee marks the unofficial demise of the cotton industry in Fall River.
April 14, 1924	Lizzie forms a partnership with Jacob Dondis in her half share of the AJ Borden Bldg on So. Main.                                                                                 (LR56)
1924	Adolf Hitler publishes his Nazi political tract Mein Kampf (My Battle).
April 29, 1924	Hannah B. Reagan, former police matron, dies at the age of 73 in Fall River.
1924	Studies in Murder by Edmund Pearson is published.  (Did Lizzie read it?)

1924	Decline in Fall River textile mills begins; Fall River is no longer the “Cotton King”.
December 4, 1924	David Anthony, Jr. dies at Truesdale Hosp from injuries from a fall from his motorbike in Somerset on 11/24/24.

The year before, 1923, Emma boarded for the summer in Newmarket with Annie Connor and then in 1924 lived there permanently.  It was, in fact, through Preston Gardner that the Emma-Connor connection was made.  So it would appear Preston Gardner saw to it that Emma had a nice place to live with someone who could care for her.

The Trust Fund was undoubtedly administered by Preston Gardner, an officer and Vice President of the Rhode Island Hospital Trust Company that figures so prominently in Emma’s actual Will.

Here is the actual Trust Fund document. Click on image for larger view.

It strikes me that Emma may not have  been very wise in the handling of her money in terms of investing it.  Perhaps she just kept it in a bank not earning much interest.  For the first 42 years of her life she never had to think about large purchases or any type of financial management involving significant sums.   Maybe she never learned how.  Her relationship with Charles Cook, who handled Andrew’s properties and subsequently “the girls”, does not seem to be as lasting as it was with Lizzie.

It is possible that Emma was already showing signs of senility and her cousins, Preston and/or Orrin, prompted her to invest at least some of her net worth.   In any event, this Trust ensured those named  individuals of receiving income prior to her death and beyond.

EMMA BORDEN AT WHEATON FEMALE SEMINARY

(Recycled post with addendum in blue towards the end.)

The following tale may not have the same significance as Dr. Robert Ballard’s 1985 discovery of the Titanic, but it falls into the same category of “Who gets the claim to fame”, and the discovery of exactly when and where Emma Borden went away to school belongs to Kristin M. Pepe, Laboratory Director in the Psychology & Education Department of Mount Holyoke College in Hadley, MA. I think Borden enthusiasts, scholars, collectors, and just the curious would appreciate knowing about it – and not having to pay for the privledge – and so I post it here, knowing that those crawling bots or whatever they are will navigate their way and become embedded in any number of Google word searches and linkages.Here’s the background:

At the Coroner’s Inquest held August 9-11, 1892, at the Fall River Second District Court (housed in the same structure as the Central Police Station), Emma Lenora Borden, age 41, testified as follows:

EMMA L. BORDEN
Q. (Mr. Knowlton) What is your full name?
A. Emma L. Borden.
Q. What does the L. stand for?
A. Lenora.
Q. You are older than Miss Lizzie.
A. Yes Sir.
Q. What is your age?
A. Forty- one.
Q. How old were you, as near as you can recollect, when your
father married the second time?
A. Just a trifle over fourteen.
Q. So you probably remember your Mother?
A. Yes Sir.
Q. Have you lived at home most of the time?
A. Yes Sir.
Q. have you ever lived away from home?
A. I was away at school about a year and a half.
Q. That was sometime ago?
A. Yes Sir.

No where else in the source documents, newspaper reports, books, magazine articles, journals, pamphlets, websites, blogsites, Hallmark cards, bumper stickers, YouTube videos or wall graffitti has it been revealed just exactly WHERE she was “away at school”. Oh, for that follow-up question from Hosea Knowlton, District Attorney. Alas, he never asked it and consequently, it has been speculated upon for years as to just where she attended.

First, Kristin followed up on the speculation that Emma may have attended Mount Holyoke Female Seminary, and since she worked there (only now called Mount Holyoke College), she checked with their archives. A 100 year biographical directory covering 1837 thru 1937 held no entry for an Emma L. Borden. Other seminaries were considered: Ipswich, Byfield Seminary, Buckland Female School, Northfield Seminary, Smith’s College, and even Miss Porter’s School in Farmington, Conn. Then it occurred to Kristin that Andrew may have gone the cheaper – and closer – route of sending Emma to Wheaton Female Seminary in Norton, Mass., about 35 miles south of Boston. Her diligence to inquiries yielded what is now the provenance of this new discovery.

Wheaton College’s (no longer named a seminary) Alumnae Register for January 1927, showed an address for our Emma in Fall River. Bingo. Further, documentation in the Registers confirms that Emma attended during the years 1866 to 1868. In the Alumnae Register for 1932, Emma is listed as a non-degreed alumnae with an “x” signifying she was deceased at least by 1932. (Emma died 9 days after Lizzie on June 10, 1927).

Emma attended about 35 years after “Wheaton Female Seminary” initially opened. Emma would have returned to the Ferry Street homestead for the Holidays. For Abby Borden, it must have been the least stressful and perhaps happiest time that she had with little Lizzie who would have been 6, 7 and 8 years old when Emma attended. With Emma away, there would be no psychological tug-of-war with Emma’s “She’s mine!” hostile possessiveness, which Abby must have sadly endured during that first year of marriage to Andrew. Yes, a year and a half reprieve for Abby. And it must have irked the hell out of Emma to have to “abandon” her “baby” sister like that and be sent off “to school”.

Emma may have spent a lot of time thinking about the relationship between that “steppie” Mrs. Borden and her poor little Lizzie. She may have experienced some angst in wondering if Lizzie was growing fonder and more loving towards Abby in her absence, clouding her focus for her academic development.  In any case, it was in 1868 that “Abbie” gave Lizzie a lovely engraved silver cup (see Leonard Rebello’s Lizzie Borden Past and Present, Alzack Press, pub. 1999, pg. 12.) That gift speaks to us of Abby wanting to be a loving mother to this younger daughter of her husband.

A young Abby Borden, circa 1862-1865

With regards to the “incest theory”, I think if Lizzie *was* abused by her father it would have happened during this time period.  Emma was away at school and not there to be a protective buffer.  If Abby knew or had suspicions I think she would have turned a blind eye or been in denial.  Andrew may have thought himself entitled – may have even looked upon his daughters, especially the younger one, as his property.   If Emma herself had suspicions of prior abuse, would she have had even more angst being separated this way from Lizzie?   Was it part of her reason for not finishing her schooling at Wheaton?

This image of Lizzie was taken around the time period that Emma attended Wheaton.   She doesn’t appear happy or content, but then again photos of that period often had unsmiling faces holding still for the camera.  Still…..

The Wheaton alumna association was formed in 1870, but it’s doubtful Emma was an active alumnae. She certainly didn’t leave them anything in her Will.

About Wheaton:
Wheaton College
26 East Main Street
Norton, Massachusetts 02766-2322
(508) 286-8200
Click for Wheaton’s website here.

The campus, of course, is nothing like it was back in 1866, and only a couple of the original structures remain.

The staff at the campus Wallace Library there will accommodate any inquiries for those who would like to follow up.

And so there it is. We now know where and when Emma “went away to school”.

A BIG SHOUT OUT AND THANK YOU TO KRISTIN M. PEPE!!!

Lizzie & Emma’s Wills

Unrelated News: eBay has a diary of a contemporary to Lizzie’s that has a reference to “Caroline Mason”, who could be Caroline Cole Mason who married Henry Augustus Gardner.  One of their children was Orrin Gardner, a major legatee in Emma’s Will.

On a Lizzie chat forum there seems to be surprise that in the above mentioned diary for the date of August 4, 1892 the writer, Charitta Sanford, says Lizzie probably did it.  But this sentiment among Fall Riverites was noted back in the 1960’s with Victoria Lincoln’s  book,  A Private Disgrace, that suspicion of  Lizzie by those that knew the Andrew Borden family came about as soon as the murders were reported. The link to the auction is HERE.

The same seller sold another diary of this same woman wherein she wrote everything in rhyme.  Very clever.  That can be seen HERE.

The Wills of sisters Lizzie and Emma Borden, including the probate of Lizzie’s Will and the Codicil to Emma’s Will, can be seen as separate pages on this Blog – simply click above.

Lizzie’s Will, signed by her hand on January 30, 1926, was simple and straightforward in its bequests – primarily to those individuals whose loyalty and friendship she valued, with the largest cash amount to the Fall River Animal Rescue League.

Their Wills tell us something about their post-separation relationship when it comes to the property on French Street in Fall River known as “Maplecroft”.

From Emma’s Will pertaining to sister Lizzie:

“SIXTH: If my sister, Lizzie A. Borden, shall survive me and I shall own an interest at the time of my death in that tract of land with the dwelling house thereon situated on the northerly side of French Street, in said Fall River, and being the same premises now occupied by my sister and which were purchased by my sister and myself of Charles M. Allen, then I give, devise and bequeath all my right, title and interest in and to said tract of land and the improvements thereon, to my said sister, Lizzie A. Borden, and all my interest in and to the household furniture in said house or upon said premises.  If,  however, at the time of my death I shall have disposed of my interest in said tract of land located on French Street and in the contents of the house, and my said sister, Lizzie A. Borden, shall survive me, then I give and bequeath to my said sister the sum of One Thousand Dollars ($1,000).”

-Signed by Emma Borden -  November 20, 1920

By significant contrast, we have this from Lizzie’s Will:

“28. I have not given my sister, Emma L. Borden, anything as she had her share of her father’s estate and is supposed to have enough to make her comfortable.”

- Signed by Lizzie Borden -  January 30, 1926

(A few days later, on February 2, 1926, Lizzie would enter Fall River’s Truesdale Hospital for a gall bladder operation from which she would never fully recover.   She had only one year and four months left to live.)

It would seem Lizzie never forgot a kindness and never forgave a betrayal.

Whether the following events had any influence on Lizzie’s Will, we don’t know:

May, 1923 – Emma Borden seeks court authority to divide value of Borden Building between herself and Lizzie.

December 3, 1923 – Emma sells her 1/2 interest in the A.J. Borden Building.

April 14, 1924 – Lizzie forms a partnership with Jacob Dondis in her half share of the AJ Borden Bldg on So. Main.  (LR56)

1924 – Studies in Murder by Edmund Pearson is published.

1926 – Murder at Smutty Nose by Edmund Pearson is published, contains essay on the Borden case.

What we DO learn from these Wills is that Lizzie was the primary guiding hand in determining to whom and how her money and property was to be distributed.   The guiding hand for Emma was clearly her cousin Preston Gardner who benefited in every possible way, particularly in how her money was designated between the BMC Durfee Trust and the Rhode Island Hospital Trust with whom he was a Director and later Vice President.

After Emma’s Will and the Codicil (where she remembered her other Gardner cousins), Preston crafted for her a separate Trust of $45,000 designated for specific individuals, himself included.  (More on this later).

I think these Wills say a lot about the relationship of the two sisters after early June, 1905 when Emma moved out of Maplecroft.  Rendering a kindness to Lizzie was still in Emma’s mind when it came to her Will.  For Lizzie, time had not healed the wounds of her perceived betrayal and abandonment.

Anna & Laura Tirocchi – Dressmakers to the Elite

The Prentice Mansion at 514 Broadway, Providence, site of the shop operated by sisters Anna and Laura Tirocchi from 1915 to 1947.

Anna Tirocchi

Anna & Laura Tirocchi were a famed and successful dressmaking sister team I  happened to come across because of my interest in a British t.v. series called The House of Elliot (apparently, partly based on the Tirocchis).

What a complete surprise it was to find her business was patronized by some  Braytons,  Mrs. Dwight Waring (daughter of  Lizzie’s defense attorney, Andrew Jennings) et.al. of Fall River.  And from Providence, we have Preston Gardner’s wife Mary, and daughter, Maude, all of whom received considerable money and jewelry from Emma’s Will.

Another notable from Providence is Mrs. William G. Thurber, whose husband was Vice President of  Tilden-Thurber, the store where Lizzie shoplifted two paintings on porcelain only 4 years after her acquittal.  An incident in which Preston Gardner came to the rescue and an action for which Emma Borden was eternally grateful.

Anyway, back to the Tirocchi sisters. They operated a shop in Providence from 1911 to the mid 1930’s.  The stock market crash was the beginning of   it’s demise.  Anna said that 1927 was their “best year ever.”

If you’ve already read the basic background linked above, consider their elite client list that reads like a Who’s Who of  Fall River’s and Providence’s upper crust.

When you click on Client list you can then click on a woman’s name.  You then find out who her husband was.  Then you can click on “Transactions” for what she purchased (keep in mind that a dress costing $200 had the equivalent purchasing power of nearly $2,400 in today’s money), and “Correspondence” for letters she wrote and/or received.

Tirocchi’s  clientele is addressed   HERE. (then click “The Clients”)

One notable is Jessie Brayton – John Summerfield Brayton, Sr.

It was Jessie’s husband who was the recipient of  the well known letter written on August 31, 1900 by Lizzie Borden about his  noisy bird that crowed so loudly and made her nervous.  My, my.  Talk about dress threads that bind!

Her grandson was extremely accomplished, and it was his father, John Summerfield Brayton III, who was the discoverer  of  that above mentioned letter.

Not only did Anna keep precise records of sales and who these women were married to but she had all their measurements – not surprising for a dressmaker but enlightening to Borden researchers. Here’s the one for Mrs. Elizabeth Brayton.

This entire website is a marvel to explore and a person can spend a good two hours finding out who these women were.  I was getting visions of that film “The Women” directed by George Cukor – the early scenes of the ladies in the dressing rooms ….  but I digress.

Anna Tirocchi in the Butler Exchange workroom, making the final adjustments to a dress; ca. 1914.

The contents of the Tirocchi dress shop at 514 Broadway was offered to the Rhode Island School of Design Museum by sister Laura’s son, Dr. Louis Cella, Jr.   No wonder the staff, inventorying for over year,  was thrilled with what they found!!  Indeed, so was I.

And a big THANK YOU,  DR. CELLA!!!

P.S.  If Lizzie had an account there, she certainly didn’t  use her real name.

The Gift That Keeps on Giving: “Alone” Painting Part IV

You might remember my posts on this painting – a copy of which was once owned by Lizzie Borden.  The mystery of just who the original-original artist was remains a mystery.  I continue to get emails from people having copies -  all of them by different artists or unsigned.  All of them from the same time period.  ‘Tis a puzzlement it tis.

Two more recent entries on eBay for this highly popular painting:

1.  This time the artist is  Inez Johnson.  Note that the painting did not sell at a starting price of $298.00.

2.  No artist signature on this one, but it sold for $103.50.

This blog was cited in both and I think that’s because I’ve written about it so often.  Click HERE.

See also Comments on the right of this page from Donna Teeter, and Johnny on “Alone”.

A Lizzie Borden Documentary by Ric Rebelo

Here’s a snippet from “Lizbeth – A Victorian Nightmare” (still in production) by filmmaker Ric Rebelo of Fall River Ma.  You can view his other “teasers” on YouTube.

And who were the Gardners that factored into this case?

Henry, William & Hamilton Gardner

I’ll be writing about the Gardners of  Swansea and their ties to Emma Borden very soon.   Stay tuned.

CHRISTMAS GREETINGS!

I’m off to California and then a post Christmas Christmas with relatives in Hawaii.  When I return, we’ll go “Gardening”.   Some really cool and new stuff on the Gardners of Swansea – and Emma, too!

But first, I send you more jibjab funnies.  Click and enjoy!  (have sound on).

This one is APPROPRIATE to the economic times.

From J.C. and the Gang – an idea is born.

And the Borden Office Party!

Have a safe and wonderful Holiday!

Lizzie Borden’s Grand Tour Money Shortage

On June 21, 1890 Lizzie Borden embarked on a 19 week Grand Tour of Europe. A month and two days later, she would celebrate her 30th birthday while on that Tour. It must have been her best birthday ever. However, according to reports, she would also have to wire home for additional funds, a necessary appeal that must have been a source of great embarrassment to her considering her travel companions.

(Could this be the trunk or one of the trunks Lizzie took on the Tour? Note that no port labels are visible. -from The Spectator, January 22, 1997)

Lizzie was enjoying the thrilling sights of England, Scotland, France, and Italy with sisters Carrie Lindley Borden and Anna Howland Borden, daughters of Colonel Thomas J. Borden (of the “Greater Bordens” and related to Lizzie, albeit somewhat distantly); Elizabeth Hitchcock Brayton, daughter of David Anthony Brayton, (and who later owned and resided in the structure which is now the Fall River Historical Society); Sarah Brayton; Ellen “Nellie” Shove, whose father was President of the Shove Mill; and a chapperone, Miss Cox. Lizzie was truly emershed with the upper crust, i.e., “the cultured girls” who lived on the coveted “Hill”, i.e, the Highlands of Fall River’s elite.

Lizzie certainly didn’t have the cash on hand her companions did for purchasing souveniers. It has been reported she brought home common reprints of cathedrals and famous paintings, but its likely Carrie, Anna, Sarah and Elizabeth bought more expensive items such as fine lace, small sculptures, perhaps even designer clothing. So when Lizzie, who always had a keen eye for quality and exquisite taste found herself cash strapped, it has been reported she wired home for more.

Below is a page from the September 17, 1892 The Illustrated American telling us something a little different and who actually sent her the money needed for her return passage. (Right click image for easier reading and note yellow highlight). I have several issues of The Illustrated American from this era and have found their reporting to be remarkably accurate. However, I find it curious that her passage would not have been booked as “round trip” in the first place. Perhaps the ladies had not booked return passage when they arranged to begin their journey. After all, crossings were frequent and if they decided to return “sometime in November”, there would be plenty of time (and for most of them, plenty of cash) to purchase the return fare.

This issue was released after the Coroner’s Inquest (August 9-11) and the Preliminary Hearing (August 25-31), and Borden scholars will recognize precise testimony from those proceedings.

It is my long time personal belief that it was this trip – the first abroad for Lizzie – that changed her forever. She was transformed during those four months into a woman who, having lived the life of what money could bring – i.e., fine food in restaurants, hot running water, luxurious bathtubs, culture – became steeled in her determination to “have more.” (See my essay in Jules Rychebusch’s Proceedings book of the 1992 Lizzie Borden Conference, “Why We Don’t Know Lizzie”). Less than a year after her return to her unstylish home below “the Hill” in Fall River, the Borden house was burglarized in broad daylight. Shortly after that, Emma “offered” Lizzie her larger bedroom. A year after that Andrew and Abby were murdered. And a year after that – Lizzie, indeed, got “more”.

ÓÓ

In the same issue, which is extensive about the Borden case up to that date, are the following images we have become familiar with. The top photo shows the Borden house and part of the Churchill house to the left. This photo was used for the cover of Marie Belloc Lowndes book: Lizzie Borden – A Study in Conjecture.

What has always puzzled me is what exactly is that thing outside the fence in front of Mrs. Churchill’s house? This is the clearest photograph I have seen and I still can’t figure it out. Couldn’t be a resting spot to tie up a carriage because it is set too far back on the sidewalk. Anyway, it’s driven me nuts for years so if anybody knows, please enlighten me.

The Bordens: More Irreverent Humor

Another blogger recently wrote:

“Below the frostline now lay today what remains of the sad, frozen bones of Abby and Andrew Borden- still headless, -  and now their likenesses and characters the fodder for irreverent cartoons, gift products and unspeakable accusations made without a shred of evidence.  Those who once were loved and walked among us.  Does the interval of Time allow for such insensitive liberties?  Is murder ever a source for humor?”

I don’t pretend to mourn the deaths of Andrew and Abby Borden.  I didn’t know them.  They didn’t walk amongst me.  Their deaths, tragic and horrible, were no less tragic and horrible than those of hundreds of thousands throughout history whose deaths were in service to our country, or the individual citizen who rushed towards fatal danger in  a sacrifice to save another.

The death of Abby and Andrew were no less tragic and horrible as are those of thousands of kidnapped, abused and murdered children of the last century, the last decade, the last year.  Those are the ones to which I can relate.  As can any mother.   I can mourn for my neighbor’s wife who just passed from cancer.  I knew her.  She walked amongst me.

But I will not pretend a sappy, maudlin and false sensitivity about mourning the death of Abby and Andrew Borden.  If humorous characterizations (and there are tons of them) are considered irreverent and those that consider them funny are insensitive, then so be it.  Let those who find it distasteful deal with it.   The interval of Time did not give birth to such liberties.  Irreverent humor has been a part of American culture since man first put pen to paper.

Let those who hide behind their works in the church and profess a reverent Christian POV (yes, I refer to the blogger quoted above of whom I know personally) while living a life of phony pretenses for purposes of popularity throw stones.  Myself, and many like me, are quite adept at dodging them.  Besides, if you believe in neither heaven nor hell the dictates of the Christian consequence are rendered moot.

Having said all that, I now present more such humor.  View them or not.  Like them or not.  (Click links below images – have sound on).

First, cut and paste this one.  It’s a hoot:

http://sendables.jibjab.com/view/tXACYrpq6mHnk3ILT7Ww

Andrew Borden, William Moody, John Morse and other familiar faces:

http://sendables.jibjab.com/view/4DXlDFcOvb3PYUp3WVOm

A modern Lizzie and Young John Morse:

http://sendables.jibjab.com/view/6ET6nnbyIeMprPDVmX8e

Lizzie Borden does Carmen Miranda:

http://sendables.jibjab.com/view/b41mPAPf5SthoIomwLAN

Lizzie says to Moody: “Let Me Entertain You”:

http://sendables.jibjab.com/view/HPHSxgCejJNQIaRqTunT

Did Lizzie Borden Use Unnecessary Force?

Abby Borden,  Lizzie’s stepmother,  had 19 blows to her head with a hatchet.  Her father, Andrew Borden, (who was killed a good hour an a half later) sustained 10 blows to the face and head – also with a hatchet.    Some say that was overkill.  Certainly it was, er,  uh, unnecessary force.

If Lizzie were a woman of contemporary times with proper credentials and specialized training,  she would have other outlets and instruments of means in which to release her pent up rage.  She undoubtedly would not have messed with something so mundane as a hatchet.  Something like this, for example.

Click link below.  And be sure to have your sound turned on.

http://sendables.jibjab.com/view/tXACYrpq6mHnk3ILT7Ww

Rufus Bartlett (aka “Bassett”) Hilliard – Fall River City Marshall

RUFUS BARTLETT HILLIARD

May 5, 1849

Rufus Bartlett Hilliard born in Pembroke, ME; later Chief of Police of Fall River 1886-1909.

December 30, 1912

Rufus B. Hilliard (FR Chief of Police) dies in Fall River.

Hilliard was the son of David and Elizabeth (Wilson) Hilliard. In 1879, he was hired by the Fall River Police Department.  By 1886 he was named City Marshall.  He  married Miss Nellie Smith Clark of Fall River.

It was Marshall Hilliard who was in charge of the investigation of the murders of Andrew and Abby Borden.  The fact half the police force was at an annual outing at Rocky Point was only a slight disadvantage compared to the fact this crime – a brutal double hatchet murder of a prominent banker and his wife with a “Borden” name in broad daylight – was an event outside the realm of comprehension let alone experience of this mill town founded by Bordens.  (Note: “The Hilliard Papers” were donated to the Fall River Historical Society two decades ago and will eventually be published and perhaps reveal Hilliard’s personal comments on the case).

Hilliard had advanced rapidly in the police department, partly perhaps to his savvy social networking, such as membership into the Republican slanted Washington Club.  In fact, Hilliard and Assistant Marshal Fleet advanced through the ranks like a pair of competitors in a foot race, with Rufus eventually leapfrogging over the more senior John Fleet.  Anyway, here is his Washington Club membership pin from my collection which I donated to the Fall River Historical Society on my last visit.  (Click on images for larger view).

As stated, half the force was out of town but the Marshal did manage to send nearly two dozen remaining officers to 92 Second Street.  Scrambling throughout the house, yard and barn looking for evidence and clues as to who could have done this dastardly deed, they trampled here and there, compromising the crime scene.  Hilliard himself went across the river to the Borden’s Swansea farm on Gardner’s Neck Road to check out the “Swede” who worked there.  Before he left and even after he returned neither Hilliard nor anyone else even thought of replacing citizen Charles Sawyer from doing back door guard duty with a member of law enforcement.   Sawyer had been commandeered by Officer Allen (first to respond) at around 11:20 a.m.  Sawyer finally asked if he could go home for dinner about 6:00 pm.

Hilliard’s boss was Mayor Coughlin, who gave instruction to handle the poor Borden girls lightly until they were sure they had grounds for an arrest.  The same applied when District Attorney Hosea Knowlton came aboard and took over the investigation the next day.

By Saturday, still without evidence, but Lizzie herself being the key suspect for the past 3 days, the Mayor and the Marshal called upon 92 Second Street and spoke to the sisters and Uncle John Vinnecum Morse in the parlor.  The Mayor asked the family to remain in the house and when Lizzie abruptly asked if anyone in the house was suspected, Mayor Coughlin stated:  “I regret to inform you, Miss Lizzie,  that you are suspected.”  Odd duck that she was, Lizzie responded with:  “I am ready to go now or any time.”  Coughlin back peddaled at that and assured the family they were only there to advise them to remain indoors.  Since the Marshal had an arrest warrant for her in his hip pocket one can just see him rolling his eyes at the Mayor’s remark.  That remark would work in Lizzie’s favor at her Trial when her Inquest Testimony was excluded on the basis she was virtually under house arrest as far back as August 6, 1892.

Hilliard shows himself to be a competent law enforcement “chief” (as he became in 1893) and it’s difficult to fault him for all the mistakes his “keystone kops” made that infamous day.  But golly gee, going to Swansea himself after being at the house and seeing Charlie-”ornamental painter” Sawyer at the back door and not replacing him with a uniformed officer, has always struck me as obvious negligence.

I also wonder if there were hushed conversations in corners of the Washington Club between the Marshall and some of its prestigous members.

Note:  The middle name of “Bassett” instead of “Bartlett” is used both in the letter from the FRHS President and in the link to the Hilliard Papers.  It’s also the name on the pin.  So which is it?  Bartlett or Bassett?

Lizzie Borden Discovered to Have Been in a Silent Movie

While this little feature film had a limited release, it does illustrate that Lizzie had at least one suitor during her latter years at Maplecroft.

Click below:

http://sendables.jibjab.com/view/4q52RPa6YS7Uwu82

Let’s Go to the Movies and See Lizzie Borden!

You will most likely find the following video gross, irreverent, disrespectful, insensitive, cruel, blasphemous,  sickening, – dare I go on?   I’ll let you add to the list of adjectives after you’ve seen it.  Just click on the URL and have your sound on.

http://sendables.jibjab.com/view/Z5dmbOJbwbSjxON0gi0t

Told ya so.

But here’s something much nicer….(ahem).

http://sendables.jibjab.com/view/tFRabqxiPFHjHCA4Mqer

Louis McHenry Howe – Devotion vs Love

A study of the personal correspondence between Louis McHenry Howe and Grace Hartley Howe (second cousin to Lizzie Borden) cannot help but make one wonder if this man misplaced his unwavering devotion to President Franklin Roosevelt over the love for his own wife and family.  The letters reveal a man conflicted but unwilling to remove himself from the virtual shadow of  FDR where he relished being so close and so influential to the power on the throne.

Photo by Corbis

Julie M.  Fenster’s excellent book, FDR’s Shadow, is the first to reveal these letters stored at the FDR Library in Hyde Park, New York.  I went there to read them myself and came away with a few differing insights from Julie’s, but my mission was focused more on those letters between Louis and his wife than those between Louis and Franklin.

In the letters, time and again Louis professed his love for Grace and his daughter Mary, and son Hartley, above and beyond anything else.

But very early on in the marriage there were problems -within its first year in fact.  Grace and her mother may have been shocked by the sudden  flat-lining of Louis’ financial promise from when he and Grace were first secretly married.

November 9, 1898

Grace Hartley & Louis Howe are secretly married by JOP; Grace returns to Boston same night & Louis to Saratoga.     (Rollins p75)

May 6, 1899

Grace Hartley marries Louis McHenry Howe in a formal ceremony at the Church of Ascension in Fall River.

Evidence of Louis’ doubt of Grace’s love and problems in the marriage are revealed in this letter dated 1900:   (Click on images for larger view)

Over a period of 20 years, Louis would occasionally bring up the names of “Ted” and “Willie” whom he suspected his wife involved with.  (And let me say right now that from reading all these letters the thought entered my mind if Hartley was, indeed, Louis’ biological son – more on that in another post). “Ted” was apparently a wealthy Fall River person whom Louis stated would have given Grace the kind of life she wanted.  Here he again mentions “Willie”:

Grace’s letters were far different from Louis.  They were not filled with terms of endearment or expressions of love.  As Julie stated in her book, they were written more like a sister to a brother.  But they do reveal a woman very much interested in local Fall River as well as national politics.  Grace wrote often of her civic and social service involvements and activities and of her family members, cousins Bessy and Bertha who visited often.

The letters between Grace and her mother (Mary J. Borden Hartley) reveal much about how Grace was raised, transparent of being a “Borden”.  Prior to her marriage, Grace lived her young life much the way Lizzie would have wanted for herself.   Grace’s passions extended to the love of animals, antiques and helping the poor – the same as those of  Lizzie.

In reading those letters over and over (the library allows you to take digital pictures of the letters and I captured them all) I was struck by another common bond between Grace and Lizzie:  Louis made the decision to live most of their married life with the Roosevelts rather than with his own family.  Could it be that Grace and Lizzie shared feelings of abandonment – Grace by her husband,  Lizzie by her sister?   Animals, anitiques, abandonment and concern for the poor – threads that bind.

An excellent biography on FDR which includes the importance of Louis to FDR’s political rise is FDR:  An American Experience Part 1 (1994) available thru Netflix.   Or, you can view it online at this link.

This documentary also has some terrific footage of LMcH, some where he actually looks handsome.

The more I read about Louis the more I myself am conflicted about his sincerity with regards to his profestations of love in those letters to Grace.  When you love someone you want to be with them – share your lives together.  Louis chose to live with Franklin and Eleanor.  Louis was totally devoted to FDR.  Did that devotion supercede his love for Grace?  Was he truly a man conflicted?  Was it a deeply torturing guilt that guided his hand to paper and write with false conviction?

I have found it written by Hartley Howe that he never felt close to his father, that he never felt he really knew him.

Preliminary Hearing FREE + Rebello & Knowlton Papers!!

UPDATE:

CONGRATULATIONS TO LINDA ROSE OF BUENA PARK, CA. WHO PURCHASED BOTH BOOKS FOR A TOTAL OF $500 – AT $250 EACH SHE GOT A BARGAIN!

STAY TUNED – MORE COMING!

Have you been looking for a free copy of the Preliminary Hearing in the Lizzie Borden case?  Have you been wanting affordable copies of Len Rebello’s Lizzie Borden Past & Present? And have you been on the hunt for the Fall River Historical Society’s The Knowlton Papers? Well, you’ve landed in the right place.

Central Police Station, where the Preliminary Hearing was held.

First, here’s another free and easy access to reading the entire transcript of the Preliminary Hearing.  Just click:

PRELIMINARY HEARING

EMAIL ME FOR PASSWORD.

I also have it as a separate page on this blog as you can see at the top of this page, but here you don’t have to do a cut and paste into WORD for printing.  You can print directly from this Writeboard format.  You can also export it to your hard drive!  How cool is that?!

It is, after all, the Season of Giving.

I’ll be giving lots more real soon as I’m about to trim down more of my Lizzie Collectibles at bargain basement prices.

Are you looking for these?

Well, I’ve got several of each and the prices will be the best you can get.    I’ll be posting more info about them along with lots of other collectibles soon, but if you can’t wait and want to be assured you get one (or both), email me at phaye@npgcable.com and make an offer.  (Some of the Rebello’s are autographed by the author and come with mylar covers.  All have the dust jackets.)