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”.

Genesis of the “Emma Did It” Theory

Those who choose to believe Lizzie Borden was innocent cite the various theories to be found in dozens of books on the case. From the villainous “Intruder” to the illegitimate son, Billy Borden, there is none more preposterous than the “Emma did it” theory.

That Lizzie’s older sister, visiting in Fairhaven – a good 15 miles distant in horse and carriage days – committed the dastardly deed was never considered in the slightest by the Fall River police or District Attorney Hosea Knowlton. It was only many decades after the crimes and Lizzie’s acquittal that this theory took hold.  But how did it come about?  How did it start?  Was it Alfred Hitchcock’s teleplay, “The Older Sister“? Just when and from whom did this theory first appear in print or any other media?

I made a delightful discovery a couple years ago from my expanded readings of the Lizzie Borden-Franklin Roosevelt connection.  That connection has always intrigued me because had Lizzie lived six more years she might had taken tea with First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, an invitation arranged by her cousin, Grace.  Imagine that.  Lizzie Borden in the White House.

I think it’s time to reveal the genesis of the “Emma did it” theory.  The source is none other than Lizzie’s own cousin’s husband, Chief political strategist and advisor, personal secretary to President Franklin D. Roosevelt – Louis McHenry Howe.

Louis McHenry Howe and President Franklin Roosevelt

Louis was, of course, married to Grace Hartley Howe. Grace was born November 9, 1874 in Fall River making her 14 years younger than Lizzie. Grace’s maternal grandfather, Cook Borden, and Lizzie’s paternal grandfather, Abraham Borden, were brothers. Grace married Louis on May 6, 1899 at age 24. Louis had been a newspaper man and he surely had read about the murders, the legal proceedings and Lizzie’s ultimate acquittal.  After his marriage to Grace, there must have been discussions with his wife about her notorious relative.

On December 11, 1931, writer Fulton Oursler went to meet Franklin Roosevelt, then Governor of New York,  at his home at 49 East 56th Street.  The meeting was a result of Oursler’s writing two recent articles for the influential Liberty Magazine, (of which he was about to become editor) one of which was entitled “Another Roosevelt in the White House?” It was a time when Governor Roosevelt was about to engage in the year long campaign for the presidency under the tireless guidance of his closest friend and chief political strategist, Louis Howe.

Upon Oursler’s  arrival he was greeted by Louis who was living in the Roosevelt home while his wife lived in Fall River.  The two men waited for FDR’s return from the dentist.  The conversation that took place – remarkable in and of itself -  can be read in the book shown below – an autobiography competed by his son, Fulton Oursler, Jr. :

Behold This Dreamer! Fulton Oursler, Little, Brown & Company, 1964, 1st Ed.

Click on images for larger view.

Now, to any serious reader of the life of Louis Howe, one would know how he often played gags on people, toying with their head so to speak.  I can imagine Louis saying all this with a straight face but with an undetected twinkle in his eye that the very straight-laced and conservative Oursler would not recognize.

Here was a man (Louis) whose wife was named as a primary legatee in Lizzie’s Will just 4 years previous (but due to the six years of probating had not yet received her cash windfall).  Perhaps Louis had Lizzie on his mind because of the fact the first Probate accounting had just been held less than two months previous on October 31, 1931 in a Fall River court.   Or perhaps he was just full of glee knowing his man, Governor Roosevelt, was on the threshold of becoming “President Roosevelt”  in a year’s time, mainly due to his own efforts.

Whatever his reasons for saying what he said, Louis was a man who surely knew at least the basic facts of the case.   But he told this story and it stuck.  Not only did he tell it to Oursler but he repeated it to that prolific writer and librarian, Edmund Pearson at a subsequent luncheon arranged by Oursler.   Now Pearson, being an expert on the case, didn’t believe a word of it.  How he must have cringed over that bit about Emma being crazy and suffered from epileptic fits, and had been out of town in “Marion” but snuck back.  Either Louis had scant knowledge of the particulars or Oursler got that wrong, but oh, how Louis much have enjoyed that luncheon!  And Louis most certainly knew beforehand that Pearson had written that long essay on the Borden case in Studies in Murder, published in 1924.   Oh yeah, Louis knew what he was doing, all right.  I would love to have been at that luncheon – invisible and silent but taking in every word of the Messrs. Oursler, Pearson and Howe.

There’s a lot more misinformation in those quoted remarks of Louis attributed by Fulton Oursler – almost comical in its ridiculous assertions – as any scholar of the case will readily recognize. Could Louis, always the visionary and strategist,  have deliberately wanted to eradicate any thought that the cousin of the wife of the chief advisor to the future President of the United States was a murderer, and by so doing,  misdirect guilt to the sister?

Oh, Louis, you dishevled, asthmatic, chain-smoking, strategizing scamp, you.  Look what you’ve done.  Your contrived tale told nearly 80 years ago continues to surface and provide an outlandish alternative theory.

So there you have it, the source and genesis of the “Emma did it” theory first appearing in print.

Alone Painting – Part 2

UPDATE:  July 21, 2009.  Found this painting listed on eBay with the following writeup:

“I don’t really know very much about this print at all.  I purchased it approx. 11 yrs. ago at an estate auction in Maine.  It is unsigned and I have tried researching it via ebay, google, and other sites and cannot find anything on it.  My daughter is still searching.  It measures 16.5″ x 9.5″ framed.  The frame appears to be period and is oak.  My husband thinks it is tiger oak due to the dark markings on the wood, but not sure.  Frame does have a few nicks and has a nice beading around the inner edges.   It is as we purchased it with no paper backing.  We opened it to take as many pics. as possible for you to view.  The print has a water stain on the right side and is somewhat wavy as shown in pic.  Also, on the very bottom center, there is what appears to be a crack.  It does not go thru to the back.  We believe it to be from the 1900’s as the paper lining the inside is dated 1903.  Glass covered and glass is in very good cond.   It is serene and depicts a young girl which looks to be sleeping in the boat.  If you know any info on this, I would appreciate hearing about it.  Buyer to pay shipping and I have estimated it a little higher weight, to be wrapped carefully.  If the actual postage is less than anticipated, I always refund via paypal.  If it is more, I cover the cost.  Thank you.

NOTE: Thanks to a fellow Ebayer in giving me the title to this print, I was able to find a little info. on it.  Appears there is a question as to who the orig. painter was.  One is Swedish artist Herman Alfred Leonard Wahlberg and the other is FR Janseen.  I read that Lizzie Borden actually owed the Wahlberg one.  Info is located on the following site, if you care to read on it: http://phayemuss.wordpress.com/2009/06/25/alone-painting/”

And here is the original “Alone Painting – Part 2″ post:

I previously wrote about this painting once owned by Lizzie Borden HERE.

As I understand it, this ‘”Alone” painting was very popular – much like Walter Keene’s “big eye” paintings of children  that have been copied over and over.  So i think the Alone painting was made into prints and even subsequent artists copied it.  If you have the original artists original – it could be worth a fortune.

Jim and Ronda D. have sent me images of their “Alone” painting – an original signed “FR Janseen”.  I’ve searched and found there are so many variations of the spelling for the same people, one of which is Father Arnold Janseen (1837-1909) who was founder of the Society of World Ministries and cannonized by the Pope.  But no indications he ever painted.  in fact, the signature on that link does not match either one on the two paintings shown here.  Nonetheless, they have this “original” and if theirs is the original-original, I imagine it would be worth in the six figures to the Vatican.

On the other, perhaps this “FR Janseen” painted his original from another source.

It is possible the original painter was Peter Janssen (1804-1908) who was praised for his “They All Follow The Star” in this November 10, 1907  newspaper report

One thing for sure – Lizzie did not give away an original of the painting known as “Alone”.

Emma Borden & Lizzie’s Lock of Hair

Emma Borden from a sketch at her 1913 interview

Emma Lenora Borden was Lizzie Andrew Borden’s sister.  She was born March 1, 1851, and died on June 10, 1927, only 9 days after Lizzie’s demise.  Lizzie & Emma parted ways in 1905 when Emma moved out from “Maplecroft” and, so far as we know, never spoke or saw each other again.

On April 18, 1913, the Boston Herald published an extensive interview with Emma by reporter Edwin McGuire.  It was, up to that time, uprecedented that Emma spoke out publicaly.   (It has been speculated her motivation was the April 6, 1913 Boston Sunday Herald’s special edition article entitled: “Lizzie Borden 20 Years After the Tragedy” by Gertrude Stevenson).  In any event, Emma’s interview yielded us the above image.   I can’t help but wonder if she posed for this during the interview or if it was sketched from memory after the interview was over.

When thinking about collectibles in the Borden case, the focus is usually Lizzie.   But one day a couple months ago, an email came to me from a collector attempting to validate an item purportedly belonging to both at different times.

From: Robert S——
Sent: Friday, May 15, 2009 6:50 AM
To: Faye Musselman
Subject: Emma Borden Letter

Greetings from Baltimore.   I have a purported Emma Borden letter.  I am wondering if I sent you a scan of it, if you could just see  if it looks like it is real.  Nothing official, just an off the record opinion.  Thank you for your time.  Regards,

Robert S——

—– Original Message —–

From: Faye Musselman  To: Robert S—–

Sent: Friday, May 15, 2009 2:41 PM

Subject: RE: Emma Borden Letter

Hi Robert.  Thanks for writing.  Yes, feel free to scan and email it to me and I’ll render my opinion.  I am contacted quite frequently by people who have letters, books, photos, other emphera purported to belong to individuals associated with the case.  Some of those contacts are relations/descendants of principals in this most compelling piece of American folklore.  So far there have been only 3 of actually being real.  One was a brief letter Lizzie wrote about having her initials on a vanity case – and this appeared in David Rehak’s book; another was a photo of Lizzie, Emma, Andrew and Abby taken when Lizzie was about 16 years old and unfortunately the owner wished (and still wishes) to be anonymous, making me promise never to show the photo, which I haven’t; and the last was a letter written TO Lizzie from Helen Leighton in 1925, two years before Lizzie’s death, remarkable in and of itself.  This latter find is again in a private collection belonging to a very senior individual who promises to make it public “some day”.  So yes, I’d be happy to accommodate you.  And please do tell me a little something about yourself.

-faye

From: Robert S—
Sent: Friday, May 15, 2009 1:16 PM
To: Faye Musselman
Subject: Re: Emma Borden Letter

Hello Faye, thanks for the quick reply. I am an antiques dealer in Baltimore.  I also collect historical objects.  I ran across some interesting items in 2001 which were purchased by me from the grandson of a Mr. Harold Shigley. I am attaching some photos of what I have.   Mr. Shigley (now deceased),was  a prolific collector of historical items from about 1925-1990.  All he did was travel the world and collect things.  He met with relatives of famous people and bought from them personal items including locks of hair from their famous relations.  Hopefully, the photos will appear at the end of this email.  And, thanks for looking!  Regards,  Robert

Below is an actual letter written in Emma’s hand taken from Frank Spiering’s book , Lizzie, Random House, 1984.

After comparing this and other known handwriting of Emma, I responded with the following email:

From: Faye Musselman [mailto:phaye@npgcable.com]
Sent: Monday, May 18, 2009 7:11 PM
To: ‘Robert S—-
Subject: RE: Emma Borden Letter

Ok.  Well, I’ve spent a couple days looking carefully into this.  And here are my conclusions.

Emma Borden did live in Haymarket, NH during the last years of her life.

1. She bought the home she lived in and had it put in Connor’s name, who was her companion/caretaker.
2. Emma did not want anyone knowing her true identity and it was discovered only by happenstance the year she died, 1927.
3. I find it very unlikely she would grant a meeting with a collector and give him family momentos.
4. Emma parted from Lizzie in 1905, packed up and moved out and they never spoke to each other for the rest of their lives, so far as we know.
   
5. Emma DID grant an interview in to a Mr. McGuire with the Boston Sunday Post on April 13, 1913 – it was the one and only time on record she spoke of her and her sister.
6. Emma always signed her name “Emma L. Borden”….she did not use her initials as Lizzie did.
7. Emma’s handwriting appears in Frank Spiering’s book “Lizzie” (Random House, 1984) and it is not at all similar to the letter you have.
8. Emma sent a postcard to Mary Brigham from Scotland in 1906….it is at the Fall River Historical Society.  Over a decade ago while doing research in the basement of the FRHS,  I held that postcard up against the letter (which the FRHS also has) in Spiering’s book.  I can confirm the handwriting on both is the same but  entirely different from the letter purported written to “Shigley”.
   
9. The letter is dated November 21, 1926,.approx 18 months before Emma died.  Again, she was a total recluse, 76 years old.  Again, unlikely she would have met with this person, assuming this person even knew how to get in touch with her….even Lizzie didn’t know where her own sister lived.
10. The letter contains elements that would have been known by any researcher into the case post 1984, and is worded with some transparency (in my humble opinion) that by the way it is crafted, would serve to give it validation…for example her out and out statement “the personal items I sold you”….hence providing an “indisputable” provenance, written in “Emma’s own hand”.   But I don’t buy it.

Most of Emma’s personal family possessions were in storage and she gave it all in her Will, to her cousin, Orrin Gardner, including family photo, family bible, etc.

The strongest point to me is the handwriting.  I’m afraid I would need much more information and you would also, to validate the authenticity of this letter.

I suspect Mr. “Higley’s” grandson was, himself, the perpetrator of this hoax.

Also, would you object to my posting them on my blog, which has a very wide readership of Lizzie scholars, to get their opinions?  We may learn more one way or the other.

Thank you,

Faye Musselman

And then the plot began to thicken….

—– Original Message —–

From: Robert S——

To: Faye Musselman

Sent: Tuesday, May 19, 2009 4:17 AM

Subject: Re: Emma Borden Letter

Dear Faye,  Thank you very much for your informed opinion.  I have to forward this to a Special F.B.I. in charge of my case here in Baltimore.   There are some indications that the grandson did forgeries and that is why the F.B.I. has the case.  He has got me for about $100,000 from 2001 -2006. The name on the letter FYI is actually “Shigley”.  Thanks again for the bad news.  Regards,  Robert

—– Original Message —–

From: faye

To: Robert S—-

Sent: Tuesday, May 19, 2009 9:14 AM

Subject: Re: Emma Borden Letter

I do find it curious that as an antiques dealer, as you stated, you would be bilked for such a considerable sum on a letter so easily able to be verified for its authenticity.  What a shame.

—– Original Message —–

From: Robert S—

To: faye

Sent: Tuesday, May 19, 2009 7:59 AM

Subject: Re: Emma Borden Letter

wasn’t just one item, it is a whole collection!

Curious, isn’t it?  Well, I don’t believe it, none of it.  And I’ll tell you why.  I periodically receive emails, packages, phone calls, letters from people claiming similar circumstances and in possession of something that belonged to Lizzie or others of the Borden family.  They don’t say outright they are selling rather asking my opinion as this collector did.  I call it “baiting.”  They hope I’ll get excited and offer to buy it.  There have always been predators out there that prey upon collectors of all types of items.  It’s not exclusive to Lizzie.

Anyway, I thought it was interesting enough to post about here.  Hope it serves to forewarn.  

Gay’s Studio Photo of Christian Endeavor Society Ladies: THIS IS NOT LIZZIE BORDEN!

Gay’s Studio at 257 N. Main

The purported image of Lizzie Borden below is NOT Lizzie.  Whether or not this group of ladies were members of the Central Congregational Church Christian Endeavor Society, as the owner of the original photograph believes (he was half owner of the Carr-Osborne house), is a matter of conjecture.   As a matter of fact, the legitimacy of this being Lizzie Borden was debated, investigated and brought to a rightful conclusion years ago  in the now OOP Lizzie Borden Quarterly.

“Here is a photo take in the late 19th century. A group of young women who pose for a studio portrait. Perhaps a church group. A few years ago this platinum print was described as possibly the Christian Endeavor Society of the Central Congregational Church of Fall River, Mass. The thought was that this image include Lizzie Borden.

We still have never been able to confirm that notation. Various scholars of note have debated the subject of this photo. The pencil notation “Gay” was the leading photography studio of Fall River and the style and pencil signature is consistent with the era of this mounting. This image was found in storage in a Fall River home and purchased around 1984-85.

THIS IS NOT – REPEAT NOT – LIZZIE BORDEN

We did receive a signed letter from a noted authority on Lizzie Borden in which they stated: “I have little doubt that the figure at the lower right, middle row is Lizzie Borden.” “It was her official duty as treasurer of that society (Christian Endeavor Society of the Central Congregational Church) that kept her from going to Marion with friends on the fatal day of August 4, 1892.” “At the time of the murders, and later at the trial, there was never any reference made to a Lizze look-alike.” A number of years ago The Fall River Historical Society had a different opinion and declined to authenticate the image. Inquiries?”

By clicking HERE you will find the source for the above. Scroll down on the first page to “Emphemera” and click that and scroll down to more info on this photo.

Lizzie Borden: The Rock Musical

Well, it was only a matter of time.  After dozens of books, a t.v. movie, an opera, ballet, several plays, two slasher flicks, numerous documentaries, YouTube videos, and hand crafted collectibles, now comes a New York Broadway production of Lizzie Borden – this time out as a rock musical.

Perhaps you know someone with the chops and a little acting ability to fit the character types described in this “Took An Axe Productions” audition notice.

You’ll find the Audition notice by clicking HERE.

Oh, Lizzie

if you only knew

What became of you

Post 1927,

Surely you’d fret

at how bad it did get

Whether you went to Hell

or to Heaven.

-faye musselman 1/21/09

“Todd Lunday” Unveiled

Note:  The inspiration for “The Mystery Unveiled”, and certainly the foundation for its premise, lies with Edwin Porter’s The Fall River Tragedy,  beginning on page 6 which can be found by clicking HERE.

Mr. Porter was a police reporter for the Fall River Globe.  Keep that in mind.  His book, also published in 1893, was released BEFORE The Mystery Unveiled. Mr. Porter sets forth each and every particular of what the “assassin” (as he calls the killer) must encounter, confront, avoid, and/or deal with as does Todd Lunday when describing what “Villain” must encounter, confront, avoid and/or deal with.   Indeed, it is quite possible “Todd Lunday” read what Porter wrote,  and flashed upon the concept of another book to unveil the mystery in this confounding case.

Let us now examine just who “Todd Lunday” may be:

One of the many by-product mysteries in the Lizzie Borden case is the identity of “Todd Lunday”, a fictitious or non de plume for the actual writer of The Mystery Unveiled: The Truth about the Borden Tragedy: Fresh Light That Must Be Convincing to The Reader. This is a 56-page pamphlet published by J. A. & R. A. Reid immediately after the Trial in 1893. The content is rich with tongue-in-cheek satire, and ultimately concludes that since Lizzie was acquitted and no one else charged or suspected, nobody committed the murder – a conclusion meant to illustrate how preposterous that Lizzie was acquitted in the first place. He writes:

“Any revelations that would lead to correct opinions relative to the perpetrator of the crime would not fail of favor with all lovers of justice, and it is the object of this book to make such revelations in hard and fast facts.”

In other words, if not Lizzie, who? And by extended logic: No one else could have done it, ergo, she did it.

He takes us step by step through both murders and presents the obstacles “Villain” must surpass in order to complete the dastardly deeds, such as access into the house, hiding between murders, moving from upstairs to downstairs unseen, dealing with locked doors, escaping unseen, having a plan executable even without knowing whether Lizzie and Bridget would be inside or outside, what they would be doing, etc. He finely details the boatload of improbabilities an intruder would encounter, and the absurdity of an intruder being a viable suspect by any stretch of the imagination. Indeed, an absurdity which came to mind of the police within the early hours of investigation and promptly reported by the local press, particularly the biased, Catholic-owned Fall River Globe.

There is no more obvious sarcasm in The Mystery Unveiled than the last paragraph of the pamphlet, quoted here exactly as it appears:

“Now what are we to say of the case? This: At a recent court convened according to the laws of the commonwealth of Massachusetts, the first party of the only two who could have committed the deed, the Party of unhindered opportunity was declared not guilty, AND I HAVE DEMONSTRATED IN THE PAGES OF THIS VOLUME THE ABSOLUTE AND ENTIRE INNOCENCE OF THE SECOND PARTY, LEAVING NO GROUNDS FOR ANY DOUBT. IT, THEREFORE, FOLLOWS THAT NO MURDER WAS COMMITTED. O LAND OF THE FREE IN WHICH THE FOULEST OF CRIMES MAY BE COMMITTED IN THE QUIET OF THE HOME, EVEN IN THE OPEN BLAZE OF MIDDAY, AND YET NOBODY THE DOER!

So just who was “Todd Lunday”? Borden enthusiasts and scholars have been trying to figure it out for years. Some play the anagram game with the letters, i.e., “Dolan”. Others have thought it was written by Marshall Rufus Hilliard (don’t even try it – the letters won’t fit). For some years now, I have held the belief it is: (drum roll) …………………….

(from Images of America – Fall River)

………James Dennan O’Neil, Irish Catholic, managing editor of the Daily Globe. The paper was Catholic owned and the favored publication of the mill workers. It was O’Neil who wrote the editorials every year on the anniversary of the Borden murders with each article pounding the point that the murderer still walked free or that “no murders happened”. The articles usually appeared on page one of The Globe and they became progressively more assertive in pointing the finger at Lizzie. Always contraversial, often cruel.

I have all 23 of those anniversary articles and it was after years of reading and re-reading them and contrasting the phrasing, sentence structure, vocabulary, wit, and general degree of callousness that appears in The Mystery Unveiled that I reached my conclusion. I ruled out Marshall Hilliard. I don’t think he would have risked exposure. Interestingly enough and something of a coincidence, in 2006 while doing research on James O’Neil in the Fall River Room of the FR Library, a newly donated original Lunday had arrived that day. Inscribed inside was “property of Rufus B. Hilliard.”

So…… If I were an Irish Catholic, editor of the FR Globe, and I had a fairly high profile in the City of Fall River, meaning lots of people knew me….and I decided to write a book anonymously, tongue in cheek but based on facts, and I knew the facts pretty damn well because:

1. Hell, I’m a newspaper editor.

2. Lots of the cops were Irish Catholics that investigated the case throughout and gave me an earfull because we were ethnically and culturally sympatico regarding the people of Fall River above and below The Hill.

3. My key reporter, Edwin Porter, was right there on the scene every step of the way and had the inside track to the police department and officers.  Edwin wrote The Fall River Tragedy and I was inspired by it.

And further:

4. I wanted to disguise my writing style, but couldn’t quite keep it exactly disguised.

5. I wanted to pick an author’s name that sounded sooooooooooooo not Irish and sooooooooooo not Catholic….rather more English Protestant.

The anniversary editorials were very popular among The Globe readers. Each year that editiorial was looked forward to with high expectation by their readership. Indeed, O’Neil would get letters as the August 4th date approached asking “what’s the next anniversary editorial going to tell us?” People were excited and in anticipation of it so O’Neil relished in that. And sales spiked on August 4th. Did it continue so long because It was more about sales than sticking it to Lizzie? In any event, they finally ended after 23 years. According to Victoria Lincoln, it was Monsignor Cassidy who convinced The Globe to put those articles to an end. (A Private Disgrace, pg. 303). Perhaps it did take a high ranking Catholic to persuade a Catholic newspaper to “knock it off.”

Here are some samplings of those articles. At the 5 year mark take note of the last sentence in the left column. The way its worded makes me wonder if by then so many had read the “Lunday” pamphlet that it may have been rumored the true author was O’Neil and he was making a “veiled” attempt at re-directing local suspicion.

In 1906, it was back on page 1 of The Globe. The article continued with mention of the Pinkerton Detective Agency. True enough, Pinkerton Detective Hanscom, hired by Lizzie’s attorney Andrew Jennings, lasted only 2 days before whatever conclusions he drew was enough for Jennings to scurry him out of town.

August 4, 1914 was the last appearance of the anniversary articles and it appeared on page 5.

Long blog, I know. But I type fast. On a final note, the FRHS will publish Parallel Lives in December (postponed from this summer) and it should be revealed then who “Todd Lunday” really was. Meanwhile, IMHO, the real author of The Mystery Unveiled is James O’Neil.

Legends: The Cat Lizzie Killed & The Pinkerton Agent

I’ve started a new Category, “Urban Legends in the Lizzie Borden Case” to question, debunk or add to those whacky and outrageous claims we find in books and old newspapers relative to this most compelling case.

Abby Whitehead Potter was the daughter of Sarah Whitehead, Abby Borden’s half sister who lived a couple blocks behind 92 Second Street on Fourth Street. Borden case scholars usually first hear of her in Judge Robert Sullivan’s book “Goodbye Lizzie Borden”, the Stephen Green Press, 1974. In that book, on page 7, he tells about meeting her in 1973 when she was 90 years old, and states she speaks of her knowledge of Lizzie of which facts have “never before been disclosed.”

BEEP! BEEP! URBAN LEGEND ALERT!

Abby Whitehead Potter (AWP) actually gave a few newspaper interviews four years previous, when she was 86 years old. This one below from the Providence Evening Bulletin of January 17, 1969. Apparently AWP was so proud of this she cut it out and sent it to Florence Brigham of the Fall River Historical Society. Florence subsequently gave me a couple back in the late 1980’s when we discussed AWP. It should be noted that AWP initiated her eventual meeting with Judge Sullivan by writing a long letter to him introducing herself and connection with Lizzie Borden.

In another newspaper interview of 1969, AWP tells us of infamous story of Lizzie killing Abby’s cat. I think it was from this article that URBAN LEGEND took hold and was resurfaced in a number of subsequent books.

Orin M. Hanscom was a Pinkerton detective brought into the case early by Lizzie’s attorney, Andrew Jennings. His presence was to make sure there was no hanky-panky by the Fall River Police. Allegedly the superintendent of the Boston office of this prestigious investigative agency, it was O. M. Hanscom who asked Alice Russell if all of Lizzie’s dresses were accounted for and to which Alice replied with a “falsehood”. Alice lied. But she would tell the truth of Lizzie burning a dress nearly four months later in front of the Grand Jury in Taunton. A burning of a dress that happened just the day before Hanscom questioned her!

Jennings also sent the intrepid Orin off to Hastings, Iowa to look into the life of John Vinnicum Morse, Lizzie and Emma’s uncle on their mother’s side.

Now, wouldn’t you think that if Orin was head of the Pinkerton Office in Boston he would have filed a report? Wouldn’t you think a copy of that report would be filed with his boss at Headquarters in New York? Well, you’d think so. But from this letter in my collection we learn there is nothing. Or nothing was found at the time of it’s writing in 1967.

URBAN LEGEND ALERT: ANDREW JENNINGS HAD THE REPORTS DESTROYED!

It is said that this Pinkerton detective Hanscom quickly came to suspect Lizzie in the double hatchet murders and, further, he was becoming far too chummy with the local reporters. Attorney Jennings, realizing his continued presence in Fall River would work to Lizzie’s detriment, had him hustled out of town – to Iowa – and then dropped his services altogether, but not after ensuring there was no written documentation of this Pinkerton’s suspicions.

Here is more information on Mr. Aime Plourde to whom the above letter was addressed.