Lizzie Borden: Timeline of Significant Prior Events and the Murders

 

Lizzie Borden-Fall River Rare Atlas 1883

For Sale – highly collectible.  Email me if interested.  phaye@outlook.com

 

 

 

 

UPDATE: No Matter How Inaccurate, Lizzie Borden in the Media is Good Business

Someone messaged me on Facebook: “Faye, you are helping to promote this awful movie by posting about it.” Oh no, I’m not. I’m doing blogs about it, I’m commentinig on internet chat rooms etc. about it,  I’m responding to the buzz that’s already out there giving a totally different POV. My POV is based on decades of research, interviews, published papers, speaking engagements, case related collectibles, etc. I want my opinions dispersed out there in the world wide web. Hopefully when the hype heightens and people Google about Ricci, the film, Lizzie, Fall River, etc., they will have my POV to ponder rather than simply accepting as truth the horseshit they will have viewed.   Hopefully, I will help to slow the resultant predictable tide of misinformation that perpetuates the myth of Lizzie Borden.

SO HERE IS THE LATEST:

CLICK HERE —->UPDATE 1/3/2014

Excuse me whilst I stab my eyeballs out.

The Lifetime Movie Channel-Christina Ricci rendition of the Lizzie Borden story has her (Lizzie) sneaking out of the house days before the murder to attend a wild party. (Thump. <–sound of me banging my head against the wall).

The script apparently establishes as fact Lizzie & Emma were surrogate wives to Andrew until he married the stepmother. (Thump. Thump).

Ricci, so says the article, did extensive research into her role. (Thumpity, thump, thump).

I’d type more but I can’t see thru the blood of my eyeballs.

In Uncategorized on January 3, 2014 at 3:30 am

Photo by Bryce Vickmark for The New York Times

It’s only been recently that the Fall River Chamber of Commerce has publicly acknowleged the revenue and residual advantages of touting their most famous citizen, Lizzie Borden.  Perhaps it’s taken them that long to figure out thousands have trekked to Fall River for one purpose only:  To visit the murder house at 92 Second Street.  It’s the same gravitational pull that feeds tourism in Dallas at Dealy Plaza.  And once in Fall River they proceed to only 3 other locations before getting back on the highway towards Newport or Boston.  Those 3 sites are:  The French Street stately home called “Maplecroft” in the Highlands where Lizzie lived the other half of her life, the Fall River Historical Society to view part of their world’s largest collection relative to the case and Lizzie herself, and finally to Oak Grove Cemetery where she is buried.  It’s usually the repeat visitors or regional residents that discover Fall River has a little more to offer on a day’s visit, i.e., some great restaurants, Battleship Cove, great vistas overlooking the Taunton River and…and…and…well, the hidden John Mann murals on the walls of the auditorium at the old Matthew Kuss Middle School at 217 Rock Street.  Thing is you can’t get to them. 

Well, now comes along another TV movie on Lizzie Borden starring Christina Ricci.  I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again.  Christina Ricci would be appropriate casting as Lizzie Borden if Justin Bieber played Andrew Borden.  If that doesn’t tell you right off the bat about how accurate this Lifetime Movie Production will be….will read the following New York Times article and determine for yourself.

The only good thing is that whenever the media hypes Lizzie, there are spikes in the revenue for the Lizzie Borden Bed & Breakfast – and Fall River in general.  I’m all for that.  Fiction or Fact.

 

Lizzie Borden CD’s – Unique – Christina Ricci could have used these. ;()

I have copies of these for sale – $15.00 each, plus postage.  Email me at phayemuss@gmail.com

 

 

Timeline of Events Around and During the Borden Murders

It’s almost that time of year when focus on Fall River, MA is dominated by Lizzie Borden and the unsolved hatchet murders of her father, Andrew, and her stepmother, Abby on August 4, 1892.

A regurgitation of media mentions, short site and sound bytes, videos of the “murder house” (a Bed & Breakfast Museum since 1996) accompanied by eerie music and bloody graphics, and the gratuitous recitation of that inaccurate quatrain, “Lizzie Borden took an axe, gave her father……” (please, don’t make me go any further) will surely play out on various TV channels throughout the country.

So…. before you indulge yourself in the hash and rehash (pun intended) put down the bong and get a focus on what was going on in Lizzie’s Fall River and her life in general before, during and right after the crimes. 

Below is an extract from my “Lizzie Borden Historic Timeline” which is a comprehensive document focusing on local,  U.S. and world events from 1610 to 2010.  The Timeline was developed over a number of years involving comprehensive study and analysis of the primary source documents.   The more expanded Timeline book – which I self-published in 2010 – was sold exclusively by the Fall River Historical Society and has long been sold out.  (That book cited sources).

Let’s take a look specifically at what was going on starting just two weeks before the murders.  The window of time that the killings could have taken place for first Abby, and then Andrew, are shown in RED. 

Visualize the events at 92 Second Street in a different way – factual details that won’t be shown or reported on TV.

July 18, 1892	Emma and Lizzie deed back house on Ferry Street to Andrew and receive $2,500 each.
July 19, 1892	Lizzie’s 32nd Birthday.
July 20, 1892	Grover Cleveland passes thru FR enroute to NYC for Democratic Convention.
July 20, 1892	Lizzie supposedly sees a stranger at the back door when she returns from being out that evening.
July 21, 1892	Lizzie & Emma leave Fall River; Emma stopping at Fairhaven to visit the Brownell’s.
July 21, 1892	Lizzie travels on to New Bedford, staying with Mrs. Poole and her daughter at 20 Madison Street.
July 23, 1892	Lizzie went on the street alone (New Bedford) to buy some dress goods gone from rooming house 30 minutes.  (Did she buy a new hatchet?).
July 25, 1892	AJB writes letter to Morse telling him to wait about getting a man to run his farm in Swansea.
July 25, 1892	Lizzie visits the girls at Marion at Dr. Handy’s cottage.
July 25, 1892	FR Daily News reports on ladies (including Lizzie)  vacationing in Marion.
July 26, 1892	Lizzie, Mrs. Poole & Mrs. Poole’s daughter ride to Westport to visit Mrs. Cyrus Tripp (Augusta, old schoolmate).
July 26, 1892	Lizzie takes train from Westport to New Bedford to connect with Fall River.
July 30, 1892	Fall River Board of Health reports 90 deaths due to extreme heat, 65 are children under age 5.
July 31, 1892	Bridget prepares first serving of the infamous mutton for Sunday supper.
August 2, 1892	Andrews tells associate there is “trouble” in the Borden household.
August 2, 1892	Swordfish is served for supper and served again warmed over for dinner.
August 2, 1892	Andrew and Abby vomit during the night.
August 3, 1892	THE DAY BEFORE THE MURDERS
8:00 am	Abby goes across street to Dr. Bowen; tells him she fears she’s been poisoned.
9:00 am approx	Dr. Bowen crosses street to check on the Bordens; Lizzie dashes upstairs; Andrew rebuffs his unsolicited visit.
10:00-11:30 am	Lizzie attempts to buy prussic acid from Eli Bence at Smith’s pharmacy on Columbia Street.
12:00 Noon	Lizzie joins Andrew and Abby for the noontime meal in the dining room.
12:35 am	Uncle John Vinnicum Morse leaves by train from New Bedford for Fall River.
1:30 pm	John Morse walks from train station & arrives at Borden house; Abby lets him in front door.
2:00-4:00 pm	John Morse and Andrew talk in Sitting Room; Lizzie hears their conversation.
4:00 pm	John Morse hires horse and wagon at Kirby’s Stable and drives to Swansea in late afternoon.
7:00 pm	Lizzie visits Alice Russell in the early evening, states her fear “something will happen”.
7:00-8:00 pm	John Morse visits Frederick Eddy at Borden farm in Swansea, brings back eggs.
8:45 pm	Morse returns from Swansea, talks in sitting room with Andrew and Abby.
9:00 pm	Lizzie returns from Alice Russell’s, locks front door, and goes upstairs to her room without speaking to father or uncle.
9:15 pm	Abby Borden retires to bed.
10:00 pm	Andrew and Morse retire for the night.  Morse sleeps in the guest room next to Lizzie’s room.
August 4, 1892	THE DAY OF THE MURDERS  (Note: Times given are based on various testimonies taken primarily from the Preliminary Hearing held August 25-September 1st, 1892, and are approximated as close as possible).
6:15 am	Bridget goes downstairs, gets coal and wood in cellar to start fire in kitchen stove, and takes in milk.
6:20 am	Morse goes downstairs to Sitting Room.
6:30 am	Abby comes downstairs, gives orders for breakfast to Bridget
6:40-6:50 am	Andrew goes downstairs, empties slops, picks up pears, and goes to barn.
6:45 am	Bridget opens side (back) door for the ice man.
7:00 am	Bordens and Morse have breakfast in dining room.  (Lizzie is still upstairs).
7:15 am	Bridget sees Morse for first time at breakfast table.
7:30 am	Bridget eats her breakfast, and then clears dishes.
7:45-8:45	Morse and Andrew talk in sitting room; Abby sits with them a short while before beginning to dust.
8:30 am	Morse sees Abby go into the front hall.
8:45 am	Andrew lets Morse out side door, invites him back for dinner.
8:45-9:00 am	Morse leaves for Post Office and then to visit a niece and nephew at Daniel Emery’s, #4 Weybosset Street.
8:45-9:00 am	Andrew goes back upstairs and returns wearing collar and tie, goes to sitting room
8:45-9:00 am	Abby tells Bridget to wash windows, inside and out.
8:45-8:50 am	Lizzie comes down and enters kitchen.
8:45-9:00 am	Bridget goes outside to vomit.
9:00 am	Andrew leaves the house.
9:00 am	Bridget returns, does not see Lizzie, sees Abby dusting in dining room, does not see Andrew.
9:00 am	Abby goes up to guest room.
9:00-9:30 am	Bridget cleans away breakfast dishes in kitchen.
9:00-10:00 am	Abby Borden dies from blows to the head with a sharp instrument.
9:30 am	Abraham G. Hart, Treasurer of Union Savings Bank, talks to Andrew at Bank.
9:30 am	Morse arrives at #4 Weybosset Street to visit his niece and nephew.
9:30 am	Bridget gets brush from cellar for washing windows
9:30 am	Lizzie appears at back door as Bridget goes towards barn; Bridget tells Lizzie she need not lock door.
9:30-10:05	Andrew visits banks.
9:45 am	John P. Burrill, Cashier, talks to Andrew at National Union Bank.
9:40 am	Morse arrives at the Emery’s on Weybosset Street.
9:50-10:00 am	AJB deposits Troy Mill check with Everett Cook at First Nat’l Bank; talks with William Carr.                                                         (
9:30-10:20 am	Bridget washes outside windows, stops to talk to “Kelly girl” at south side fence.
10:00-10:30 am	Mrs. Churchill sees Bridget outside washing NE windows.
10:20 am	Bridget re-enters house from side door, commences to wash inside windows.
10:29 am	Jonathan Clegg (fixed time by City Hall clock) stated Andrew left his shop heading home.
10:15-10:30 am	Andrew stops to talk to Jonathan Clegg, picks up old lock; Southard Miller (at Whitehead’s Market) sees AJB turn onto Spring St; Mary Gallagher sees AJB at corner of South Main & Spring; Lizzie Gray sees AJB turning north on Second Street.
10:30-10:40 am	Joseph Shortsleeves sees Andrew.
10:40 am	James Mather sees Andrew leave shop
10:30-10:40 am	Mrs. Kelly observes Andrew going to his front door.
10:30-10:40 am	Andrew Borden can’t get in side door, fumbles with key at front door, and let in by Bridget.
10:30-10:40 am	Bridget hears Lizzie laugh on the stairs as she says “pshaw” fumbling with inside triple locks.
10:35-10:45 am	Bridget sees Lizzie go into dining room and speak “low” to her father.
10:45 am	Mark Chase, residing over Wade’s store, sees man on Borden fence taking pears.
10:45-10:55 am	Lizzie puts ironing board on dining room table as Bridget finishes last window in the dining room
10:45-10:55 am	Lizzie asks Bridget in kitchen if she’s going out, tells her of note to Abby & sale at Sargeant’s.
10:50-10:55	Mark Chase observes man with open buggy parked just beyond tree in front of Borden house.
August 4, 189210:55 am	Bridget goes upstairs to her room to lay down.
10:55–10:58 am	Bridget goes up to her room; lies down on her bed.
10:55-11:00 am	Andrew Borden dies from blows to the head with a sharp instrument.
11:00 am	Bridget hears City Hall clock chime 11:00.
11:05-11:10 am	Hyman Lubinsky drives his cart past the Borden house.
11:05-11:10	William Sullivan, clerk at Hudner’s Market notes Mrs. Churchill leaving the store.
11:10 am  APPROX.	Lizzie hollers to Bridget to come down, “Someone has killed father”.
11:10-11:12 am	Lizzie sends Bridget to get Dr. Bowen.
11:10-11:13 am	Bridget rushes back across the street from Bowen’s, tells Lizzie he’s not at home.
11:10-11:13 am	Lizzie asks Bridget if she knows where Alice Russell lives and tells her to go get her.
11:10-11:13 am	Bridget grabs her hat & shawl from kitchen entry way and rushes to Alice Russell’s.
11:10-11:13 am	Mrs. Churchill observes Bridget crossing street, notices a distressed Lizzie and calls out to Lizzie who tells her “someone has murdered father.”
11:13 am	Mrs. John Gormely says Mrs. Churchill runs through her yelling “Mr. Borden is murdered!”
11:10-11:14 am	Mrs. Churchill goes to side door, speaks briefly to Lizzie, and then crosses street looking for a doctor.
11:12-11:14 am	John Cunningham sees Mrs. Churchill talking to others then uses phone at Gorman’s paint shop to call Police.
11:15 am	Marshal Hilliard receives call from news dealer Cunningham about disturbance at Borden house.
11:15 am	Marshal Hilliard orders Officer Allen to go to Borden house. (Allen notes exact time on office wall clock).
11:16 – 11:20 am	Mrs. Churchill returns from giving the alarm.
11:16 – 11:20 am	Dr. Bowen pulls up in his carriage, met by his wife, rushes over to Borden’s.
11:16-11:20 am	John Cunningham checks outside cellar door in Borden back yard, finds it locked.
11:18-11:20 am	Dr. Bowen sees Andrew, asks for sheet; alone with Lizzie for approx. one minute.
11:20 am	Officer Allen arrives at Bordens, met at door by Dr. Bowen.  Sees Lizzie sitting alone at kitchen table.
11:20–11:21 am	Allen sees Andrews’s body at same time Alice Russell and Mrs. Churchill come in.  (Where was Bridget?)
11:20-11:22 am	Allen checks front door and notes it bolted from inside, checks closets in dining room and kitchen.
11:20 am	Morse departs Daniel Emery’s on Weybosset Street, takes a streetcar back to the Borden’s.
11-22-11:23 am	Officer Allen leaves house to return to station, Bowen goes out with him.  Allen has Sawyer guard back door.
11:23-11:33 am	Dr. Bowen returns home, checks rail timetable, goes to telegram Emma, and stops at Baker’s Drug store. Telegram is time stamped at 11:32.
11:25 am	Off. Patrick Doherty, at Bedford & Second, notes City Hall clock time enroute to Station.
11:23-11:30 am	Lizzie asks to check for Mrs. Borden; Bridget & Mrs. Churchill go upstairs, discover body.
11:32 am	Officers Doherty & Wixon leave police station for Borden house.  Reporter Manning on rear steps, Sawyer inside at screen door. (Bridget in inside near sink)
11:34 am	Bridget fetches Doctor Bowen’s wife, Phoebe.
11:35	George Petty, former resident of 92 Second Street, enters the Borden house with Dr. Bowen.
11:40 am	Bowen returns to Borden house.   Churchill tells him they’ve discovered Abby upstairs.
11:35-11:40 am	Officer Patrick Doherty & Deputy Sheriff Wixon arrive at house; see Manning sitting on steps, met at back door by Dr. Bowen, who lets them in.
11:35-11:40 am	Francis Wixon and Dr. Bowen check Andrew’s pockets and remove watch.
11:35-11:40	Officer Doherty questions Lizzie who tells him she heard a “scraping” noise.
11:35-11:40 am	Officer Doherty views Abby’s body with Dr. Bowen pulls bed out to view her better.
11:35-11:45 am	Morse arrives at Borden house, first going to back yard.
11:37 am	Officer Mullaly arrives.
11:39-11:40 am	Officer Medley arrives at 92 Second Street.
11:44 am	Doherty runs to Undertaker Gorman’s shop around corner and phones Marshal Hilliard.
11:45	Dr. Bowen shows Doherty Andrew, then Abby.  They pull the bed out 3 feet.
11:45 am	Doherty returns; Officers Mullaly. Allen, Denny, and Medley arrive at the Borden house.
11:45 am	Dr. Dolan arrives, sees bodies.
11:45 am	Morse talks to Sawyer at side door, later testifies he heard of murders from Bridget.
11:45-11:50 am	Morse sees Andrew’s body, then goes upstairs and sees Abby’s body.
11:50 am	Morse speaks to Lizzie as she lays on lounge in dining room. Lizzie goes from dining room to her room and changes into a “pink wrapper”.
11:50 am-Noon	Asst. Marshal Fleet arrives; sees bodies; talks to Lizzie in her room w/Rev. Buck, says “…she’s not my mother, she’s my  stepmother”
11:50 am	Morse goes out to back yard and stays outside most of the afternoon.
11:50 am –Noon	Deputy Sheriff Wixon climbs back fence and talks to workmen sawing wood in Chagnon yard.
11:50-Noon	Doherty, Fleet and Medley accompany Bridget to cellar where she shows them hatchet in box on shelf.
12:15-12:20 am	Officer Harrington arrives at the Borden house.
12:25 am	Officer Harrington interviews Lizzie in her bedroom (she wears pink wrapper).
12:45 am	Marshal Hillliard & Officers Doherty & Connors drive carriage to Andrew’s upper farm in Swansea.
2:00 pm	Dr. Dedrick arrives at Borden house.
3:00-4:00 pm	Crime scene photographs are taken of Andrew & Abby.
3:40 pm	Emma leaves on New Bedford train for Weir Junction to return to Fall River.
4:30 pm	Stomachs of Andrew and Abby removed and sealed.
5:00 pm	Emma arrives in Fall River.
5:00-5:30 pm	State Detective George F. Seaver arrives from Taunton.
5:30 pm	Dr. Dolan “delivers” bodies of Andrew and Abby to Undertaker James Winward.
5:35 pm	Winward & assistant remove sofa from house and store it in a room at his building.
6:00 pm	Alice leaves 92 Second St. to return home for supper.
8:30 pm	Mrs. Charles Holmes leaves the Borden girls and returns to her home on Pine Street.
8:45 pm	Officer Joseph Hyde, observing from a northwest outside window, sees Lizzie & Alice go down cellar.
9:00 pm	Officer Hyde observes Lizzie in basement alone.

 

Fall River Cemeteries

Lizzie Borden is buried at Oak Grove Cemetery, and while it is the most known – and the most beautiful – there are other cemeteries with interesting histories in Fall River.

Here’s info on a wonderful picture book of several Fall River cemeteries. 

Jack Foley – Fall River Herald News

1. Notre Dame Cemetery

   1540 Stafford Rd
   Fall River

   (508) 673-1561

2. 2233 Robeson St Fall River (508) 679-2535

   St Patrick’s Cemetery
3. Amity St Fall River (508) 679-2535

   St Mary’s Cemetery
4. 462 N Main St Fall River (617) 244-6509

   Temple Beth El Cemetery
5. 440 Newhall St Fall River (617) 244-6509

   Agudas Achim Cemetery

   MEANWHILE…..

   The Fall River Historical Society is having a big sale on all their items.  Check it out!

 

The Benefactors’ Edition of Parallel Lives-A Social History of Lizzie A. Borden and Her Fall River

It’s a beautiful thing.  Check it out:

The holding sleeve has a leather/felt-like interior.

The sleeve has the staged photo of Lizzie in her senior years on the back porch of Maplecroft.

The woman that is pictured in the edition already opened (the one I read in Hawaii) is Anne Lindsey, sister of Mary Brigham.  What a Dame!

The marbleized end pages are taken from a book in Lizzie’s library

Note the edged gold “gilt” on the pages.

The “Presentation” page.  Click for larger image.

Yep.  She’s a beaut all right.  🙂

 

Shelley Dziedzic’s Oak Grove Cemetery Walking Tours

UPDATE: Here’s info on a wonderful picture book of several Fall River cemeteries. 

Jack Foley – Fall River Herald News

1. Notre Dame Cemetery

   1540 Stafford Rd
   Fall River

   (508) 673-1561

2. 2233 Robeson St Fall River (508) 679-2535

   St Patrick’s Cemetery
3. Amity St Fall River (508) 679-2535

   St Mary’s Cemetery
4. 462 N Main St Fall River (617) 244-6509

   Temple Beth El Cemetery
5. 440 Newhall St Fall River (617) 244-6509

   Agudas Achim Cemetery

The Fall River Historical Society is having a big sale on all their items.  Check it out!
(Recycled)

Shelley Dziedzic can usually be found doing her once weekly Friday night tour for the overnight guests at the Lizzie Borden Bed & Breakfast Museum.  She makes sure the guests get their money’s worth because she knows both the case and the House at 92 Second Street better than most.   Shelley has several passions she pursues, least of which is her attraction to old cemeteries foremost being Fall River’s Oak Grove Cemetery.   She has spent years amassing gorgeous photos of the grounds, seeking out headstones of those related to the case and beyond.

“A History of Oak Grove Cemetery & Walking Tour of Borden Related Graves and Buildings” is a 65-page booklet chock-full of information about the history, regulations, symbolisms, and Victorian Celebrations of Death, in addition to featuring Borden related burial sites.

She includes the standard map of Oak Grove and places numbers with identifying personages as to their location of burial.  Alas, the cemetery’s map does not have the street nor walking paths identified which can make locating the exact spot sometimes problematic.  But part of the journey’s enjoyment is in the discovery and if it were too easy we would not be as joyful upon shouting: “Eureka!”

There is also good information about Undertaker Winward, Oak Groves’ “undertaker to the stars” as I like to call him.  He is just one of the many people she highlights.

Shelley has included a sleeved CD affixed to to the inside back cover of the booklet with some stunning images she has taken over the years.  I would have liked to have seen captions and a cross-reference on some but here again, it makes you want to seek out those you are not familiar with.  Additionally, by looking at the images and reading about the symbolism on the stone markings helps educate us to obtain a greater insight into what surviving family members treasured about their departed love ones.

This is truly a wonderful piece of work and I highly recommend its purchase to those who have a love of old cemeteries in general, an interest in the Borden case, or even just a student of headstones and monuments.

You can purchase this booklet at Shelley’s Friends of Oak Grove Cemetery site.  If you reside in or near Fall River, it can also be purchased at the Fall River History Society and the Lizzie Borden Bed & Breakfast Museum for a good value price of $20.

(Note: Shelley has performed in a series of mini films by Richard Behrens, Garden Bay Films, and those can be viewed HERE.)

Many of us have given thought as to what other era we would have liked to have been born in.  Myself, for example, would have liked to have lived in Deadwood, South Dakota in the 1880’s, or in Paris in the 1920’s when I was IN my twenties.  Shelley, on the other hand, would most probably have preferred the Victorian era.  I see her as the Elsa Maxwell of Fall River’s Victorian and Edwardian era.

If she had been born into a family residing in one of those great Victorian houses in the Highlands neighborhood of Fall River, she would have grown into quite the society lady.  She would have had wonderful, chatty teas with her lady friends, organized and been President of the Victorian Home Gardens Society of Fall River, invited the “Hill people’ to her fabulous costumed parties and soirees, been active in a number of charities, and a formidable member of the Central Congregational Church.  Her tireless pursuits of grand special events throughout the Victorian and Edwardian eras would have made her a local legend with several mentions in Philip T. Sylvia, Jr.’s Victorian Vistas.  Yes, she definitely would have been the Elsa Maxwell of that time.  I think she even resembles her a bit, yes?

   

        Shelley Dziedzic                                   Elsa Maxwell

So a big shout-out to Shelley and all she does to enrich the experience of B&B guests, the August 4th re-enactments (which probably wouldn’t happen without her – or at least not nearly as well produced), and going about her successful endeavors quietly, creatively, and without regard for personal notoriety and/or media exposure..  Thank you, Shelley!

Check out Shelly’s websites:

Website	http://lizziebordenwarpsandwefts.com/ http://rhodeislandaltars.com/ http://yankeestones.wordpress.com/ http://fallrivereats.wordpress.com/ http://fallriverpaintedladies.com http://friendsofoakgrovecemetery.org

 

The Skulls of Andrew & Abby Borden

Dr. William Andrew Dolan

The autopsies of Lizzie Borden’s father and stepmother were conducted one week after the murders – August 11, 1892, in the “ladies waiting room” at Oak Grove Cemetery.  It is the structure to the left in this picture postcard below.

Here is a more contemporary view:The little building is now used to house gardening tools and supplies and also serves as a break room for the grounds-keepers.

Upon the instruction of District Attorney Hosea Knowlton, the heads of Andrew and Abby were severed and taken home by Dr. Dolan.    They were unceremoniously boiled of their flesh on his kitchen stove (much to the fright of his two young sons), and maintained in his home until presented in court at the Preliminary Hearing.   The sisters were not informed, nor the media – one of the better kept secrets of the prosecution’s case. 

Below is the link to the letter from Dr. Dolan’s grandson, Donald Dolan, to Robert Flynn dated March 6, 1992.   (Don Dolan was a teacher, and a Presenter at the 1992 Lizzie Borden Centennial.  He passed away May 15, 2002 and is buried at Rutland Town Cemetery in Mass.  His widow, Joyce, still resides in the same home they shared for 50 years).

boilheads4

A thorough reading of the actual typed autopsy reports, including hand written notes, is available from the images below.

(Right click on the text below for larger view).

 

The Preliminary Hearing commenced on August 25, 1892 and once the revelation of the heads being severed hit the papers, it brought forth the indignation and revulsion of some readers.   As an example, also in my collection is this letter from one John E. Gray written to Dr. Dolan, referring to him as a “vile wretch”.  First is an image of the actual letter and then a translation done by his grandson, Don, to Bob Flynn:  brutal

It wasn’t until after the Trial in July of 1893, when Hosea Knowlton wrote to Dr. Dolan stating that Lizzie and Emma’s legal counsel, Andrew Jennings, wanted the skulls returned.   Click to see returnskulls.

Another letter in this collection remembers this occurrence as conveyed by Dolan’s grandson to Bob Flynn.   He also mentions visiting his Aunt Ellen who lives near Oak Grove Cemetery.      Porter-Skulls

The skulls were subsequently buried in boxes about 3 feet below ground.  Placement was a “guestimate”.

Note1:  Robert Flynn is a publisher, author and former bookseller.

Note 2:  Joyce Dolan told me Don Dolan remembered his father (Dr. Dolan’s son)  telling him of seeing Abby’s hair switch in the attic of their home where other “evidence” was kept.

Note 3:  Dr. William A. Dolan had 4 children; 2 sons (Tom and William A. Dolan, Jr. – Don’s father) and 2 daughters (Ellen, called “Nellie” and Mary – both were spinster school teachers in Fall River).

 

 

 

ANSWERS TO: Who, What, Where Am I? The Lizzie Borden Connection Quiz

THE WINNER IS KEITH JUDSON OF RENO, NV. He answered 21 of 25 questions correctly.  He wins a copy of the Knowlton-Pearson correspondence.  Prior to publishing his first essay on the case, Edmund Pearson was given entre’ to the private correspondence of D.A. Hosea Knowlton by his son, Frank Knowlton.  Frank also arranged for Pearson to meet many of those still living in Fall River who knew Lizzie or were in some way involved in the case.  This is a seldom made available and most interesting collectible.

THE CORRECT ANSWERS ARE IN ITALICS BELOW:

Can you identify these images?  Can you tell what they are, where they are or who they are and their relevancy to Lizzie Borden?   If so, email me.  If you get a minimum of 12 of the 25 correct, I’ll send you a prize – a Bordenia collectible – valued at $25.00.

#1

Known as the “Sanford House”, this Victorian beauty is on Lincoln Avenue in the Highlands.  It was the home of Arnold B. San ford, Treasurer and President of the Globe Yarn Mills and San ford Spinning Company.  (Sanford had his headstone at Oak Grove Cemetery constructed to look like his mill building).

#2

This is the ceiling of the Fall River Public Library on Main Street.

#3

Matthew Chaloner Durfee Borden (aka “MCD Borden”), a bloodline relation to Lizzie.

#4

The old Fall River City Hall bells taken down when City Hall was demolished for the I95.  They are now in the rear of the “new” city hall.

#5

William Wilson Gardner, brother of Orrin Gardner.  He married Josephine Cobb of New Bedford and they were the parents of  Hamilton Gardner.  Born in 1875 he died shortly after his wife in 1911, and his son was raised by brother Orrin.

#6

Interior of the former “Abbey Grille” once housed inside the now vacant former Central Congregational Church on Rock Street (Lizzie’s church).

#7

The original cellar door (and probably hardware) at 92 Second Street.

#8

“Louis Howe next to Eleanor Roosevelt : he’s the husband of Grace Hartley Howe (inheriting half of Lizzie’s share of Maplecroft . Grace’s grandfather was Cook Borden and a brother of Lizzie’s Grandfather. Louis McHenry Howe was chief advisor and political strategist to President Roosevelt. In 1926 the Howes lived within walking distance of Maplecroft.”  (Precise and correct answer from Dan).

#9

The garage at “Maplecroft”.

#10

Print of “The Village Elms” which hung on the wall over the sofa in the sitting room of 92 Second Street.  The image was tracked and identified by Leonard Rebello from in-situ photographs of the slain Andrew.

#11

Autopsy photo of Abby Borden.

#12

Cemetery office/vault building at the Old North Burial Ground off North Main Street.

#13

153 Belmont Street around the corner from Maplecroft.  Edith May Buffinton Gardner and husband the Rev. Frank Gardner (he was brother to Orrin Gardner) once lived there.  The below image of “Maplecroft” shows a portion of that house – the torquise one in back.

#14

Wedding photo of Frank Henry Gardner (brother of Orrin and William Gardner) and Edith May Buffinton.  Born in 1869, he was ordained in 1893.  Frank and Edith’s daughter, Doris, would grow up with – and eventually marry – Hamilton Gardner.

#15

The old Central Police Station on Bank Street which also housed the Second District Court.  Both the Coroner’s Inquest and the Preliminary Hearing were held here.

#16

This portrait of District Attorney Hosea M. Knowlton is on the wall of the second floor courtroom of the New Bedford Superior Court where Lizzie’s Trial was held.  Knowlton became Mass. Attorney General following Pillsbury.

#17

Ron Evans and Martha McGinn who inherited the structures, land and business of Leary Press from her grandfather.  It was Ron Evans idea to convert the house into a B&B.  He was like a surrogate son to John McGinn and died in the late 90’s.

#18

Interior of part of the Gift Shop area in the “barn” at 92 Second Street.

#19

The lunch/dinner pail used to transport Lizzie’s special restaurant meals while she was incarcerated in the Taunton Jail awaiting Trial.  Once displayed in the kitchen (gift shop area) of the Fall River Historical Society, it is no longer on regular display with other Lizzie artifacts.

#20

Abraham Borden, father of Andrew Borden and brother of Cook Borden.

#21

John Vinnicum Morse, brother of Sarah Anthony Morse Borden and uncle to Lizzie and Emma.  This image taken from a t.v. documentary during broadcast.

#22

Unidentified woman long purported by the Fall River Historical Society to be Sarah Anthony Morse Borden chiefly due to the fact that when it was donated to the FRHS, the donor identified it as her.  Clearly it is not.  The FRHS has yet to identify her.  The image has been printed in some books on the case.

#23

Attorney John W. Cummings, prominent attorney and former Mayor of Fall River.  He was introduced to Edmund Pearson by Frank Knowlton, son of Hosea Knowlton.  See article below.

#24

This photograph taken the day after Lizzie died when her grave was paved over, per her wishes, at the family grave site at Oak Grove Cemetery.

#25

Florence Cook Brigham, beloved past Curator Emeritus of the Fall River Historical Society who died January 22, 2000, at the age of 100.

 

Like it or Not – Fall River is Synonymous with Lizzie Borden

Fall River remains one of those cities best viewed from a distance.  Up close her blemishes neither beckon nor embrace.  Lizzie Borden, on the other hand, forever beckons, blemishes and all.

From a historical perspective, Fall River is as associated with Lizzie Borden as Dallas is to the JFK assassination. Both horrific and shocking events, both forever embedded in American history.

The Lizzie Borden story is not just about a 32 year old spinster who wielded a hatchet, (let me repeat that – HATCHET) on a highly humid August 4th day, but is a case about class structure in a stratified society with the poor deferring to the power and control of the founding families.  It is the incredulity of the circumstances of such a heinous crime in broad daylight with suspicion of a Borden – and the younger daughter at that – which gives this Victorian patricide its compelling and enduring mystique.  It is a case that was so out of the bounds of reference for local law enforcement and the public’s imagination in general that weaves into  the tapestry of Fall River’s history.

To Fall River residents who are little charmed or largely exasperated by the “Lizzie Borden” association to their city, like it or not this case has legs – and has for 117 years.  Like it or not dozens of books on the Borden case, hundreds of dedicated chapters in compendium books, numerous plays, an opera, a ballet, musicals, documentaries, a made for TV film, thousands of websites, blogs and YouTube uploads have continued to feed the hungered curious.

Morphed into the popular culture this mystifying maiden has had her face and form replicated into Goth dolls, bobble heads, woodcuts, miniature die caste game pieces, original “Lizzie art” offered on eBay, CafePress, Itsy, and more.  These all serve as the cemented footprint that this case is destined for durability and forever associated with Fall River.

It is a case that gets discovered by every succeeding generation of those who have an interest in true crime, specifically unsolved true crime.  In all the world and in all the world’s issues, conflicts and topics be they political, social, environmental – cumulative scholarly interest in the Borden case is but a small niche.  A mere pimple upon the landscape of life’s Bigger Issues.  But for pockets of society drawn to  classic unsolved murders and readers of true crime this case endures, spawning new devotees with each successive decade.  Indeed, of all classic unsolved true crimes two names emerge unchallenged with worldwide recognition:  Lizzie Borden and Jack the Ripper.   So like it or not Fall Riverites – Lizzie Borden is there to stay.

People flock to Fall River just because of Lizzie Borden.  And more often than Fall River’s office of tourism would like, only because of Lizzie. Whether a weekend or just a day long visit they want to see four things and four things only:

The house at 92 Second Street where the murders happened (and in more recent years, some signs of the ghostly and paranormal).

“Maplecroft” – the house on French street where she lived after the Trial and until her death.

The Borden gravesite at Oak Grove Cemetery.

The Fall River Historical Society which has possession of evidence offered at Trial.

Image by photoshy

They travel cross-country and beyond just to stay at the Lizzie Borden Bed & Breakfast Museum.  Few bother ascertaining what else Fall River has to offer and once arrived, they might have except for their disappointment in the look and feel of Fall River today.  More than a century passed its prime, the tawdry downtown and surrounding neighborhoods reflect a city ridden with crime and long without sustainable economic development.

Yet, Lizzie’s home town still has more to offer than just “Lizzie”.  Visitors can drive through “the Highlands” and see one of the greatest concentrations of Victorian homes in the country, Battleship Cove, the Martime Museum, the Fall River Historical Society (if you’re lucky enough to be there when they’re open),  music and art at The Narrows, the mills and factories – though most standing silent and unoccupied – as testaments to Fall River’s once grand and thriving past. Then there’s the incredible food, beautiful vistas, and some wonderful people – 3^rd, 4^th, and 5^th generation blue collar working class people.  But alas, too often for too long these have been bypassed by those drawn to the Borden sites.

Long after more iconic structures have been torn down, long after we have crystals embedded in our foreheads, long after communication requires neither digits nor the digital, humankind’s interest in Lizzie Borden will endure.

Whether on her back looking upwards or above looking down, surely she chuckles; the knowledge of “who dunnit” hers and hers alone.

 

The Haunting of Lizzie Borden’s grave

Perhaps you’ve heard of the mysterious skulker of Oak Grove Cemetery in Fall River, Ma. On the other hand, perhaps you have not, in which case I’ll tell you.

For over a century people have seen the scurrying to and fro of a woman dressed in a black Victorian dress. She is described as neither attractive nor unattractive, neither young nor old, more short than tall and has pale blue eyes. It’s unknown how she gets into the cemetery as she has never been seen walking through the main gate off Prospect Avenue. When spotted from a distance and called out to, she will turn and look up and then quickly scurry away, disappearing between the headstones and over the little sloping hills.

Some people have claimed they saw her carrying away a bone, thought to be a femur, but at the time there was no evidence of any graves having been dug up or in any way disturbed. An Oak Grove caretaker once said he chased her for 200 yards on a vehicle similar to a golf cart but she could not be overtaken. She disappeared somewhere between Louis and Grace Howe and Philip T. Borden.

While in Boston at the Boston Public Library sifting through shelves of old film reels, I came across a short film done as an experiment with time lapse photography at Oak Grove Cemetery at night. After close scrutiny and playing it over and over, I could see this mysterious skulker captured on film! Look for yourself!

Recently spotted and captured on digital camera, I can now reveal the mysterious skulker of Oak Grove:

Scroll down slowly

Keep scrolling

Wait for it

Wait for it

You’re almost there

Trust me, you’re very close

Almost there

Almost

ta daaaa

Photos taken by Don S., a guest at the Lizzie Borden Bed & Breakfast on Saturday, August 4, 2007. How he got her to stand still I’ll never know.

That Lizzie. “She’s everywhere”. 😉

15 days to Holloween

 

Fall River’s Friends Cemetery

Lizzie Borden’s burial site at Oak Grove Cemetery is the most visited gravesite on the entire grounds.

Lizzie’s headstone center, right

But Fall River has many other cemeteries.  Seldom visited is the Friends Cemetery at the foot of Hood Street.  Lizzie Borden descended from a line of Quakers.

The Quakers buried here are vitually unknown for not many of the headstones (of those that *did* have headstones), remain today.

Quakers, known for their modesty, believed having headstones was a sign of vanity.

Residential structures were built right over the graves so this cemetery was actually larger than it appears.

This is one of the very few markers that has legible writing on it.

This view shows part of the original stone wall.  Hardly a space getting respect and reverence, the Friends Cemetery is often used as a “relieving” area for those walking their dogs.

From the Fall River Library website, here is a listing of all the cemeteries in Fall River.

Cemeteries in Fall River

Agudath Achim Jewish Cemetery Newhall Street Contact: Adas Israel Synagogue 508-674-9761	Beth El Cemetery N. Main St. Fall River, Mass. 02722 Contact: Temple Beth El (508) 674-3529
Hebrew Cemetery McMahon St. Contact: Adas Israel Synagogue 508-674-9761	North Burial Ground 1360 N. Main St. Fall River, Mass. 02722 (508) 672-3041 Established 1810
Notre Dame Cemetery 1540 Stafford Rd. Fall River, Mass. 02721 (508) 673-1561 Established 1883	Oak Grove Cemetery 765 Prospect St. Fall River MA 02720 508-324-2750 Established c. 1873 Historical Note: burial place of Lizzie Borden (1860-1927), acquitted of murdering her father and stepmother in 1892.
Our Lady of Light Cemetery Fall River, Mass. 02722 (508) 672-1207 Contact: Notre Dame Cemetery	St. John’s Cemetery 258 Brightman St. Fall River, Mass. 02722 (508) 679-2535 Burials: 1858-1891
St. Mary’s Cemetery Amity St. Fall River, Mass. 02722 (508) 679-2535 Burials: 1875-1891	St. Patrick’s Cemetery 2233 Robeson St. Fall River, Mass. 02720 (508) 679-2535 Established 1876

 

Lizzie Borden: Democrat or Republican? Listen to WSAR Radio Friday, August 29, 2008 at 8:00 am

I was invited back to WSAR Radio – this time to talk about one of Fall River’s most accomplished – if not notorious – women – Grace Hartley Howe – also a cousin to Lizzie Borden. Tune in if you’re in the area.

What was, if any, Lizzie Borden’s political affiliations? August 26th is “Women’s Equality Day” and as every indication tells us Lizzie was one to assert her rights, (by virtue of her sense of entitlement or legally) she most likely exercised her right to vote as ratified by the 19th Amendment in 1920.

Did she vote for the first time for Democrat James Cox or Republican Warren G. Harding? In 1924, did she vote for Calvin Coolidge who had been Harding’s Vice President, or did she vote for progressive Democrat John Davis?

She didn’t have much of an opportunity to exercise her hard-fought right to vote before she died in 1927. But because of her cousin, Grace Hartley Howe (1874-1955), Lizzie Borden may very well have been a staunch Democrat.

Grace Hartley Howe as Fall River Postmistress

Grace was one of the two major legatees in Lizzie’s Will. Her mother, Mary Borden, was the daughter of Cook Borden, Andrew J. Borden’s uncle. Grace married Louis McHenry Howe (1871-1936) – first secretly and then a second ceremony in Fall River on May 6, 1899.

When Louis Howe met Franklin Roosevelt in 1911 he began a life-long career of service and devotion to FDR, becoming not only his best friend but private secretary when FDR was Secretary of the Navy and later chief political strategist and “keeper of the secrets”. Louis McHenry Howe is attributed as having encouraged FDR to fight his battle of infantile paralysis and persuaded him to continue on with his political career. He was FDR’s speech writer, confidant, manager, mentor and trouble shooter.

After Roosevelt was elected his first term as President of the United States, Louis lived in the White House and Grace lived in Horseneck Beach, with Louis coming home on weekends. Grace busied herself raising her two children, Mary and Hartley, and often went weeks at a time without seeing Louis. But in the 1920’s and 1930’s and beyond she would be a tireless fundraiser, campaigner and active member of the Democratic Party. I would not doubt that Grace received political contributions from Lizzie for Democratic and social causes to which she was involved.

During the 1920’s it’s very likely Lizzie and Grace visited each other in their respective homes in Fall River, Horseneck Beach in Westport, New York and Washington, D.C. During this time the Howe’s and Roosevelts also visited at each other’s homes. Lizzie very well may have visited Grace in Westport when Mary and Hartley were growing up. And would Lizzie and Grace have discussed politics?

Grace Hartley Howe is seated to Louis’ right, who is directly across from Eleanor Roosevelt

When Louis died in 1936, it was Eleanor Roosevelt who called Grace in Fall River and gave her the news. Prior to his funeral services at Oak Grove Cemetery in Fall River, which both Eleanor and FDR attended, Mr. Howe was honored in Washington.

Prior to Louis’ death, Grace’s work within the Democratic Party coupled with the cache of her husband’s service, she was on an upward trajectory. Below is the article of how she became appointed to the Secretaryship of the Democratic State Committee in 1933. She was a Delegate at the 1934 Democratic Convention.

And after Louis’s death, FDR appointed her Postmistress of Fall River. Grace continued with her many political, civic and social activities. Grace resided on Locust Street (shown below) in Fall River, a few short blocks from Lizzie’s home, “Maplecroft” on French Street. Grace lived there when Lizzie died June 1, 1927.

In 1938, two years after Louis died, Eleanor Roosevelt came to visit Grace as told in this FRHN article that recaps Grace’s life and service to the Democratic party.

Grace died in 1955 after being in a coma for many weeks. At that time she lived in a lovely little cottage on Martha Street (still there) in Fall River with a nice view of the Taunton River.

Throughout her husband’s political career it was rarely reported in the papers of the link between Lizzie Borden and the Howes. That link would be too close for comfort. Notoriety from an 1892 scandal certainly was not needed to surface and hinder the ultimate goal of making FDR President. But it was Louis McHenry Howe himself who was the source of the “Emma did it” theory. I found verification of this in Fulton Oursler’s book, Behold This Dreamer! during his visit to the White House. But although Louis said it tongue in cheek, the Bordenia urban legend was born that Grace’s husband believed Lizzie’s sister did the awful deed of August 4, 1892. The story Louis told Oursler was typical of his sense of humor. (I’ll address that in a future blog entry).

With her relative and close friend, Grace Hartley Howe, so entrenched in democratic politics through her husband Louis McHenry Howe, could it be that Lizzie Borden was a Democrat? I say yes. In an interview after Lizzie’s death, Grace remarked of the many charitable acts and donations to which she gave. I just bet some of Lizzie’s money went to those very causes in which her cousin Grace solicited.

And here’s the part that has never failed to amuse me: Had Lizzie Borden lived a mere five more years she very well might have been invited to the White House. Think of it: Through her cousin’s friendship with Eleanor Roosevelt, Lizzie Borden, accused and acquitted of the most sensational crime of the century, might very well have chatted it up with Franklin Delano Roosevelt, President of the United States.

Discreetly, of course. ;

 

30 Years of Visits to the Lizzie Borden Bed & Breakfast

UPDATED 6/3/08 TO INCLUDE ARTICLE ON “20/20” TV PROGRAM IN FALL RIVER.

Last month marked thirty years – that’s 30 years of visiting Fall River and the Lizzie Borden Bed & Breakfast.

1978

2008

(Right click for larger image)

Safeguard yourself at Oak Grove Cemetery

John Stossel on 20/20 did Fall River on this controversial issue – thanks to Keri Rodrigues – great seeing “the neighborhood”.

The following is from A View of Battleship Cove blogsite:

Friday, May 30, 2008

Fall River TONIGHT on 20/20

There I was, discounting the power of WSAR, I thought for sure there was no way 20/20 would visit this little town of Fall River. 20/20 has pointed it’s lens towards little ole Fall River, MA, to show the story of Mixed Martial Arts and Gillett’s studio.

Tonight on 20/20, 10PM Channel 5

Episode Detail: How Young Is Too Young? – 20/20 Reports on age-appropriate behavior and adult pressures placed on youngsters include profiles of two teen paparazzi and a teenage in-line skater who was given steroids by his father. Also: Salma Hayek and Sarah Jessica Parker on how they deal with paparazzi wanting pictures of their young children; John Stossel on campaigns against the teaching of mixed martial arts to minors; and (from 2007) reporter Bill Ritter on child prodigies.

Go here for more info

It will be interesting to see how they handle the story tonight. My sources tell me that it is going to have a positive spin, rather than the WSAR intended negative spin. Watch tonight to find out.

Signed,

Fear and Loathing in Fall River

Radio Station WSAR in Swansea

Keri Rodrigues, Me and Baby Matthew