1. "Old Newspaper Coverage Of Lizzie's Trial"
Posted by Susan on Oct-15th-03 at 12:48 AM

Searching the web tonight I came across this site that offers old newspaper reports on Lizzie's trial.  I believe they are from Monroe and Rochester, N.Y. papers.  I have never seen these before and they were quite a treat, there are all sorts of little tidbits in there as to what went on in the courtroom; such as when Lizzie's verdict was read, she crashed her head down on the railing and then put her hands down under her head.  Fun stuff!  Heres the link:

http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index/NY-OLD-NEWS/2002-05

(Message last edited Oct-15th-03  12:48 AM.)

You can get them all on one CD in our very own Lizzie Borden Gift Shop on the web site:

http://www.lizzieandrewborden.com/LBordenGiftRochest.htm

Oh, I'm sorry, Harry, I didn't know they were available.  Rats, thought I found something different and exciting to post. 

Good digging Susan!  They are very interesting and along with the Evening Standard articles give a pretty complete description of what was happening every day from the newsprint point of view.

Like all papers though they contain a sprinkling of errors and hype.  Still great reading though.

(Message last edited Oct-15th-03  1:33 AM.)

Rochester, Monroe, NY
Democrat & Chronicle
June 19, 1893

Lizzie Borden Trial   Cont'   part  24          

..." 'What will Lizzie do?' they ask.
'Why, she'll just go to her home and settle down and live an economical
life, and save money and die a snug old maid. She's got sand. She has, and there can't anybody frighten her out of doing what she wants to. She'll go
back to Fall River, and pick up the threads of her old life just where she
dropped them, and she will never think nor care what anybody says about her.
Folks won't say much, neither. When a girl has got a couple of hundred
thousand dollars she is sure to have plenty of friends and champions.' "

--Have you ever heard this expression before?

Yep, Kat, I heard that word often when my granny was alive.

"She has more sand in her than any girl I ever see;
in my opinion she was just full of sand."
Mark Twain

Didn't they use the word "grit" in the 20th century? "True Grit"?

Obviously that must mean like 'strength'.  If I heard that expression today, I would think it would mean someone didn't have much substance to them - visualizing sand running thru one's fingers.   "Grit" sounds stronger - more like a clenched jaw or courage. 

"What say you, Mr. Foreman?" said the gentle old clerk.
"Not guilty," shouted Mr. RICHARDS.

At the words the wretched woman fell quicker than ever an ox fell in the stock yards of Chicago.

___________________

OR, quicker than a 200 lb woman fell between a bed and a dresser!

sorry, i couldn't resist the sarcasm.  this stuff is so melodramatic -- how her eyes rolled around in her head..  and how she grabs hold of the fatherly mr. robinson.

i know it is the typical style of that day.

the reporter seemed to think that lizzie really was doing some serious acting with that fan.  lizzie and the theater.

But, isn't it cool that you get a feel for how Lizzie "acted" in court, Emma too for that matter.  It makes these people so real, I can just picture them doing these things.

On the sand thing, I've heard someone's got grit, or nerve, or moxie even, but, never sand.  I've heard one insult thrown around before, Go Pound Sand, but, am not quite sure what that entails? 

Cassell's Dictionary of Slang provides the following definition for sand: Courage, firmness of purpose, determination; thus, "have sand in one's craw," is to act courageously. 

Webster's International Dictionary, 1890: Slang: "Courage, pluck, grit."

Thank you, William.  

yes, you're right.  this is the type thing i look for in trying to understand lizzie.  i can't help but think of astrology in reading about lizzie's behavior in court.  being a cancer, she is subject to strange moods anyway, and you add to that her leo moon -- and that's such a good recipe for self-delusions and melodrama.  my overall impression in reading that stuff, is that lizzie knew what she doing--understood the importance of her appearance and how she reacted to the situation, even to specific things that were said when the lawyers were trying to make their cases.  i caught that part where the reporter observed that while she was covering her face with that fan, you could see from the side a stoic face.  i remember from one newspaper reporter how lizzie seemed to fall apart when her own lawyer talked about her love for her father -- and that only a black-hearted monster could have done this.  if lizzie was guilty, it makes sense that such an observation as this would have cut her more deeply than anything knowlton might have said.

I wondered while reading the reports how much of that was Lizzie's behaviour, acting or normal, and how much was her lawyers' suggestions?  From what I recall, Lizzie started the trial in a dark blue dress, shortly afterward started wearing that black lace dress, her idea or a lawyer's suggestion; you are in mourning, your parents are dead, dress accordingly.  The change from her "loud" enameled pansy pin to the one of the child's face.  Its all these little things that jump out at me that make Lizzie so real as a person and not just words on a page.  I get the impression that her "act" was perfected and polished over the days of the trial. 

You say "if Lizzie is guilty, hearing this would make her faint...etc" I don't want to mis-quote you, but if you think about it, hearing those words about her
Father would make her weak no matter. If she were Not-Guilty, hearing
about her father's death would surely make her weak and upset.

In the Evening Standard, Tuesday, June 6, 1893, pg.4 -The opening statement:
..."According to the practice in this commonwealth, either to protect the innocent or to establish guilt, such portions of the victim's bodies must be produced as are necessary, and the skulls of Mr. and Mrs. Borden will be shown to you, and you will carefully examine them.

(Here the skulls were produced by Dr. Dolan.)

There is another thing told--the weapon which brought Mr. Borden to his death was just 3 1/2 inches in width.  Let there be no mistake, gentlemen.  The one significant fact..."
..."He closed with an appeal to the jury to exercise the best judgement as men."
____________

"LIZZIE FAINTS AWAY.

Swooned Under the Terrible Strain of the Morning.

Immediately after Mr. Moody had finished the opening of the case, the prisoner swooned..."

--The closing remarks went on after the skulls were brought into court, according to this news account.  It was after Moody finished that Lizzie swooned.
--Sounds like it was orchestrated, possibly.



(Message last edited Oct-19th-03  12:23 AM.)

Newspaper coverage??? What about the Trial Transcript???
Or are both in themselves not enought to learn about this case???

I think they both have their place in this case, the Trial transcripts contain what was said, dry facts.  But, not what was worn by people, or their reactions to certain things.  The newspaper reports makes these people come to life, even if some of the reporting is melodramatic.