The Lizzie Borden Society archive

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1. "Heat Wave"
Posted by Stefani on Jan-20th-02 at 5:36 PM

It was 80 degrees here yesterday. I am not saying this to brag, just to tell you that 80 degrees is a fantastically wonderful temperature. I don't have central heat or air so my 80 degrees is similar to the 80 degrees of 1892. (humidity notwithstanding of course).

It was NOT that hot on August 4, 1892. Perfectly nice. Lovely in fact. The heat wave was over by the 4th.

So WHY would the defense insist it was hot and in fact, pressure witnesses to remember it that way?



From my web site, the annotated bibliography of the Lizzie Borden Quarterly :
Thibault, Edward. "That Sticky Weather Issue." Lizzie Borden Quarterly I.4 (October 1993): 2, 10.
After reviewing various sources and court documents regarding the temperature on 4 August 1892, Thibault details his mission to "find a definitive answer to the weather conditions." Quoting newspaper sources, the article concludes that while there was a heat wave the week before the murders, the temperatures on the day of the murders were not higher than 80 degrees.

Gee, Stef,  it must be nice.  Our temp here was 18 yesterday with a windchill of -8.  But a New England heat wave includes some high humidity at times.  It can be stifling when the wind doesn't blow off the Atlantic.

So many things the prosecution railroaded into that trial.