1. "2 Question's And A Remark"
Posted by Kat on Jul-20th-02 at 11:14 PM

1). I read that during the Civil War persons of money could BUY a stand-in to be drafted to war and fight in their place.

I had never heard of this nor contemplated it.  Is this so?  Could Andrew have done this?


2). Was Helen Leighton a nurse OR a librarian?


--the *Remark* is that even though in testimony for the defense, and in closing arguments it was put to the jury to consider that Lizzie burning a dress on Sunday could NOT have been such a Big Deal, because she did it openly and with the windows open, and the back door open and police surrounding the place...implying she had nothing to hide.
Lincoln, 50 & 163, says those windows of the house were 7 feet off the ground and no wonder Lizzie wasn't worried about being seen....A person Could Not See In... 

An act for "enrolling and calling out the National Forces" was signed into law on March 3, 1863, by President Abraham Lincoln. This, the first effective draft by the federal government, called for all men between the ages of 18 and 45 to be enrolled into local militia units and be available to be called into national service. The draft law exempted men in some occupations, such as telegraph operators, railroad engineers, judges, and certain other government employees. Men with mental disabilities or with certain types of dependents were also exempted. Physical disabilities that would exempt a man included imperfect vision in the right eye, lack of front teeth and molars, and loss of more than one finger of the right hand or more than two fingers of the left hand.
A legalized form of evading the draft was instituted during the Civil War. The "commutation fee," normally about $500 allowed one to avoid military service altogether. Military records indicate 86,724 draftees bought their way out of the military and this did not include those that hired substitutes to take their place.

I suspect that Andrew could have easily avoided the draft.  He was born in 1822, and would have been 41 at the time of the draft. 

Massachusetts was one of the northern states that does not appear to have had a problem getting its full quota of draftees. Sixty-four regiments of soldiers, sailors and marines numbering over 150,000 men fought in the Civil War.

I see that Joe has rung in with a more authoritative slant on the conscription question.  His post wasn't available when I began mine.  I know that on the Southern side, a potential inductee could indeed pay a substitute to go in his place.  I suppose he could even get a substitute to go without payment, if he could find someone willing.
I don't know if the same thing was true on the Union side.  Let's see - Andrew would have been in his late 30s when the Civil War began.  He was an "only son" (which counts for something when conscription is considered) and a family man with two young children and a wife who probably wasn't well.  Some of those factors might have gone into his not having seen service during (as we Southerners like to call it) the "late unpleasantness." 
Hoffman thinks (p. 204) Helen Leighton was a librarian, but he doesn't mention the source of this tidbit.  Rebello (pp. 330 and 530) says she was a "graduate of the Fall River Nursing School" and later "was a nurse boarding at 570 Rock Street."  Still later (1910), she was listed as a live-in companion to Mrs. Dean, who owned the Rock Street home, which incidentally was in Lizzie's Maplecroft neighborhood.  Rebello got the information about her occupation from city directories.  I would tend to believe Rebello, who lists his sources.  He covers Miss Leighton's whole life on pages 330-331 and mentions no connection with a library.  Both authors say she was president of the Animal Rescue League.  Rebello says that presidency was listed as her occupation after 1914.
Oh, about the windows!  Yes, it's apparent that they are quite high up off the ground.  Remember that the house had a "daylight basement" with windows, so the first floor, including the kitchen, was nearly a whole story off the ground.  I doubt that a policeman (unless he was very tall) could have seen Lizzie by simply glancing in the window, but of course one might have come to the door at any time.  The wooden door was probably open.  It doesn't sound as if Lizzie particularly cared whether she was seen burning the dress.

(Message last edited Jul-21st-02  9:32 AM.)

Theodore Roosevelt's father did buy his replacement for the Civil War, which may explain one facet of his personality. "You're not a real man unless you were in the war"? Of course, military service then or now is very helpful when running for office. Today seems different from then.

Wow, you guys, THANKS!

I actually got goose bumps reading what you all wrote about the "late unpleasantness"...

I used to wonder why Morse went west, and thought he might have been escaping the draft, but realize now that he went way before the war, 1855...and it was also possible for him to buy his way out.
That is AMAZING to me!

(I wonder if Illinois & Iowa were involved in the war?  Morse was in Illinois 14 years from 1856, and Iowa from 1869)...

That PROCEEDINGS article about a "Librarian Connection" by John David Marshall, 1993, and the FSU pamphlet, same author, 1990, give Helen the career of Librarian.  It's one of the 3 or 4 basic points he is attempting to make.  In the Victorian Vista book they have pages about the Grand Opening of the new Library, but that was previous to 1914....
Thanks for the info.  I suppose I'll go try to find where Hoffman and Marshall got the "tid-bit".

I never realized those Borden windows were so high up. 
Did it seem as if Lizzie Wanted to be discovered burning a dress?

LINCOLN, pg. 23
"I myself was a close friend of Lizzie's sole friend of her later years, Miss Helen Leighton, a gentle spinster from Boston, who "knew" that Lizzie was innocent because of their shared passion for animals and Lizzie's gift for endearing herself to her servants."

Pg. 310
"I have said that a murder should not end in anticlimax; but perhaps the mechanical emptiness of her last years is not, after all, a totally unsatisfactory end to her story.

At least my mother thought so, when Grandfather had brought in Miss Helen Leighton from Boston to be our librarian and she became Lizzie's friend and ours. Miss Helen took a good deal of unpleasant ribbing about her faith in Lizzie's innocence. She liked to talk about her at our house when she came to tea, and Mother would pour her another cup and say, 'Oh, of course; oh, I see just what you mean.'

(Lizzie, by then, had passed the menopause. There were no more 'peculiar spells' to confuse a new friend.)

Lizzie never talked to her of the tragedy, but Miss Leighton found it touching that in those last years Lizzie often rounded off some little maxim or old-timey phrase with the words, 'as Father always used to say.'

It was plain, Miss Leighton felt, that they had been close, and that she had never ceased to miss him.

On those afternoons, when Miss Leighton had left us, Mother would stare at nothing, working her flattish, fine-cut lips and speaking to herself quietly. 'Poor thing, poor thing, living alone in that big ugly house ... what a hell. Thank God that she has someone to believe what she wishes that she could believe.' "


(Message last edited Jul-22nd-02  12:52 AM.)

Hello Kat,

Helen Leighton was never a librarian.  There is no record of this in the Fall River Library, or any other library. She was a nurse.

This is another one of Lincoln's misleading statements. In her book she also indicated that the Anglo-American Law Library had a copy of Porter's "Fall River Tragedy."  A few years ago while engaged in research on this subject, I contacted Mrs Barbara Moreland, Chief of the National Reference Service for the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.  She had this to say: "No record of the Anglo-American Law Library was found in the American Library Directory, The Director of Special Libraries and Information Center, or the D.C. Telephone Directory."

(Message last edited Jul-22nd-02  11:35 AM.)

Kat:  Iowa was in the Civil War and so was Illinois.  As a matter of fact, Iowa provided 75,797 white soldiers, five sailors and Marines, and 440 black soldiers in nine cavalry regiments, four light artillery batteries, 45 infantry regiments, and two infantry battalions to the Union Army.
The state lost 119 officers and 1946 enlisted men killed, 82 officer and 1393 enlisted men died of wounds, 107 officers and 8906 enlisted men died of disease, 3 officers and 114 enlisted men committed suicide, 12 enlisted men died of sunstroke, 5 enlisted men were murdered, 3 enlisted men were killed after capture, 3 enlisted men were executed by the Confederates, 3 officers and 48 enlisted men died of miscellaneous known causes, 2 officers and 137 enlisted men died of unstated causes, and 21 officers and 685 enlisted men died as prisoners of war making the total 337 officers and 13,252 enlisted men. These figures are only the dead, many times this number were wounded or maimed in battle.

Hasting, Mills County, Iowa  troops that we know about were:

Bartlett, E. H. Vet Surgeon E, 1 Cavalry
Carkins, Levi 7
Chapman, W. A. Sergeant E, 4 Cavalry
Coover, F. M. Corporal B, 46 Infantry
Hammond, W. H. 1 Lieutenant A, 5 Infantry
Knights, H. G. Private E, 32 Infantry
Larkin, John Sergeant B, 40 Infantry
Leland, D. W. Private I, 24 Infantry
Milner, Samuel L. Private E, 25 Infantry
Morledde, R. R Sergeant K, 4 Infantry
Pearson, Ira A. Private I, 33 Infantry
Pruyn, J. W. Sergeant F, 24 Infantry
Raddick, D. J. Private B, 5 Cavalry
Ritcheson, James Private K, 4 Cavalry
Vastine, William Private C, 8 Infantry
Williams, Albert J. Private C, 3 Cavarly
Wilson, C. W. Corporal A, 8 Infantry
Work, George F. Private B, 5 Infantry
Wright, Geo D. H, 147 Infantry

Do we know where Uncle John lived in Illinois during the war?

Wow!  Joe, you really know your Civil War history!  I'm impressed!  I checked Rebello on John V. Morse's whereabouts during the 1860s.  He had moved to Minnesota first (in 1854).  He was there for a year and then moved to Illinois, where he lived for 14 years.  That would take him through the Civil War period.  In 1865, he was in Fall River, but apparently only for a visit.  Rebello has Morse "returning" to IOWA in 1869-70; however, he previously said Morse had been living in Illinois, not Iowa.  (Hoffman's YIOFR also says Morse lived in Illinois, but that could have been picked up from Rebello. However, Hoffman also includes the information that Morse was a farmer and butcher in Illinois.)  During questioning in 1892, Morse said he had gone west about 20 years before and settled in Hastings, Iowa.  There seems to be no evidence that Rebello used any Illinois sources in his research.  Could the "Illinois" reference be simply a misprint?  If Morse was 59 at the time of the murders, he would have been in his late twenties when the Civil War began.  Unlike Andrew Borden, he had no family and no sick wife and wasn't an only son.  So we might indeed wonder why he didn't see service.

I checked the online census for Morse's time in Illinois and could not find him living there.  But, the way census enumerators took down names, it could have been spelled Mouse
Maybe Uncle John raised cattle for the troops?  Horses?  Mules?  Or he invested the 500 bucks to buy a substitute.  OR, he may have served a tour and that still needs to be investigated.  Maybe I will do that. 

In his Inquest Testimony (p.95) Morse says he first went west about 38 years previous -- and after about a year in Minnesota, "came from there to Mc--- County, Illinois."  Is this the possible 'misprint' you're referring to, Edisto?  (It does appear that the stenographer/typist was having some difficulty at that point when he/she was unable to decipher the name of the county.)

However, that doesn't explain the fourteen years reference or Hoffman's information that Morse was a farmer and butcher in Illinois, either.

Sometimes I wonder why I post at all, really.  This isn't helping, is it?

[Edit here:  Good Golly Miss Mollie (O'Meara!)--there's 2  posts I missed...if we dupe, so sorry!].

INQUEST
MORSE
Pg. 95
Q.  How long have you been in the West?
A.  Since I first went West?

Q.  Yes.
A.  I think about 38 years.

Q.  What part of the west?
A.  When I first went West I went  to Minnesota, stayed about a  year, and came from there to McC--- County Illinois.

Q.  Where have you spent the largest portion of your time?
A.  The largest portion I guess in Iowa, Hastings, Mills County.

Q.  Is that your last residence in the West?
A.  Yes, my property is there.

Q.  Did you come here with the intention of remaining here?
A.  I rented my farm for one year. I did not know how long I might stay. I calculated to stay, then I rented it for another year.

Q.  Where did you come to here first?
A.  Warren, Rhode Island.

Q.  Who did you know there?
A.  I have an Uncle there.

Q.  No relative of Mrs. Borden?
A.  No, brother to my father.

Q.  On the other side?
A.  Yes Sir.

Q.  Then that is Uncle to Mrs. Borden too?
A.  Yes Sir.

Q.  What is his name?
A.  Charles.

Q.  Charles Borden?                            
A.  No, Morse.

Q.  How long did you stay there?
A.  I guess about a year and a half.

Q.  When did you first come to see Mr.  A.J. Borden?
A.  After I came back this time from the West, do you mean?

--excuse the lengthy paste, but once I started reading his whereabouts I couldn't stop.  I have this phenomanal(sp) capability, thanks to Stef and Harry to WORD SEARCH items in testimony.
Now we know where Rebello got his info.  I figured we still had 14 years to account for as to Morse, no matter Where he had lived.
--Edisto, thanks for your Rebello cite: It says Morse moved around; lived with Other people; no fixed address tho he owned property; traveled east yearly (?); was east c. 1865, year Lincoln was assasinated, 
--HOW would the government FIND him to Draft him?  Is that why he was such a rolling stone?

--Joe, amazing information!  And I want you to know, when I am presented with a list of dead, from/for my country, I READ Every Name.  That's the least I can do.

--William:  I have a project for you!!! 
*Needed--one brilliant person (or married to a brilliant person) to REFUTE Lincoln's many assertions that turn out to be false or in error*.....and publish it!


(Message last edited Jul-22nd-02  7:02 PM.)

I find that John Morse, head of household, is listed in the 1840 census for McLean County, Ill. John V. would have been only 8 years old when that census was taken in the summer of 1840. So was his father's name John, too?  Or is this a different family altogether?  The census shows a male age 10-15, a male age 50-60, 4 females ages 50-60, 10-15, 15-20, and 20-30.  Plus a couple of slaves.  No occupation shown for head of house.
The 1860 census for McLean County is 178 pages long, so I don't want to scour that just yet.
Joe

Knowlton Papers
Pg. 454
"MORSE, ANTHONY
(1800 - 1878) : born in Somerset, Massachusetts, son of Captain Joseph and Sarah Lawton (Vinnicum) Morse. He was the father of Sarah A. (Morse) Borden and John V. Morse. He was first married to Miss Rhody Morrison in 1822 and, following her death, Miss Hannah C. Almy. At the time of his death, he was a resident of Girard, Illinois."

Pg. 455
"MORSE, JOHN VINNICUM
(1833 - 1912) : born in Somerset*, Massachusetts, son of Anthony and Rhody (Morrison) Morse. As a young man, he was employed for two years by Charles and Isaac Davis in their meat business in Westport, Massachusetts. At the age of twenty-two, he moved to Illinois, remaining there fourteen years before settling in Iowa, where he was engaged in the horse trade. It was his custom to travel east each summer and visit Fall River and New Bedford, Massachusetts. He was a familiar figure in those two cities, kept a boat in New Bedford and enjoyed fishing. He promised himself early in his career that, when he retired, he would spend the rest of his days in comfort. Having been a successful businessman, he was able to do so. He died in Hastings, Iowa. An uncle to the Misses Emma L. and Lizzie A. Borden, he was visiting at 92 Second Street at the time of the murders. A witness at the inquest, preliminary trial and final trial of his niece, he provided testimony of his intimate knowledge of events within the Borden household."

--* (Our) Morse was born in Fall River.  It was assurred to me by one who had seen his birth certificate.  However, in the Fall River papers his death announcement wongly stated Somerset--which may be how the error occurred in the Knowlton Papers.
--I had read but not verified that there were originally 11 Morse Children.  This may include 1/2 siblings.




(Message last edited Jul-23rd-02  8:03 PM.)

Have you noticed how often Morse doesn't exactly answer the qustion that was asked, but makes up his own question and answers it?  I know someone asked him if he was a trifle deaf, and he responded (typically) that he thought he could hear as well as anyone, but I wonder if he really could.  (I live with somebody like that.  We have a lot of surreal conversations.)

Oooooo,Kat!!!  I missed part of your post, the part of someone publishing an article refuting Victoria Lincoln's claims!  Oh, if I had the energy, time, and resources I would like to take a stab at it myself!  Is Lincoln still alive? 

According to Rebello (page 368), Victoria Lincoln died in 1981, at the age of 74.  She donated her remains to science.

Thanks, Edisto.  I wasn't sure, but, I thought that she had passed away already. 

Yes, we can kick ol' Vicky around all we wish.  However, she did leave three offspring, and some of them are probably still living, inasmuch as she died only 21 years ago.  Her family lived in Baltimore at the time of her death.  There were also a number of great-granchildren.  I'm only kidding about kicking her around.  I think any author who gets the facts wrong should expect to have someone refute them.  I read a quotation about the Borden case recently (I believe in Kent's "Forty Whacks): "If you want to get misinformation about the Borden case, read a book."  Then Kent went on to say Andrew Borden was 72 when he died, etc.

I have to wonder if that was Kent's mistake or if it was a proofreader's error, something that they let slip by?  I have to dig to find my Kent book right now, I'm curious as to how the sentence was worded.  Definite mistake of Kent's or something that we can maybe let him slide on?

And I don't know that I would want to kick old Vicky all over the place, incorrect as her book is, it has always been an enjoyable read for me.  But, there are some glaring mistakes in it given as fact, quite a task for someone to take on! 

It's easy to find, because it appears on page 1.  It's in the first sentence of the second paragraph on the page, which is also the last:
"Andrew Jackson Borden, 72, was the president of one of Fall River's major banks..."  I certainly take "72" to be his age, although of course it may be a proofreader's error.  Later on, however, he gives Andrew's correct age, so he apparently did know it.  There are other errors in the book too.  He describes Andew as "gaunt," when the autopsy shows he was well-nourished.  -And he's the one (or maybe one of the ones) to say Andrew sold eggs on the street.  I don't know that's really a fact, though it does make an interesting story.

The picture of a live Andy certainly show "gauntness" for one of the richest men in town: not a "bloated capitalist"? Is the term relative?

I think *well-nourished* is a Medical Determination, made by a doctor at autopsy.

But, in comparison, you're right, Rays...I'm now trying to picture a Big and Tall Andy!
If he had indulged to the point of rotundness he'd be alive today(that's a dumb joke...)

(Message last edited Jul-31st-02  7:55 PM.)

Do not mistake the medical code word "well nourished" for the common language term! I'm not in that line of work, but "well nourished" sounds like a code word for "the subject did not die of starvation".
That was much more common prior to the 1940s, IMO. But we may see it yet again with the "Bush Prosperity". Pardon my sarcasm, please.