1. "August 4th Fall River"
Posted by Tracie on Aug-5th-02 at 1:12 PM

Hi folks this was on the front page of the Fall River Herald Sunday August 4th. 

 
110 years -- no answers



MILTON J. VALENCIA, Herald News Staff Reporter August 04, 2002



Tourists watch as Lizzie settles her father down for a long, and as it turned out, permanent nap, in a re-creation of the day of the infamous Borden axe murders, 110 years later.

FALL RIVER -- It was 110 years ago today when Andrew J. and Abby D. Borden were bludgeoned to death in their home at 92 Second St.
Still today, the legend of this mysterious, unsolved crime lives on.

And, on Saturday, so did the story behind the killings, at a live re-enactment of the murders at the historic home, now called the Lizzie Borden Museum.

The museum has hosted a re-enactment every anniversary of the killings since it opened in 1996. The live shows will be held again today, and are held every half hour beginning at 11 a.m. The last tour is at 2:30 p.m.

"Bridget, Bridget, come down quick, someone's killed father," screamed Shelly Dziedzic, portraying the 32-year-old, unmarried Lizzie Borden, the only person charged in the murder. She was acquitted after a 13-day trial that shocked the residents of this old manufacturing city.

Andrew J. Borden, played by Ed Thibault, was considered a wealthy man at the time of the murders. He was worth more than $300,000, according to museum tour guide Jennifer Messier. She said that matches up to $12 million today.

According to what the museum called the factual account of events, Andrew Borden had left the family breakfast that hot summer morning to conduct business in downtown Fall River. He returned soon afterward, complaining he was sick. The whole family had said it was sick, Messier said, and it was probably from the 3-day-old mutton broth house maid Bridget Sullivan had prepared. Messier said Abby Borden had even suspected her milk had been poisoned.

After the house maid -- played by Allison Duperre -- had unlocked the front door for Mr. Borden when he returned, she went to her bedroom in the attic to rest.

Lizzie Borden had supposedly helped her father get comfortable on the couch in the sitting room, where he wanted to rest. She told her father that his wife, Abby Borden, Lizzie's stepmother, had received a note from a sick friend and went to tend to that friend.

Lizzie Borden told investigators she then went to the barn to look for sinkers, because she was to go fishing the next day. Borden told investigators she spent about 20 minutes there, and grabbed three pears from the pear tree in the yard.

Emma Borden, Lizzie's sister, was supposedly visiting friends in Fairhaven. John Morse, the girls' uncle on their original mother's side, had left breakfast that morning to visit relatives and did not return until police and news reporters had arrived.

And Bridget Sullivan was sleeping in her attic bedroom until Lizzie Borden supposedly called her in horror, after finding her father axed to death on the sitting room couch. Abby Borden -- played by Sally McGinn -- was later found lying face-down in Morse's bedroom, on the second floor, axed 19 times.

Mrs. Borden was still in house clothes, which was unusual considering she was supposed to have left the house to tend to her sick friend. No one ever found that note from the friend, however, even though a reward was offered, said tour guide Diane Travers.

The actors portray the murder scene according to the facts, and don't implicate any of the people in the house at the time, considering the murder was never solved, said Martha McGinn, owner of the museum. She said it is the same way the museum has tried to illustrate the scene and story behind these infamous murders, during its regular tours.

McGinn said there are too many myths and rumors about the murders, but the museum strictly stays to the facts.

"We're just glad we've made a lot more people aware of it," McGinn said. "There are people out there who have these misconceptions."

Even Travers said the tour guides only talk about what they know is true, and the actors only portray the alibis that came out in trial.

"They really do a good job with it," McGinn said.

But there are little details they each find peculiar, Travers said, such as the story that Morse returned to find reporters and policeman crowding the yard and home, but thought nothing of it and went straight to the pear tree.

Sullivan, the house maid, eight years later bought a farm for her parents in Ireland.

Why was Emma in Fairhaven, when she rarely left her home for more than a few days?

And where were the cores to the pears Lizzie Borden supposedly picked from a tree and ate while her parents were murdered?

Milton J. Valencia may be reached at mvalencia@heraldnews.com.

©The Herald News 2002 

Well Done, Intrepid Re-reporter!
Thanks so much for taking me there when I couldn't otherwise go...

It seems as if the "group" who may have taken over the house on the anniversary in prior years, did not do so this time?

Who is this mysterious group?  I realize that the B&B is in it to make money, but, what about the rest of the Bordenites who might like a chance to stay there on August 4th? 

I've heard the story of this mysterious group from at least three separate sources, including one at the house itself.  My husband tried to book for August 4 and was told that was impossible.  We managed to get Halloween instead, which is supposedly the second most popular time.  A group might well have taken all the rooms (I don't know if this includes the less popular attic rooms).  The day tours take place no matter who's in residence, and this reenactment might have been part of those.  -Or there might have been a special reenactment in the evenings.  There was something similar at Halloween in 1998.  Tickets could be purchased just for that soiree; one didn't need to be staying at the house.

Very interesting post!  I certainly hope the folks at the house are trying to be more accurate in their reporting of the case.  That surely wasn't true when I visited there, and a tape made a year or so ago showed they were still at it.  I recall one person (Michelle?) saying that Lizzie wore Andrew's coat back-to-front while committing the murders.  That's supposition, not fact.  There seem to be a few inaccuracies in the newspaper story too.  (Lizzie was going fishing the next day?  Bridget bought a farm for her parents in Ireland?)  It's amusing that Sally McGinn played Abhy during the reenactment.  I certainly hope she hasn't porked up enough to be a plausible Abby! 

(Message last edited Aug-6th-02  11:04 AM.)

I don't know why, but, this just made me think that if there ever was another Borden movie made, I think that Sissy Spacek might be a really good choice to play our Lizzie.  I believe that she is all of 5'4" tall herself, a bit on the thin side, but, with padding and make-up I think she could pull it off!