1. "The kerchief/cloth question - was anyone else confused?"
Posted by Bob Gutowski on May-13th-02 at 11:09 AM

Since Jay (my spouse) and I made such great time heading for the Cape on Friday, on the way to a family wedding, he asked me if I'd like to stop off in Fall River(which we hadn't planned), so we headed for the Historical Society.  Anna, the very sweet lady who runs the gift shop remembered us, and I picked up a few videotapes to replace my home-taped versions of various documentaries.  I ran into Michael Martins, and we chatted briefly.  As I was returning to the gift shop, I recalled a discussion we were having here about the old handkerchief/cloth preserved at the Society, and I went back and caught Michael before he returned to the Archive downstairs.  It turns out that the light-colored piece of cloth found next to Abby's body (and seen in the photo) is NOT the piece of cloth they have in their possession.  The piece they have is paisley-figured, and as for the question of whether Abby was wearing it on her head, Michael told me that there were hairpins still in it (as in the hairpiece)!  It's no longer on display in the case in the Borden room, as it hasn't aged well.  The light-colored piece of cloth next to the body may have indeed been an old handerchief of Andrew's, or just a rag, but it was not preserved.  This solved the confusion I'd felt all these years after reading the books and hearing about Abby's housework and attire, and then seeing what was very obviously NOT a nearly white piece of cloth in that display cabinet. 

This may or my not be germane to this discussion, but Anna then added that she had been told that in those days it was not uncommon for a woman to wash her hair only once a month or so.        

WoW.
This is really interesting!
So the cloth in the photo was NOT preserved...
And Abby DID wear a cloth on her head when doing housework?
BUT...was the cloth with hairpins bloody (from that day) or an interesting piece of Abby's found later, (possibly in her room), with no relation to the crime?

Martins seemed very certain that she had been wearing it that morning, for what it's worth.

Wow, Bob, that is an interesting find!  And you can't see it in any of the photos of Abby, just that ratty old hankie of Andrew's.  Where was this do-rag found exactly?  Did Michael Martins say?  And its been said that Abby only wore a do-rag when she swept, but, not when dusting.  Very interesting stuff! 

Do we have more than one handkerchief to account for?

It seems as if there was the light-colored handkerchief, and then also a "dark-colored handkerchief"?  Found in two different places, with two different uses?

In the Trial, pg. 439, Officer Allen testifies the handkerchief collected as evidence "...was lying fromMrs. Borden's feet toward the window."
...........
Q: ...please state, if you can do so, the position of that handkerchief as it lay on the floor in reference to the window and the woman's feet, that is, which was the nearer?
A: It was lying about the same distance, I should think, from the window as from her feet, about middle way
Q: That is, about as far from the handkerchief to the window as from the hankerchief to the feet?
A: Yes sir.  It was wet in blood and lying in a --- just as you have it now

Trial, pg. 858, Dr. Dolan is asked:
Q: Where did you find the handkerchief, near the head?
A: Almost touching it, nearer the wall than the head
...................
Q: It was a dark colored handerchief?
A: Yes sir
....................
Q: How near her head was the handkerchief?.....
A: It was quite near.  The hands were in there between the head and the handerchief
...................
Trial, pg. 1238, Bridget
"Mrs. Borden used to use handkerchiefs the same as dusters is."
...................
The handkerchief was buried with the bloody clothing and dug up.
Trial, pg. 1927 lists items offered as evidence:
"Handkerchief found by Mrs. Borden's body"

--Do we have a light-colored handkerchief and a dark one?  The FRHS implies 2 handkerchiefs.
Officer Allen see's it near the feet and the window?
Dr. Dolan see's one near the head= handkerchief/hands/head, lying in that order.
--Can we find 2 in the pictures?  Or is this a misunderstanding?





(Message last edited Jun-7th-02  12:15 AM.)

Boy, this IS getting confusing!  Officer Allen testifies to finding a blood soaked handkerchief by Abby's left foot, near the window.  Obviously it doesn't appear in the photo.

Then Dr. Dolan testifies that he found a dark colored handkerchief between Abby's head and the wall, it also doesn't appear in the photo.  Do you think that maybe it was a blood soaked hankie and it just appeared a dark colored one to Dr. Dolan.  I'm sure by the time he examined Abby the blood would probably be dry.

And then, there is the photo of Abby with the bed removed and there appears to be a WHITE hankie lying just beneath her right elbow.  I thought that maybe it was just one of the flowers from the carpet and blew up the image and the white color goes up over Abby's dress, so, it is definetly something lying there!

So, are there possibly 3 handkerchiefs?  One bloody, one dark colored, and one white one?  Confusion!

When Bridget sees Abby dusting downstairs 'that' morning, she says Abby doesn't have anything on her head.  Why would she have something on her head to go up and change the pillow slips? 

Some of these crime scene photos were taken at different times.  If we don't see one of the hankies by Abby's head, or by her feet, it was probably already picked up by then.  I agree with Susan.  That big white one that looks at first glance like one of the carpet's flowers by her side doesn't sound like either of the ones in court. 

Are those hairpins I see and possibly a hair comb in Abby's hair in this last photo posted???  I'd never seen those before!  I heard she had hairpins, tho. 

I don't see why hankies found at the crime scene couldn't be the murderers', used on his/her head as a covering.  I'd not worry if I left it there, thinking people would just think it was Abby's. 

I wonder why Mr. Martins thinks it was Abby's.  Is he playing it safe with his theories because it can probably never be proven whose it is?  Why don't they test it for DNA?

If they tested it for DNA, whose DNA would they use for comparison purposes?  (One DNA sample wouldn't mean much by itself.)

They still have the stomach contents of the Bordens, don't they?  Or is it the tag they still have?  There are spots of Abby's blood on the white guest room bedspread.  The clothes - wherever they are.  Didn't they take carpet samples to use for exhibits too?

There is only ONE handkerchief entered into evidence, just to be precise.  (It's not a question of  "either of the ones in court", sorry.)
It's described as dark colored, old silk, some shredding from wear, "blood on it", tattered.  Buried and dug up.

Then we SEE the one in the photo which does not look dark colored or bloody.

There may be only 2 as the one we see may have been moved, the part Allen saw as "wet in blood" may not be showing...

Can Bob explain any more about the Hysterical Society's views on the handkerchief  question?

(Message last edited Jun-7th-02  11:28 PM.)

But, Kat, doesn't it seem strange to you that if they found a bloody handkercheif at Abby's head, or by her feet, the doctors or officers may have examined it, but, not place it back in the general vicinity it came from for the photographs?  Why would they throw it down by Abby's side if it didn't come from there?  Or, do you think it just might be one of the towels or rags that the doctors were wiping their hands on whilst examining her body and no one thought to move it for the photo?

At the onset of my Bordenmania, I thought that the crime photos were verbatim, now I see that they are not.  The crime scenes themselves have been altered, things moved and removed.  That white cloth by Abby's side is driving me crazy now!

(Message last edited Jun-9th-02  3:57 PM.)

Found this blurb about one of the hankies in Augusta's excellent report on the Lizzie Borden Trial summeries:

"A police official(George Allen, the first to arrive at the scene) testified that when he saw Lizzie on Wednesday she was cool and gave no evidence of crying, he also exhibited a handkerchief stained with blood which he found near Mrs. Borden's body."  (LB Sourcebook, page 231.)

"It was a blood saturated handkerchief found near Mrs. Borden's body.  It is believed to have been worn by Mrs. Borden on her head while at her housework and when she was murdered.  The old policeman went through the house and noticed that the front door was doubly or trebly locked.  Upstairs in the guest chamber       he saw a handkerchief close to Mrs. Borden's body.  It lay near her feet and reaching out toward the door."

"District Attorney Moody took up a paper parcel and opened it before the witness.  Out of the paper he took a large bandana handkerchief that was all but CUT or TORN to shreds, and that was all but stiff and wholly discolored with dried blood.  In carrying this exhibit about the Essex District Attorney held it widely opened so that it hung like a scarlet banner before the general gaze.  Then it was that the prisoner turned her head directly away from the horrible object.  She cast her eyes down to the floor."

Very interesting, the shredded or cut bandana sized hankie was found near Abby's feet leading out towards the door and was saturated with blood!  Is this what they have on display at the FRHS? 

(Message last edited Jun-9th-02  4:33 PM.)