1. "Follow The Money"
Posted by Kat on Mar-2nd-03 at 1:24 AM

If Lizzie committed the crime and her motive was partly or mostly money, then if we follow the money we may get some insight into what was important to her, and her relationships with others.

In this way examining the wills of Morse & Emma & Lizzie might give us more clues then we've really discussed before.

I keep coming back to that odd arrangement made between the sisters, in writing, when Emma left Maplecroft.
It seems that this agreement might hold some key to the personality of each, since they obviously both signed it.
My question has always been:  Why would Lizzie have to pay Emma who chose not to stay there in that house?  They divided other property, I believe, yet this dual ownership of Maplecroft stands?  Even though Emma lives anyplace BUT there?  Why didn't Lizzie buy out Emma unless they thought the estrangement might be temporary?
What was so sacred about The French Street House that was not so sacred as to the A. J. Borden Building, when the division of That was attempted in 1923?

There are many questions here and since these are their father's daughters, we might find out about Andrew while we look at how his money was spent or invested by his progeny...

To refresh memories, here, from Rebello, 312, is the Agreement:

Agreement

"Whereas Emma L. Borden and Lizzie A. Borden, of Fall River, Massachusetts, all equal owners in common of a certain lot of land containing about 34 5/8 rods of land and a dwelling house, thereon numbered 306 French Street, in said Fall River, and also of certain personal property located in said house, said lot being the same purchased by them of Charles M. Allen.

Now therefore we the said Emma L. Borden and Lizzie A. Borden do hereby covenant and agree, the one with the other as follows to wit, --

1. Said Lizzie shall have the right to exclusively use and occupy said premises and property as a home and place of residence so long as she chooses to do so during her natural life upon condition however that during such time she shall and does pay all water bills and taxes, make and pay for all necessary repairs in connection with the premises and property, keep the undivided half of said Emma in said premises and property insured against fire in the sum of sixty-hundred dollars ---, also $4,000 on the house and $2,000 on the contents ---, and also pay unto said Emma one hundred and fifteen dollars every six months for such use and occupation, the first payment to be made January first A.D. 1906 for six months in advance. .
2. If said Lizzie shall before her death cease to use or occupy said premises and property as foresaid, then forthwith said house and property shall be put into the hands of Charles C. Cook of said Fall River as broker to sell the same at private sale or public auction as he deems expedient, or in case of his decease, in the hands of some other broker to be designated by Andrew J. Jennings and said personal property shall be divided by the parties, or if they cannot agree upon a division, be sold in the same manner as the real estate, the proceeds of such sale after deducting expenses to be divided equally between the parties.
3. Neither party shall during life except as thereinbefore, provided sell, mortgage, lease or otherwise dispose of her said undivided interest without consent of the other.
4. Said Emma and Lizzie shall each provide by will or otherwise so that in case the said undivided interest has not been sold or disposed of as aforesaid the same shall go and belong to the other if she survives her.

In witness Whereof we the said Emma L. Borden and Lizzie A. Borden have hereto set our hands and seals this twelfth day of October A.D. 1905."

Emma L. Borden Seal
Lizzie A Borden Seal

LBQ, Jan., 1994, pg. 12

Reproduced here a document that bears Lizzie's signature.

Does this look like a mortgage payoff by the Gardner's?

(Message last edited Mar-2nd-03  2:55 AM.)

I wonder if Emma held the mortgage on Maplecroft?  It seems almost like Lizzie is paying Emma rent from the wording, strange.  Or, paying Emma to keep away? 

The 'law of division' says an heir can sue to get their portion of the inheritance. That means Maplecroft would have to be sold to split this. Lizzie preferred to live there, and pay Emma (who relocated to New Hampshire) far from the Fall River folks, to live hidden. Why?

I believe a lot of the real estate was held in common, other than the few parcels Lizzie bought up in the neighborhood surrounding the French Street property  (Was that after Emma left?).  Lizzie added to Maplecroft's vicinity.

But what's weird too is that Lizzie didn't honor the Agreement after all, which can be found by reading her will.
This makes me wonder if she was royally P.O'd at Emmer, and WHY??

(Message last edited Mar-3rd-03  2:10 AM.)

I think what may have done it for Lizzie was when Emma tried to sell her share of the AJ Borden building.  I'm trying to recall, but, didn't Lizzie create such a stink about it that Emma dropped it?

I wonder if Emma survived Lizzie by a few more years if she would have had any recourse since Lizzie reneged on their legal agreement?  It would be interesting to find out. 

I had thought it was Emma who wanted to sell her share but this is found in Rebello, pg. 307:

" 'Lizzie Borden Asks Division of Fall River Block," Providence Evening Bulletin, May 12, 1923: 3.

Lizzie wanted Probate Court to make an equal distribution of the A. J. Borden Building. She wished to dispose of her share of the property."

1923 and Lizzie was having trouble maybe with upkeeping that property.  Apparently there was a lawsuit against Lizzie (& NOT Emma?) for not honoring a sub-lease, in January.  I wonder if she got tired of stuff like this?  She is there, Emma is not, so Lizzie may just have given up on that building.  By May she filed to split the property.

That makes me wonder if at that point in time that Emma may have sold out her share of the AJ Borden building to Lizzie?  If Emmer wasn't co-named in the lawsuit and her name didn't seem to appear in the paper when Lizzie wanted to sell?  Its strange, Emma wasn't mentioned at all, I wonder why not? 

More Rebello, 307
(Sorry I didn't include more info so you could reach an informed conclusion)  Here is what's missing.  I missed it myself.
It's still a good question as to why Emma wasn't named as co-defendent.  Maybe Lizzie had some Power of Attorney?

" 'Lizzie Borden Files Probate Petition,' Fall River Daily Globe, May 11, 1923: 1.
'Files Action in Probate Court / Lizzie A. Borden for Partition of the Property at Corner of South Main and Anawan Streets,' The Evening Herald, Fall River, MA., May 11, 1923: 1.
'Looking Back: 50 Years, May 11, 1923,' Fall River Herald News, May 11, 1973: 9.

Lizzie Borden filed a petition in Probate Court in Taunton, Massachusetts, claiming certain real estate located on South Main Street in Fall River. The land in dispute was owned jointly by the petitioner and her sister, Emma Borden, and was part of an estate inherited by the sisters when it was settled for $50,000 in 1894."

Ah, thank you, Kat.  So, sounds like another myth bit the dust here tonight, the one about Emmer wanting to sell out.  Girl, you must be butter, cause you on a roll again! 

I don't know.  I'm still confused.
What do they mean "settled for $50,000 in 1894"?

Maybe that is what the building was worth at that point in time when it was signed over to the girls?  How much money did Lizzie and Emma inherit? 

Yes that may be the appraisal value.

Now why does Lizzie not include Emma in her will, and purposely states
"28. I have not given my sister, Emma L. Borden, anything as she had her share of her father's estate and supposed to have enough to make her comfortable." [Rebello, 339]

--So Lizzie has made no provision to satisfy the Agreement as to French Street, and she also uses an odd form of language to denote the relationships between that eternal triangle:

Emma is called "my sister".
and Andrew is designated as (Emma's] father.

"...her father's estate..."
--NOT 'Our father's estate.'...

Well, I personally don't understand all that legal speak, I'd need a lawyer to figure it out for me.  But, it sounds as if Lizzie has totally distanced herself from Emmer, almost as if they are business partners instead of sisters. 

From Rebello
Pg. 344
Part of Emma's Will:

"SIXTH: If my sister, Lizzie A. Borden, shall survive me and I shall own an interest at the time of my death in that tract of land with the dwelling house thereon situated on the northerly side of French Street, in said Fall River, and being the same premises now occupied by my sister and which were purchased by my sister and myself of Charles M. Allen, then I give, devise and bequeath all my right, title and interest in and to said tract of land and the improvements thereon, to my said sister, Lizzie A. Borden, and all my interest in and to the household furniture in said house or upon said premises.
If, however, at the time of my death I shall have disposed of my interest in said tract of land located on French Street and in the contents of the house, and my said sister, Lizzie A. Borden, shall survive me, then I give and bequeath to my said sister the sum of One Thousand Dollars ($1,000)."

--Emma honors the Agreement.  Lizzie makes no provision for it.
Emma also is willing to give Lizzie all the trapments and household goods if she survives Emma.
Emma also is willing to give Lizzie ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS if the house has already been split and shared upon Emma's death, if Lizzie survives her, as a gift.
Lizzie pointedly states in HER Will, as to her sister, Emma:
  "she had her share of her father's estate".

--It almost sounds as if Lizzie is saying something to Emma.  Think of all the ways there are, inflection-wise, to say that statement aloud....
And Lizzie is Witholding 2 things FROM her that Emma is willing to give to Lizzie.
-Does this hint to us-Which sister is P'O'd at the other?

Sure sounds like its Lizzie to me!  Boy, talk about a kick in the pants, from the grave no less!  How cold that statement is when I said it aloud.  I wonder too if Lizzie thought that since Emmer was older than her that she would never have to make any provisions for her in her will?

Still kind of strange that if Emmer sells her half of the house and the stuff inside that I guess she jointly owns to Lizzie.  She will leave Lizzie $1000.00 dollars, why? 

Just a "BTW"...I LOVE that this topic is being discussed.  I poured over those wills a few yrs back, trying to read between the lines & personally thought there was a LOT MORE going on than "legalese".  I have my own opinion to the dynamics between the 2 sisters (based on admittedly "subjective" personal experiences).  Very stimulating to hear other POVs.  Thanks!

Yes with that age difference Lizzie could very well have banked on Emmer dying first.

Here it seems to me, or sounds to me as if Lizzie is bitter.

I remember when I first read this stuff I thought, "OH!  Lizzie has found out she is illigitimate!".  That would account for the *Billie Borden* idea--(close but not quite right) and why the sister's don't seem much alike.  That this is their shameful secret.  Emma can still be "My sister" but Andrew would not be called "Our Father", but "Her Father".

God/dess, I developed a huge theory based on that, and accounted for everything.  But after a while of working on it with Stef's input, she didn't buy it.  it got way involved.

Anyway, now I wonder if Emmer is the one who is involved...that Lizzie took the rap and agreed that if she were convicted Emma would confess.  If Emma did the deed SHE would leave town, and she did, didn't she?  We always wondered why Lizzie didn't leave, but not why Emma DID?  Lizzie stayed and faced things because she knew she was unjustly (somewhat) maligned?  and Emma coudn't face it and crept away?  Not with head held high but with head bowed and with her father's Share, and changed her name and continued going to church?



(Message last edited Mar-6th-03  2:55 AM.)

You make a good point.  Lizzie could have been bitter because she felt that Emmer, her little mother, turned on her and left. Or, it could totally be as you say, Emmer may have done, Lizzie took the rap and was tired of her walking around with a holier-than-thou attitude.  Lizzie may have lashed out at her on a daily basis which caused Emmer to leave when she couldn't take it anymore.

She suddenly got religion, she changed her name, she hid away.  I don't know what the final outcome was of the past discussion of this, true or false, but, didn't Emma towards the end of her life ramble that they would come for her in the night?  Whose they?  The police?  John Morse and Lizzie?  Who? 

The rambling, paranoid Emma thing came from Spiering (the Emma-Done-It book) & I don't think I've heard it confirmed anywhere else.  Altho a lot of sources seem to believe she was "senile".

The "little mother" thing, IMO, was @ the core of the conflict (all else following from there).  I think Emma, carrying that role far into adulthood, drove Liz to distraction. 

Frank Spiering aside, there is NO proof of Emma's guilt before the fact. She must have know who really did it, and supported Lizzie's attempt to NOT be framed for the crime.
The police did send two men to investigate her alibi; it checked out.
The older, thinner Emma is not a good fit for the crime. Too mousy?

(Message last edited Mar-11th-03  3:25 PM.)

Harry, would you be so kind as to post that link you have to the money equivalents...present vs 1892? 

Thank you.

Tina, here's the URL for the inflation calculator:

http://www.westegg.com/inflation/

And thanks for the Fleet notes in another thread.

Thanks, Harry.  This is a great resource tool.  Is it included on Stef's website?

Yr welcome re Fleet.

Yes, it's in the LABVM/L, Lizzie Borden Society section, first set of LINKS.
Lizzie Borden Society Archive, about  31 down, "The Value Of Money Then Vs. Now"
http://www.lizzieandrewborden.com/archive.htm