Ruth Bodwell's Piece

nbcatlover · Post by **nbcatlover** » Fri Sep 09, 2005 3:39 pm

Took 35-Year Hope to Grave" in Kent's Sourcebook (pp. 354-355). Does this represent an interview with Helen Leighton or someone else? Does anyone know the back-story on this piece?

nbcatlover · Post by **nbcatlover** » Fri Sep 09, 2005 3:40 pm

P. S. I shouldn't be allowed to play with italics!

Kat · Post by **Kat** » Sat Sep 10, 2005 4:42 am

It looks like what happened was that you italicised the first italics. :-)

I think it might be Helen Leighton. She came to be Lizzie's friend after the trial. I've seen Grace Hartley Howe's comments on Lizzie and they seemed to always be the same- and very short, at that. This is something I can barely read, but I had read it before, elsewhere:
Boston Herald, 8-5-1942, "Cousin Defends Lizzie Borden."

"Lizzie Borden was the most kind-hearted and charitable woman that I knew. The time has come that she might well be allowed to rest in peace...True, she did not mingle much with her people, but she maintained a keen interest in Fall River and did a large amount of annonymous charity work...I know of several cases where she __ young people through college and she gave much money to animal shelters, including a large bequest in her will to The Animal Resque League."

That's about it.
It's listed in Rebello and the BPL has been asked for it because it seems to be an important *interview*, whereas this is about it. The rest is filling, background.

nbcatlover · Post by **nbcatlover** » Sun Sep 11, 2005 10:43 pm

I was curious about the Bodwell piece because it said that Lizzie "was never congenial" with Emma and "never had they been happy together."

This is not the image of the 2 sisters we usually get.

augusta · Post by **augusta** » Sun Sep 25, 2005 1:00 am

Is "Ruth Bodwell" the reporter who got that article out of Grace Howe? I am 90% sure that was Grace Howe. She was still alive then, and they must have been close. She lived in Fall River, moved to Washington DC when her husband, Louis, worked for FDR, and returned to live in Fall River after his death, until she died in the 1950's. I wonder if visiting Grace was one of the reasons Lizzie went to Washington DC a bit. But I'm not sure if the dates match up. Lizzie might have been dead when Louis Howe went to DC.

I was also surprised, nb, about that part about the sisters' relationship. An interesting insight.

Kat · Post by **Kat** » Sun Sep 25, 2005 3:05 am

What about the article leads you to believe it is Grace Howe speaking?
I've not seen anything in any depth from Grace Howe in the papers. She was pretty circumspect and politically correct in her views on Lizzie, at least in the newspapers.

augusta · Post by **augusta** » Sun Sep 25, 2005 10:46 am

I would think it would be her or Helen Leighton. I think Lizzie was very close to Grace Howe and, having been in the public eye a lot, Grace may have been more accessible for an interview. Look who got what in Lizzie's will. No proof - just a guess.

nbcatlover · Post by **nbcatlover** » Mon Sep 26, 2005 5:45 pm

Just adding this link because it mentions Grace briefly. Article is a remembrance of Old Westport and also mentions the Tripp family and Almy's farm briefly (strictly for the trivia-obsessed Bordenite).

http://www.leesmarket.com/History/bicen ... dfield.htm

nbcatlover · Post by **nbcatlover** » Mon Sep 26, 2005 5:46 pm

Just adding this link because it mentions Grace briefly. Article is a remembrance of Old Westport and also mentions the Tripp family and Almy's farm briefly (strictly for the trivia-obsessed Bordenite).

http://www.leesmarket.com/History/bicen ... dfield.htm