Eric Ethier's Book

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mbhenty
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Eric Ethier's Book

Post by mbhenty »

:smile:

Just received my copy of Eric Ethier's book: TRUE CRIME:MASSACHUSETTS, which was just published.

The book is softcover and contains 115 pages which 15 are segregated for the Borden murders.

The publication is part of a series of TRUE CRIME published by Stackpole Books, including 5 other books on states including New Jersey, illinois, Maryland, Penn. and Conn. (www.STACKPOLEBOOKS.COM)

In this issue, MR ETHEIR looks at 7 different True Crime accounts, including Big Dans, Sacco and Venzetti, The Brinks Job, The Boston Strangler, The Stuart Murder, and The Benedict Murder.

The actual Borden section is 20 pages long. Fifteen of them are a narrative of the crime and 5 more are of 7 questions given to Shelley Dziedzic in the way of an interview.

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But, of course, we here on the forum are interested in the Lizzie Borden Case, primarily. I just received the book in the mail tonight and have only read the portion on the Borden Case.

One of our favorite veins of approach here on LBSF is whether it is a good read and if the author got it right.

Eric Ethier does a decent job with his brief but concise account. He fits in a lot of information in 15 pages. The writing style is direct, coherent, and easy to read. Ethier moves us from one time-line into another quite quickly. At times events appear to run into each other. But, trying to get in as much information as the author did, this probably could not be avoided. But for us Borden scholars, it is easy enough to sort out, and for new readers of the case, does not take away from the account. All-in-all, well written.
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THAT BEING SAID:

Like every other writer on the case, Mr Ethier does subscribe to some popular beliefs and long accepted misnomers.

Now, let's take some of these apart. Let us do what we do best here on LAB.

I do take exception with a few things, and down-right disagree with Mr. Ethier on a couple of others.

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First one: The author describes the mill community in Fall River as a one time "Commercial Fishing Center. Fall River has never been a fishing center. He was wrong about that one. Probably got us mixed up with the trial city of New Bedford.

Second one: He describes Fall River mill workers living in "Brick" tenement mill housing. The majority, if not all mill housing in Fall River was made of Wood, not brick. They could have been made of Brick in R.I., where the author lives or in Lowell or Lawrence, but not in Fall River.

Third one: Author claims that Andrew Borden "worked as a casket salesman for a city company." Selling caskets was actually done while he worked for Borden and Almy. Not a private city company. (?)

Fourth one: That 92 Second Street was cramped. Authors love to spread this one. Ninty two is actually a good size house. It has 4 bedrooms, a dinning room, a parlor, a sitting room, kitchen, and a walk-in closet in the Borden bedroom, to make no mention of the rooms on the third level. If you think 92 is cramped......compare it to where you live now. The only thing wrong with the Borden house was sleeping arrangements between Lizzie and Emma.

Fifth one: Maplecroft was a mansion. Authors love to embellish and call it a mansion which it was not. When she purchased Maplecroft it was a grand big house. Crammed onto a very small lot, no garage. It was about the size of a smaller 3 decker. Maplecroft was not a mansion.

Sixth one: Telephone service was common. Yes it was all over the city, mostly down town area. But if 3% of the population had phone service it would surprise me. The way it is worded by the author is that they should have had a phone because phone service was "common". No it was not. With the exception of business and call boxes and the rich, telephones were still very new.

Seventh one: Neighbors were irritated by Lizzie naming her house. There is no proof of this. Two blocks west is another house that is named and three blocks northeast was another. There were probably more named homes in Lizzie's day. No big deal. I just don't believe it. Someone's assumption or newspaper man's embellishment.

Last one: "Driven to tears Lizzie had denied.........." Here the author reports that Lizzie was driven to tears when asked by Knowlton about poison at the Inquest. Correct me if I'm wrong. But, I can't remember reading anywhere where Lizzie was driven to tears. Especially not under the influence of morphine.

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Of course this is why this site exists. To debunk confusion and error and to set the record straight. But sometimes one serious mistake or misjudgement can negate the entire narrative. I don't think that is true in the case of Mr Eric Ethier's account. If so, I hope it was made straight here.




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andrea
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Post by andrea »

Another book to add to my wish list! Sounds like a must-have despite the aforementioned inaccuracies :wink: And since I live in Pennsylvania, I'll have to check out the volume that covers PA.

Thank you for posting this!
Really, I don't know - I am away so much myself.... L.A. Borden
mbhenty
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Post by mbhenty »

:smile:

Yes Andrea, your welcome......

ANOTHER ERROR I left out was the declaration that LIZZIE BORDEN GRADUATED FROM HIGH SCHOOL.

There was no proof or record that Lizzie graduated. The truth is that she left high school in her junior year. There are School Committee records that show this.

This being said: there is no proof that Emma graduated either, (record) but she must have, since it is believed she went on to Finishing School in Norton, Ma.

Though it has been written (?) that Emma attended Finishing School, authorities at Wheaton College, in Norton have set the record straight and have stressed that Wheaton was never a Finishing School but a College. So Emma attended a little more than a year away at college. Cool.


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Below is an excerpt from AMAZON.

The history of criminal offence in Pennsylvania is documented in this book, beginning with a general survey of crime in the state and then focusing on its headline cases. Included are Philadelphia and Pittsburgh mob activities, the 20-year hunt for killer Ira Einhorn, the murder of Philadelphia-area schoolteacher Susan Reinert, the Freeman teenagers in Allentown who stabbed their parents to death, and the tragic shootings at the Nickel Mines Amish school.



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mbhenty
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Post by mbhenty »

:smile:

That is the problem with generic publications such as this one, that tries to cover a large field of study.

For a reader and student of the Borden Crime, such as myself, it was easy picking such a book apart.

The only problem is, if he got this much wrong, what else did he get wrong in the other accounts.

This is what happens when you use other writers accounts as research.

Writing a non-fiction book is no quick or trivial endeavor. There are no short cuts to the countless hours of research and foot work one must do to get it right.

I'm sure that Mr Ethier did quite a bit of it. Unfortunately he went to the wrong sources......though I must admit I enjoyed reading it.

Assertions such as Maplecorft being a mansion, or 92 being cramped, can pass for very subjective statements and thus be excused.

But there is no excuse in stating that Lizzie graduated from High School, or that Fall River was a fishing village with brick tenement houses when none of these things were true.

Sometimes it is so much easier writing fiction.

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Shelley
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Post by Shelley »

I had an email recently from the author saying "you'll probably have some issues with the chapter on the Bordens. But I doubt if most readers will."
I did and I do. On the plus side, he is a nice enough guy, trying to make it as a writer, and got about 94% of what I actually said to him accurately recorded. That is a small miracle. What he wrote on the case on his own was less successful as is cited in postings above.
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andrea
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Post by andrea »

Thank you for the excerpt for the PA volume :smile: The only name listed there that I recognize is Susan Reinert - I'm not familiar with the others.
Really, I don't know - I am away so much myself.... L.A. Borden
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Post by augusta »

Thanks for the posts about the book, mb. I don't see how those famous, famous cases can be covered well in 115 pages.

I don't think anyone can write a good Lizzie book without going to Fall River and without touring the murder house. Maybe more than once.

The casket salesman line might have meant that Andrew didn't make the caskets himself; he bought them from another company and sold them. But it was an unnecessary thing to say and leads to confusion (maybe my own as well).

The house, I think, was claustrophobic because of the doors and locks and no hallways. I had read the layout of the house for years, but I never appreciated how awful that must have been to live in until I actually went inside. "Cramped"? No, I guess not.

Well, that's one book I'm not gonna buy.

:study: Please give to the Edwin Porter grave marker fund.
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Shelley
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Post by Shelley »

It surely is not a comprehensive book to be sure, nor was it intended to be. There is a series of these books. I would call it an appetizer on the menu- and far from the entree and dessert. The benefit of such publications is that it peaks interest in the reader to find out more about specific cases they may not have heard of before with the basic and bare bones facts. I had a letter from the author saying "You will find fault I am sure with the pages on the Bordens"- and he was correct- and I did.
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