Hatchet attack in real time...

[irina]

Considering blood patterns and things like that, this week there was a hatchet attack in NYC, as we know. There are pictures of the all metal hatchet with blood streaking down the handle. Of course the situation was much different from the Borden tragedy and fortunately both victims in NYC survived. Chances are more blood would have flowed freely in the recent attack whereas the Bordens were dead fairly rapidly. What I think the current case could show is that there would have been blood on a wooden handle in the Borden case and I would suggest on the hands of the killer and also sleeves if the killer was wearing a garment with sleeves. Lizzie in a chemise wouldn't have sleeves to worry about. A man in dark clothing wouldn't care. Lizzie in a light colored wrapper would have a problem with sleeves I think.

[Curryong]

There almost certainly would have been blood on the handle of any hatchet used. It would have got on a person's hands and perhaps trickled onto the killer's arms. Andrew and Abby died quite quickly without resistance. Doesn't blood sort of ooze like a sponge father than strongly spurt after death? Anyway, if a person were wearing short sleeves (as you've suggested) or extremely wide sleeves, kimono-style) the main blood spatter would be on their hands and lower arms, just requiring a clean-up with soap and water.

[irina]

It's important in this case that Mr. & Mrs. Borden died quickly. Once the heart no longer beats and there is no pressure blood oozes and is influenced by gravity. Blood in the case is more spatter and cast off. The point I was making is that anyone wearing sleeves would have probably had more staining on sleeves than other places, I think. Even kimono sleeves would be a problem unless they were rolled up. I have no problem messing up wide sleeves and dragging them through stuff.

So if Lizzie was guilty sleeves are an issue. Or she was bare-armed in a chemise. Or she really messed up the paint stained wrapper and wore a different dress later. Or something. I have read she had two dresses/wrappers that looked similar but maybe that was an author's idea. (I just noted a vest I own was made by a company called "Wrapper"~got the vest at a yard sale & it's too small for me but I got it because it has real expensive buttons on it & I can use the black velvet fabric in quilting.) Anyway we always think about how she may have been spattered or not and probably not very much. I never thought about sleeves before and I think that is an interesting thought. Not about guilt or innocence, just logistics. SOMEONE committed murder & they wore sleeves or they didn't. Modern T-shirts weren't invented yet.

[Curryong]

Well. of course the police were extremely interested in Lizzie's purchase of blue gingham material on her one and only shopping expedition when she was staying with the Pooles in New Bedford. As you know Lizzie was extremely fond of the colour blue. I think Knowlton's theory was that Lizzie could have quickly sewn a wrapper-like garment from this material, worn under an apron or Abby's gossamer for the killing of Abby. (They were interested in that gossamer for sure, and Lizzie's aprons, as I've seen communications about them.)

Presumably, in this early theory the material would so resemble her paint-stained dress that it would pass muster with witnesses like Bridget who might have seen her directly after Abby's murder. That's what I surmise, anyway, that they were thinking two garments, very much alike.

When Lizzie was questioned about her purchase at the Inquest she volunteered that she'd popped the material in a trunk in the attic, unsewn. It seems an odd sort of place to stow material, but she was probably waiting for the visit by the dressmaker the next year for summer garments, summer 1892 being almost over. Lizzie and Emma probably had the dressmaker come about four times a year. Heaven knows if the gingham was ever made up!