Lizzie's knowledge of Abby's Whereabouts

[camgarsky4]

This is not a new revelation, but it struck me when rereading testimony, how very brief the timeframe was between Lizzie thinking Abby was out of the house calling on her sick friend to Lizzie being positive she heard Abby return to the house and instructing the ladies to look upstairs for Abby.

Dr. Bowen Inquest testimony:
Q. What was said about the mother, if anything?
A. There was an inquiry made, I don't know whether I made it, somebody said, where is Mrs. Borden, where is Mrs. Borden? Lizzie said, I think, I think she said, "she had a note this morning to go and see a sick friend". That is all, such a serious affair as that, I did not stop, and could not do anything, I was satisfied of that, In that time I said I must go and get some of the officers right off, perhaps I said I would get the officers. Lizzie said that Emma was in Fairhaven and wanted me to telegraph her. Before I went out, she said if you telegraph her, perhaps she will come on this noon train. I went directly across to my house, and told my wife, and told her about telegraphing. I was satisfied she could not come on the noon train direct, so my boy drove me down to the telegraph office, and I telegraphed to Miss Emma Borden.

Dr. Bowen left the Borden house, went across the street, consulted the train schedule, took his carriage to the telegraph office two blocks away, sent a telegram to Emma, took his carriage across the street to Baker's Pharmacy and talked briefly to the occupants and then returned to the Borden house in his carriage.

The conversation Bridget describes below, occurred about the time Bowen was at Baker's Pharmacy. It was approximately 5-7 minutes time between when Lizzie asked Bowen to send the telegram and when Bridget suggested going to Mrs. Whitehead's house.

Bridget Sullivan Preliminary Hearing testimony:
Q. Was anything more said then that you remember of?
A. No Sir.
Q. What did you do then?
A. We were talking, I said I would like to know where Mrs. Borden was. I said I would go over to Mrs. Whitehead's. She said she would like us to search for Mrs. Borden: she told us to go and search for her. I said I would go over there, if I knew where the house was. She said she was positive she heard her coming in and would not we go upstairs and see.
Q. Who said that?
A. Miss Lizzie Borden. I said I would not go upstairs, and Mrs. Churchill said she was willing to go with me; so, me and Mrs. Churchill went up the front stairs. There we found Mrs. Borden.

During this span of 5-7 minutes, Lizzie's knowledge of Abby Borden evolved from, ""she (Abby) had a note this morning to go and see a sick friend" to "She (Lizzie) said she was positive she heard her coming in and would not we go upstairs and see."

One potential reason Lizzie 'remembered' that she heard Abby come home and sent folks to find her is that Dr. Bowen had just mentioned that he should inform the police. For reasons we can speculate upon, might Lizzie have wanted both victims found before the police arrived?

Each can draw their own conclusions.

[Inspector]

That’s interesting, and to your point of things evolving during the small time gap after Bowen went to send the telegram , there’s also my remembrance of how things started along this subject.
In the WS p-11, Mrs Churchill’s third question to Lizzie was ,
“Where is your mother?” So this tells me that Lizzie had the note story ready . Of coarse during the trial, p- 238 Bridget says she overheard Lizzie tell Andrew that Abby had a note to go out, then a short time later as Lizzie entered the dining room to iron Bridget is told directly from Lizzie that Abby had a note, and had left.
Had Bridget wondered where Abby might have been for the past 1-1/2 hours? I’d like to know if she did, was relieved to hear about the note, then later started putting the puzzle together, and became terrified.

I think she wanted both victims found asap, yes, and I don’t think Lizzie ever thought the time difference between the crimes would become an issue.