Lately I have been spending a lot of time in the pages of my Rebello that deal with Lizzie's life after her trial.
One thing I noticed tonight (Lizzie Borden's Smameful Treatment, pages 292-296) dealt with the WTCU.
According to The Boston Advertiser Andrew allowed the WTCU to rent their meeting rooms (In The Borden Building) to other organizations while they were no needing them and this allowed them to make ends meet. Under Emma and Lizzie this privilege was revoked and they eventually left their accomodations before their lease expired.
The article(s) speculate that Lizzie was angry at the cold shoulders she was getting and took her revenge in this way.
In some ways I imagine this was all she felt she could do and can understand her anger.... At the same time I am shocked Andrew allowed them to let the rooms during times they didn't need them without asking for a cut!
Lizzie and the WTCU
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Kat
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Yes and that was before income tax, I believe, where he could write it off to charity. (Maybe it's a charity? Certainly not-for-profit?)
The more I read about Lizzie the more like a female Andrew she seems, especially later in life. She loved her real estate, for one thing. I think she liked to spend money on herself and others, but when it came to property she could be a b_ _ _ _.
The more I read about Lizzie the more like a female Andrew she seems, especially later in life. She loved her real estate, for one thing. I think she liked to spend money on herself and others, but when it came to property she could be a b_ _ _ _.
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theebmonique
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theebmonique
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Nona
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Harry
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The WCTU was very active in Lizzie's behalf during her confinement at Taunton. One of the things they did was to raise a petition to the Governor to allow Lizzie out on bail. At a meeting in Boston:
"... At the conclusion of the reading of the petition the vast audience, numbering about 2500, arose simultaneously, with the exception of 40 or 50, and by this mute testimony showed their belief in the prisoner's innocence. ..."
The Governor did not have the authority to do so as his authority applied to convicted persons. Lizzie existed in a limbo state from the time of her arrest until her indictment in December '92.
One of the great mysteries of the whole Borden case is why in the aftermath of her trial, where she was found innocent, that so many friends and organizations suddenly wanted nothing to do with her. That is a subject in need of further explanation.
Author Angele Carter, who has a marvelous way with words, wrote this about Lizzie's charity works. Describing Lizzie's bedroom:
"Hers is a pleasant room of not ungenerous dimensions, seeing the house is so very small. Besides the bed and the dresser, there is a sofa and a desk; it is her bedroom and also her sitting room and her office, too, for the desk is stacked with account books of various charitable organizations with which she occupies her ample spare time. The Fruit and Flower Mission, under whose auspices she visits the indigent old in the hospital with gifts; the Women's Christian Temperance Union, for whom she extracts signatures for petitions against the Demon Drink; Christian Endeavour, whatever that is - this is the golden age of good works and she flings herself into committees with a vengeance. What would the daughters of the rich do with themselves if the poor ceased to exist?
Then there is the Newsboys Thanksgiving Dinner Fund; and the Horsetrough Association; and the Chinese Conversion Association - no class nor kind is safe from her merciless charity."
That last line is a classic.
"... At the conclusion of the reading of the petition the vast audience, numbering about 2500, arose simultaneously, with the exception of 40 or 50, and by this mute testimony showed their belief in the prisoner's innocence. ..."
The Governor did not have the authority to do so as his authority applied to convicted persons. Lizzie existed in a limbo state from the time of her arrest until her indictment in December '92.
One of the great mysteries of the whole Borden case is why in the aftermath of her trial, where she was found innocent, that so many friends and organizations suddenly wanted nothing to do with her. That is a subject in need of further explanation.
Author Angele Carter, who has a marvelous way with words, wrote this about Lizzie's charity works. Describing Lizzie's bedroom:
"Hers is a pleasant room of not ungenerous dimensions, seeing the house is so very small. Besides the bed and the dresser, there is a sofa and a desk; it is her bedroom and also her sitting room and her office, too, for the desk is stacked with account books of various charitable organizations with which she occupies her ample spare time. The Fruit and Flower Mission, under whose auspices she visits the indigent old in the hospital with gifts; the Women's Christian Temperance Union, for whom she extracts signatures for petitions against the Demon Drink; Christian Endeavour, whatever that is - this is the golden age of good works and she flings herself into committees with a vengeance. What would the daughters of the rich do with themselves if the poor ceased to exist?
Then there is the Newsboys Thanksgiving Dinner Fund; and the Horsetrough Association; and the Chinese Conversion Association - no class nor kind is safe from her merciless charity."
That last line is a classic.
I know I ask perfection of a quite imperfect world
And fool enough to think that's what I'll find
And fool enough to think that's what I'll find
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theebmonique
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Allen
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My theory about this is that by the end of the trial, they had begun to question Lizzie's innocence. There were so many things that pointed directly to Lizzie being the killer, and yet they were shrugged off by the jury and the judges.I believe many thought she was unjustily aquitted. This is the reason she was shunned. That and her behavior after the trial.Harry @ Mon May 02, 2005 7:05 am wrote:
One of the great mysteries of the whole Borden case is why in the aftermath of her trial, where she was found innocent, that so many friends and organizations suddenly wanted nothing to do with her. That is a subject in need of further explanation.
"He who cannot put his thoughts on ice should not enter into the head of dispute." - Friedrich Nietzsche
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Audrey
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Some have speculated that the townsfolk didn't care for her "moving up" to Maplecroft-- But I can not imagine anyone who would want to stay in the murder house, innocent or not-- and most people live above their means not below them-- I wonder if this was the case then?
I think she was ostracized for the same reasons Melissa states. While they might not have thought she swung the hatchet-- they thought she knew something about it and didn't want a thing to do with her.
It makes me wonder how liked she really was before the trial. Most of her friends were teachers, and other working girls. Did she court them afterwords or did she think, safely ensconced in Maplecroft she was going to be moving in a better circle?
As far as her supporters went-- It is easy to champion a cause when she isn't looking you in the eye on the street!
I think she was ostracized for the same reasons Melissa states. While they might not have thought she swung the hatchet-- they thought she knew something about it and didn't want a thing to do with her.
It makes me wonder how liked she really was before the trial. Most of her friends were teachers, and other working girls. Did she court them afterwords or did she think, safely ensconced in Maplecroft she was going to be moving in a better circle?
As far as her supporters went-- It is easy to champion a cause when she isn't looking you in the eye on the street!
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FairhavenGuy
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I would think that just the fact that she had been on trial for such a brutal murder would make her somewhat less likely to be invited over to tea, whether or not she was guilty.
How many luncheon invitations do you think OJ gets?
For that matter, I wonder if Alice Russell's social life suffered any just from being closely associated to the murders? For about a hundred years, the city of Fall River tried to ignore the whole episode.
How many luncheon invitations do you think OJ gets?
For that matter, I wonder if Alice Russell's social life suffered any just from being closely associated to the murders? For about a hundred years, the city of Fall River tried to ignore the whole episode.
I've met Kat and Harry and Stef, oh my!
(And Diana, Richard, nbcatlover, Doug Parkhurst and Marilou, Shelley, "Cemetery" Jeff, Nadzieja, kfactor, Barbara, JoAnne, Michael, Katrina and my 255 character limit is up.)
(And Diana, Richard, nbcatlover, Doug Parkhurst and Marilou, Shelley, "Cemetery" Jeff, Nadzieja, kfactor, Barbara, JoAnne, Michael, Katrina and my 255 character limit is up.)
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Susan
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That makes me think of Lizzie cast as Lady Macbeth, "Out, damned spot! Out, I say!" Lizzie, whether guilty or innocent, was touched by the stain of scandal, even her acquittal couldn't erase that. I imagine that some of these ladies must have done quite a bit of soul searching before dropping Lizzie. Lizzie was a social pariah with her stain of scandal, could these ladies risk being ostracized from their social standing by associating with her? We know the outcome. And a thought occured to me, being such a patriarchal society then, how many of these women had a husband, or father, or brother who may have forbade them from seeing Lizzie Borden socially? They may have seen it as their duty to keep these women in check. 
“Sometimes when we are generous in small, barely detectable ways it can change someone else's life forever.”-Margaret Cho comedienne
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john
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I agree with you all, but Lizzie really didn't try to, or couldn't, get into things that just about anybody who could sit for a few meetings, and was willing to work some couldn't get into. I heard or read that the "Fruit and Flower Mission," for example, was like four people. And the WCTU would accept absolutely any woman who wasn't drunk when she filled out the application. Andrew did allow office space for the WCTU, so maybe they let her in even if she was drunk.
To Audrey, and perhaps this was mentioned, I think Lizzie kicked WCTU out of her building shortly after things were settled.
Also, that's called sub-letting, perfactly normal, but Andrew's not wanting to make that profit might have been chastened by Lizzie in the WCTU, and his not wanting to make a "row" with them, maybe him understanding what a "row" was.
Much more could be said about that for 1892 as for today, but the point is that I believe the town knew something about the crime that the researchers don't.
There is most likely some secret about "Lizzie," that perhaps this wonderful group will figure out some day.
To Audrey, and perhaps this was mentioned, I think Lizzie kicked WCTU out of her building shortly after things were settled.
Also, that's called sub-letting, perfactly normal, but Andrew's not wanting to make that profit might have been chastened by Lizzie in the WCTU, and his not wanting to make a "row" with them, maybe him understanding what a "row" was.
Much more could be said about that for 1892 as for today, but the point is that I believe the town knew something about the crime that the researchers don't.
There is most likely some secret about "Lizzie," that perhaps this wonderful group will figure out some day.
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Kat
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As far as I've heard, though, Emma was accepted and even some who began to shun Lizzie, never shunned Emma and in fact some showed outright support for Emma who used to be Lizzie's *friends.*
I wonder how that made Lizzie feel?
Then, there were the annual articles in the papers calling everything up again year after year after year after year- that town was punishing Lizzie. Then there was the Tilden-Thurber incident in 1897- people could never forget with that kind of constant celebrity.
I wonder how that made Lizzie feel?
Then, there were the annual articles in the papers calling everything up again year after year after year after year- that town was punishing Lizzie. Then there was the Tilden-Thurber incident in 1897- people could never forget with that kind of constant celebrity.