Mondo Lizzie Borden

Wanna earn a degree in ghosthunting while staying at the Borden house? Lizzie Borden Bed & Breakfast Ghost Hunting University.

Welcome to the auction for Haunted Times Magazine! The winner will have one night at Lizzie Borden’s Bed & Breakfast on September 30th, 2006 along with 2 tickets for world renowned Christopher Moon Ghost Hunting University class. Christopher moon will teach all the basics on how to ghost hunt, EVP, Orbs & more. If you have a camera or recorder you can bring it with you. At the end of the Ghost Hunt University you will get a certificate for Ghost Hunting 101 graduate.

You will have full access to the Lizzie borden house during your stay. The room will be on the third floor donated to us by Le-ann Wilbur. The auction is for the accommodations for 2 & event only & you will have to provide your own transportation. At the end of auction & upon payment you will be given a certificate to be used for the event.

Chicago Daily Tribune, December 2, 1899. Thanks to “intrepid reporter.”

What a deal.

Notes Lizzie Borden Society Forum member, book collector, and author Michael Brimbau, on the six Maplecroft estate books up for sale on eBay this week: “Too bad the Lizzie books up for bid are not books of value in their own right or an author of interest or desirability such as Poe, Twain or even one of the great poets. Without the Lizzie connections they would be almost valueless and if seen in a used book store would sell for no more than 5 to 15 dollars. A first edition of Kipling’s Captains Courageous with Lizzie’s initials and name plate: now would that not be a treat, huh?”

Indeed, Michael, indeed.

Young Vintage B&W Elizabeth Montgomery photo.

Check out this Vintage B&W photo of the late great actress Elizabeth Montgomery, probably taken in the late 50’s, pre-”Bewitched”. Her radiant beauty and screen magnetism catapulted her to international fame in the 1960’s as the beautiful suburban housewife Samantha Stevens, a smart and funny witch, married to a bumbling mortal husband, who constantly tried to live her life as a “normal” mortal wife. After the TV series ran it’s course, Elizabeth sucessfully pursued many ground-breaking roles in TV movies, ranging from the legendary Lizzie Borden to modern heroines. A great pic for the many baby boomer guys who grew up with a mad crush on her, of which I proudly count myself as one.

I see this Lizzie related item on eBay all the time, but you can’t beat the price here of one dollar. Captain Spalding souvenir Trading Cards Devils Rejects.

These are a gimmick for the film House of 1,000 Corpses, trading cards from Captain Spalding’s Museum of Monsters and Madmen. The deck includes: S. Quentin Quail (Dr. Satan)
Albert Fish
Eddie Gein
Jack the Ripper
Lizzie Borden
The Texas Chainsaw Murders
The backs have trivia and an add for hot, spicy, tasty, fried chicken. The art is by celebrated illustrator Strephon Taylor.

I am drawn to it, yet I am repulsed by it. Inappropriate kitsch, yes. Will sell for more than the starting bid, probably. But oh my gosh, look at the shipping fee! Lizzie Borden Police Photo dead father Paper Weight.

Oh my, there are two of them for sale!. But the second one is half the price, half the shipping, and the same seller. I am so confused!

This is a neat find. 1961 Lizzie Borden photo book release print ad. I have never seen one like it before on eBay. But then I have only been a member since 1998.

This is an original 1961 print ad for Simon and Schuster publishers, promoting the new Edward D. Radin book, “Lizzie Borden: The Untold Story”- a very unusual ad! It measures approximately 12.5″ x 4″ overall, and is in great shape: no stains or tears, graded “Fine”.

This vintage ad is not a later reprint, photocopy or any kind of reproduction (most print ads were published at one time only, and were likely never commercially reproduced). A scarce and distinctive piece for your frame!

William Schley-Ulrich tells me that the inscription pasted above the Maplecroft seal in this eBay sale Nancy Stair- Elinor M Laine Owned by Lizzie Borden 1905 is from Emily Dickinson. It is a lovely poem, don’t you think? And if you know anything about the life of Dickinson (1830-1866), it has a bittersweet connotation.

THERE IS NO FRIGATE LIKE A BOOK

There is no frigate like a book
To take us lands away,
Nor any coursers like a page
Of prancing poetry.

This traverse may the poorest take
Without oppress of toll,
How frugal is the chariot
That bears a human soul!

Emily Dickinson

Pretty postcard.

I have one of these and it is my favorite coffee mug. As a matter of fact, I am using mine right now! I like that it is light in weight yet sturdy. I hate really heavy coffee mugs.

This sale, LIZZIE BORDEN Mug from actual home Fall River Mass is nice and inexpensive at a starting bid of $1.29.

The Lizzie Borden B&B sells it for $5.00 plus S/H.

I don’t know if you have seen this, but eBay has yet another way to find and buy interesting items. They call it eBay Express | An exciting new way to shop. They have a few Borden items listed, but I am sure as the traffic increases so will the items for sale.

For immediate release: On Wednesday, August 9, from 6:30 until 8:30PM, at the Fall River Public Library, Dr. Stefani Koorey will present a multi-media presentation titled “Lizzie Borden in Popular Culture.”

The event is free. Please mark your calendars.

This is a google earth of 92 Second St. The satellite image shows that the Leary Press is still there, even though that building was torn down last year. I will update the film when the new images without the press are taken by the government. And of course, google earth thinks that 92 Second St. is next door to where it really is. Even entering 230 Second Street, the real address, doesn’t help, but points us to the corner of Spring and Second. Go figure.

This sale on eBay, RARE Vintage Panarizon Life in American History Cards, includes the hard to find Lizzie Borden card, sometimes seen on eBay by itself. The Lizzie card alone sells for $4 - $6. This set has a starting bid of $9.99 with lots of choices for mailing.

I ran across this January 3, 2005, blog entry by the author Andrea Seigel, author of To Feel Stuff and Like the Red Panda.

It is a thoughtful story about how Lizzie Borden haunts her thoughts and creative life. She describes in vivid detail her reactions to the Lizzie Borden Had an Axe documentary that appeared in 2005 on Discovery Channel, featuring the luminol testing and the doll house recreation (this is the show I was part of). It is extremely well written. You have to take a look.

Maybe Fall River could use something like this to advertise their fair city.

From the Plattsburgh Sentinel, October 23, 1894.

At Clark University, College of Professional and Continuing Education, in Worcester, MA, you can take a course that has as its course requirements the study of the Borden trial. I know of several high school social studies classes using the case to investigate the legal system, and one other seminar-type course of study at a university in Europe (taught by the eminent professor Stephen Nissenbaum), but this is the first catalogued course I have seen. I hope that those are evening meeting times!

Thanks to “intrepid reporter” for bringing this to my attention.

Great American Criminal Trials
CJ2090 M 6:30-9:30 Section: 1
Donald Moran
From colonial times to the present, trials have been the ultimate means to resolve disputes in American society. They also serve as a source of popular entertainment, public ritual and real-life drama. Included in the trials we study will be Lizzie Bordon, John Hinckley, Louis Woodward and the recent Massachusetts trials of Drs. Sharpe and Greinder; John Geoghan’s child molestation trial and Commonwealth v. Junta. We will examine the seriousness of the crimes, the impaneling of jurors, trial tactics, verdicts, etc.

“Intrepid reporter” found this on the web. “Ordered to stay at home and chop wood, instead, he grabbed an axe and battered his father, Guenter, 63, to death. Then he hacked away at his mother, Rita, 42, as they lay in bed.” I tell you, the youth of today are such cut ups.

I bought one of these Lizzie Borden Took An Ax Scary Victorian Poster and I love mine. The quality is superb (heavy stock paper) and the artwork is magnificent. The starting price is only $6.99, but the BuyItNow price of $14.99 is a deal.

Also check out this seller’s (Madame Talbot) eBay store for more gothic delights. I also own the Jack the Ripper and the Tennessee Bell Witch posters. And I have my eye on the HRH Royal Highness Pug Dog Pugsley Victorian Poster. These items also make excellent gifts.

No, I don’t get a cut.

I have always wondered why Fall River, MA, has such a goofy motto. In case you don’t know, it is “We’ll Try.” Odd isn’t it? Sounds sort of half-hearted, kind of like we will get to it when we feel like it sort of customer service excuse.

Fall River used to be the “Spindle City” — because it was the textile capital of the world.

Well, I found out where this feeble sounding motto came from, and while I still don’t care much for it, it helps explain the why of things. I found it in an April 6, 2003 Knight-Ridder Tribune Business News article by Daniel Barbarisi.

The motto was born of one of Fall River’s many great fires — this one, in 1843. The city’s residents resolved to rebuild from the ruins, and their efforts spawned the hopeful “We’ll Try.” It stuck, and for years has adorned both police cruisers and the city seal.

Ok. It came from adversity and from a time long ago when “We’ll Try” was a positive spin on a dark and tragic era. But now this phrase is without teeth. And the chief of police agrees:

But it’s not easy being a tough cop, when “We’ll Try” is emblazoned on your sleeve. “Other departments have always poked fun at the Fall River Police Department for that motto,” said Police Chief John M. Souza. “They have seen it and ridiculed it.”

One of Souza’s first actions, upon becoming police chief two years ago, was to have the city seal and its wimpy motto stricken from Fall River’s police cars, and replaced with a codification of the department’s mission statement: Service, Pride and Commitment.

The article details Mayor Lambert’s attempt to change the motto to the “Scholarship City”, saying, “Honesty, I think it’s a good name for the future.” In an informal poll of ten Fall River residents, 80% thought that their city’s nickname was “Spindle City.” The article concludes with words of wisdom from Michael Martins:

Michael Martins, curator of the Fall River Historical Society, said that whether it’s spindle or scholarship or another title, these are trivia questions, at best. They are the realm of the historian, the public relations person, or, perhaps worse, the know-it-all.

“None of those are really used in conversation anymore,” Martins said. “In the 19th century, sure, Fall River would have been known as the Spindle City.” Now, he said, “I think using it would just be someone’s attempt to be pretentious.”

To date, Fall River’s motto is still “We’ll Try.” If they don’t change it, they might at least consider removing the contraction. Perhaps “Well Try” would make people find it quaint instead of foolish.

Some 35 years after the murders of Andrew and Abby Borden, and soon after the death of Lizzie Borden, a newspaper ran a brief piece wondering if a lawsuit to break her will would revive interest in the crimes.

Miss Lizzie Borden bequeathed virtually all of her money, estimated at $1,500,000, to institutions for animal relief in Fall River, Mass., the scene of the murder. No institution caring for human unfortunates was a beneficiary under the will. Miss Borden said: “I intentionally have omitted to provide in this will for relatives and next of kin other than those mentioned herein.”

Interest Renewed. Interest in Miss Borden and the murder, which has remained a mystery to this day, was renewed this week when Henry L. Shaw, a farmer living near Girard, Kas., and four sisters and a brother filed suit in Boston to break the will of Miss Borden, their cousin.

According to Len Rebello in his Lizzie Borden Past and Present, the Shaws sued the estate of Emma Borden, not Lizzie. In fact, the part of the will quoted in the article is from Emma’s will. The Shaws later decided to drop the attempt to break the will. Read all about it in Rebello, page 342-343.

Along with the story ran an artist’s representation of “Miss Lizzie Borden” — and it looks like the paper took a photo showing a much younger Lizzie and altered it to fit the age of Lizzie at her death. I think they made her quite ugly, don’t you?

From the August 13, 1997, New Standard:

Council takes a whack at Lizzie signs
By Ric Oliveira, Standard-Times staff writer

FALL RIVER — City councilors wanted to kill four signs directing tourists to the Lizzie Borden Bed and Breakfast, but buried the hatchet and allowed the measure to pass. The signs depict Lizzie Borden and have a maroon silhouette of an ax pointing in the direction of the bed and breakfast, located in the house where the celebrated murders were committed. Several councilors felt the ax was an inappropriate symbol, considering the city’s efforts to stop violence.

The proponents of the signs have spent more than $500 in design work and had received the proper permits to place the signs on public ways. However the last hurdle was the council, which debated the issue longer than any other issue on the agenda last night. In a city trying to boost tourism, the debate over the ax seemed ironic considering the dozens of signs depicting Battleship Cove scattered throughout the city.

Read more »

Well, not the person Lizzie Borden. The boat Lizzie Borden. In a children’s book by Wolcott Gibbs titled Bird Life at the Pole by Commander Christopher Robin. The book was published in 1931, soon after Lizzie’s death. From a recent eBay auction description:

THE BOOK IS A VERY HUMOROUS AND RISQUE THINLY DISGUISED SATIRE ABOUT WILLIAM RANDOLPH HEARST, COMMANDER RICHARD BYRD AND BRYD’S SHIP “ELEANOR BOLLING” NAMED FOR BYRD’S MOTHER.

THE CHARACTERS IN THE BOOK ARE IDENTIFIED AS MR. HERBST A NEWSPAPER PUBLISHER, COMMANDER CHRISTOPHER ROBIN, A JUNIOR LEAGUE GIRL, MISS SVENSON AND THE SHIP “LIZZIE BORDEN” TO ANTARICA.

THE AUTHOR, WOLCOTT GIBBS WAS A WELL KNOWN HUMORIST, PARADIST, DRAMA CRITIC AND SHORT STORY WRITER FOR THE “NEW YORKER” MAGAZINE FROM 1927 UNTIL THIS DEATH IN 1958. HE WAS ALSO A COUSIN OF NOVELIST EDNA FERBER.

THE ILLUSTRATORS BRUTON & BRUTON ARE HELEN AND ESTHER BRUTON WHO WERE BEST KNOWN FOR THEIR WPA MURALS IN CALIFORNIA AND TERRA COTTA TILE WORK IN VARIOUS PUBLIC BUILDINGS INCLUDING THE ZOO IN SAN FRANCISCO. HELEN BRUTON WAS EMPLOYED BY GLADDING MCBEAN TILE WORKS IN CALIFORNIA AS A DESIGNER.

THE SISTERS HAD MOVED TO NEW YORK TO TRY THEIR HAND AT ILLUSTRATING FOR SOME NEW YORK PUBLISHERS. THEY DID WORK FOR THE “FORUM” MAGAZINE AS WELL AS SOME BOOK PUBLISHERS. DUE TO THE HARDSHIPS OF THE DEPRESSION IN NEW YORK, THEY SOON MOVED BACK TO CALIFORNIA TO PURSUE THEIR CAREERS THERE. A THIRD SISTER MARGARET WAS ALSO AN ARTIST.

There are several available on both abebooks and bookfinder. Most are without a dustjacket, so if you are planning to add this to your collection and wish the book to increase in value, you should invest in a very fine copy with a unmarked dustjacket. Happy hunting!

Two more books that were supposedly owned by Lizzie are on sale on eBay. Same seller. Right off the Chest- Revell Owned by Lizzie Borden 1923 and Nancy Stair- Elinor M Laine Owned by Lizzie Borden 1905.

These two bear the Maplecroft seal, which, according to my sources, is a good indicator of ownership by Lizzie. I like these two very much as they do not bear her signature or initials. They are more easily proven to be authentic without that problematic marking. Good luck to those bidding.

From the Lincoln Evening News, Saturday, January 11, 1896.

If you didn’t get enough of our favorite RotoRooter guys, the Ghost Hunters, deciding that 92 Second St. was not haunted, you can watch the episode all over again and catch all of season two on a set of two DVDs being released September 19th. Read all about it. A third DVD, “The Very Best of Seaon II” is also being advertised. Or you can go to iTunes and download the episodes to your computer/ipod.

Show airs on SciFi channel on Wednesday nights at 9PM, EST. Sometimes it is actually very interesting, however, they did not believe the claims of 92 Second St. and made a very biased remark that any house with a gift shop can’t possibly be haunted (or something to that effect).

Includes “never before seen bonus investigations”! Since this team mostly debunks hauntings, you can be sure that the added stuff isn’t going to show proof positive of any ghostly activity.

While watching the documentary “Murder in the Family,” produced for American Justice and A&E, “newsscout” noticed and reported to me that the film contains a hitherto unseen image of the Borden house on 92 Second Street. I looked at all my sources and online collections and lo and behold I discovered that it is indeed a rare shot, and one that does not seem to be reproduced in any other source. Below is a screen capture from that film.

After careful examination, the conclusion is that the building to the right of the Borden front door is the rear shed from the Kelly yard. It appears to be so large because of an optical illusion created by the position of camera so low to the ground and the angle of the shot pointing up towards the front door, capturing the distant building as looming much larger than it did in real life.

Ta da!

Len Rebello, author of Lizzie Borden Past and Present, tells us that his book has officially sold out. Still need a copy? I suggest abebooks.com or bookfinder.com for used copies.

Says the auction title: Lizzy Borden Mansion. Orig. Blueprints. One of a Kind. Only $3000! Not an auspicious start to a very expensive offering when they get the spelling of the main character’s name wrong! Lots of errors in the listing too. See if you can spot them.

Up for auction is a piece of American History and perhaps the end to a 100 year old mystery?

The images in this auction are photos of a one of a kind set of blueprints that Lizzy Borden requested of a prominent architectual firm for the design of a victorian mansion that she wanted to have built for her and her sister. There are eight blueprints to this set. They were designed by the very fashionable architectual firm of ANGELL and SWIFT Architects of Providence, Rhode Island. The design depicts a very elaborate (even for victorian times) mansion that Lizzy Borden wanted built with her fathers money. These are authentic documents and gauranteed to be the only set in existence. The title block says: “Plans for the Residence of Misses Borden Fall River, Mass. Angell and Swift Architects, Providence, R.I..”

The real intrigue here is that this design was contracted before the murder of her parents. Had they been available for admission as evidence in her court trial, she might not have been acquitted. How do I know this? These blueprints were given to me by a friend of my mother. His Grandfather was a contracter in Fall River, Mass.. and was asked to quote on this design. The story that goes with these documents is that when Lizzy Borden approached her father with the plans he absolutely refused her the money. He had a reputation as playing his bank account very close to his vest.

We cannot specifically identify the exact date that these documents were drawn up (as they are not dated), but the contractor who originally handled them for quote claims they were before the parents were murdered. According to the many books written about this sensational trial, when it was over Lizzy had paid off so many Lawyers and judges (and jury members) that she had little money left to build such a grand home. She settled for something much more modest in the area.

These documents have been examined by Sotheby’s and the Lizzy Borden Museum in Fall River, Mass.. They are claimed to be authentic. Sotheby’s quoted a verbal auction estimate of $5-6,000 dollars. ANGELL and SWIFT Architects designed some of the most prominent homes on the East Side of Providence and can be gooogled on the internet.

There are eight 19″ x 26″ blueprints in this set. I only photographed seven. The missing one is the Second Story Plan. This is a tremendous collectors opportunity. Think about it; had these documents been admitted as evidence for motive would you acquit her?

Final note: On the tombstone of the Borden family housekeeper it reads: “Secrets Never Known”.

Balderdash. Lizzie never paid off jurors or judges. Lizzie’s housekeeper (unnamed here) did not have this written on her tombstone.

And since there is NO DATE on these drawings, how are we to know “that this design was contracted before the murder of her parents”? Plus, if the seller had these appraised through Sotheby’s, then why are they not handling this auction? And last, but not least, Borden was a common name in the Fall River area. Don’t you think that these might have been made up for someone else?

No true provenance, no true date, no true connection, facts wrong in the auction listing, incorrect understanding of the case. All this adds up to trouble. Stay away!

In an interview with Crime Historian E.J. Wagner on Laura James’ Clews blog, the author of Science of Sherlock Holmes responds to a question put to her about Lizzie Borden.

In Science of Sherlock Holmes, you neatly highlight the forensic failings of the medical examiner in the Lizzie Borden case. I noticed you cited Victoria Lincoln’s book about the case in your bibliography. So you think Lizzie did it?

Oh yes — I believe Lizzie was seriously lethal. Even if one overlooks the many discrepancies in Lizzie’s account of events, it is telling that Lizzie’s response to finding her father’s battered body was to inform the maid “Someone’s come in and killed father” and then send the maid out of the house while Lizzie remained inside. What made Lizzie sure that the “someone” was no longer in the house, ready to re-use the axe? What made her certain that the maid was not the assailant?

In spite of all this, I gloomily suspect that someone, somewhere, will write a book “proving” that Mr. Borden killed his wife for serving mutton soup at breakfast, and committed suicide in a fit of guilt. Lizzie then hid the weapon to protect her father’s reputation. A perky title and we’re all set.

I have this book. It is next on my “To-Read” list. Will let you know more about this author’s take on the case soon.

Bud- Neil Munro Owned & Initialed by Lizzie Borden 1st.

A note on provenance from our client: “I recently purchased 6 books that had belonged to Lizzie Borden from a local woman who is personally known to me. She is the daughter of a man who was Ms. Borden’s chauffeur in her later years. As the books were given to the chauffeur by Ms. Borden during her lifetime, they are not technically part of her estate. My acquaintance knew Ms. Borden as a child. The inscribed book is self-explanatory as to provenance, and the ones initialed ‘L.A.B.’ were done in Ms. Borden’s hand, according to my acquaintance. The books with the “Maplecroft” sticker on the endpaper also speak for themselves, as Maplecroft is known to be Ms. Borden’s estate as a matter of public record.”

According to Len Rebello’s Lizzie Borden Past and Present, this would have to be referring to Grace L. Terry, Ernest Alden Terry’s daughter, who was a minor at the time of Lizzie’s death in 1927. Ernest Terry was Lizzie’s chauffeur, and he died in 1955 in Fall River at the age of 70.

I am reading this terrific book titled Restless sleep: Inside New York City’s Cold Case Squad, by Stacy Horn, and she mentioned that unclaimed property held by the NYC police department is sold online at Property Room Police Auctions. Thought you might like to check it out.