Mondo Lizzie Borden

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.