Mondo Lizzie Borden

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.

I shot this in 1997 and made the film in 2003. Thought you might enjoy it.

A new book is due out this September by the poet Julianna Baggott. Its title is Lizzie Borden in Love: Poems in Women’s Voices. It is published by Southern Illinois University Press. Says the Fall and Winter 2006 catalogue:

Lizzie Borden in Love, a collection of poems by national bestselling author Julianna Baggott, offers poignant commentary in the voices of women as varied as Mary Todd Lincoln and Monica Lewinsky. The poems often focus on a particular moment in life: Katherine Hepburn discovers the dead body of her brother in an attic, or painter Mary Cassatt mourns the failure of her eyesight. Sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes estatic, the poems in this collection never fail the trust of the subjects of their intimate portrayals.

Baggott is the author of This Country of Mothers, a collection of poems, and four novels. She also writes novels for young adults under the pen name N.E. Bode.

It all started with a stolen sign. On March 17th, 2006, a seller on eBay, one leejeansct (powerseller) put up for sale one Lizzie Borden B&B metal street sign. From their auction ad:

Lizzie Borden Bed & Breakfast Museum Mass Metal Sign. There really is a bed & Breakfast with Museum, located in Fall River, Massachusettes - in the restored Victorian home of Lizzie and her parents Andrew and Abby - site of the famous 1892 hatchet murders. Guilty or not guilty? Hmmm. Sign measures 12″ by 18″. Sign has a picture of Lizzie and part of a hatchet. Has 2 holes in the center to mount it. Blank white back. Great conversation piece. Get this one and make your parents nervous.

I contacted the current owner of the B&B inquiring about the provenance of this object and whether she had others for sale. She told me that as far as she knew, the sign was one of eight that were made, and three that were stolen off of Columbia Street, back when the city of Fall River put up directional makers to 92 Second Street. The seller said they got it from a flea market. The sign was sold to capecollector (also a PowerSeller on eBay) for $93.

Then a photo, supposedly of Lizzie Borden, appeared. What do these two things have in common, you might ask? Well, the person running around town trying to sell the photo was none other than capecollector, one Dan Dunn of Dan Dunn Collectibles. According to his AboutMe page on eBay, following graduation from college, Dan spent two years working for Leland’s Auction House in NYC.

Dan offered the image to the owner of the B&B but wasn’t happy with the price offered and so went along his way, attempting to get some Borden person to authenticate the image as Lizzie. As far as I know, the Fall River Historical Society did not offer him their blessing, nor did several other experts on the case. Some were unsure, and said so, but none were willing to say that this was definitely her.

Recently, the image appeared on Leland’s auction site online, with a description stating unequivocally that it is an image of Lizzie Borden. Here is that description:

Lot 1026. Newly Discovered Lizzie Borden Photograph. Lizzie Borden took an axe. Gave her mother 40 whacks. When she saw what she had done she gave her father 41. This recent find is an image that was not known to have existed until 2005. It’s a cabinet photo taken around the turn of the century that shows Borden standing in a studio by a small table. On the table are a basket and a book. Her right hand sits atop the book while her left hand grips another book. Image was taken in the Robinson photo studio in New York and marked on the mount at the bottom. Lizzie was quite wealthy and known to travel to NYC quite a bit. This photo is one of only a handful known to exist of her. It is one of only two to show the large, masculine hands that gripped the axe that allegedly felled and massacred her father and stepmother. Looking at her it is not difficult to picture her doing the deed. . . . Photo is EX-MT while mount is VG.

This woman is not Lizzie Borden. The ears, lips, chin, and eyes are different from any of the known images we have of her.

When tying to confirm whether an image is someone, the most telling feature is the ear. According to a paper “Shape Model-Based 3D Ear Detection from Side Face Range Images”, authors Hui Chen and Bir Bhanu (University of California, Riverside) assert that the human ear is an important recognition biometric because “it is a stable structure which does not change with age; it doesn’t change its shape with facial expressions, cosmetics and hair styles.” (Study, PDF)

Elementary, my dear Watson. Simple examination shows without doubt that this “new” photo is someone other than Lizzie Borden. The ears never lie!

So back to the sign. This same Dan Dunn who bought the sign for $93 on eBay in March, turned around in May to offer it up for sale on eBay, this time with a BuyItNow price of $200. It isn’t a timed auction, so it looks like the seller has it up for sale until someone purchases it. His description:

ITEM DESCRIPTION: Authentic USED Fall River street sign from in front of the Bed and Breakfast made famous by the August 1892 Axe Murder that is still unsolved. Sign was used in front of he building for years then replaced. It is heavy guarge metal and measures 12 x 18 inches. Light wear. Definite use!! Shipping $12.

Unfortunately, this ad is misleading. According to the current owner of the B&B, the sign did not come from the front of the B&B, although that hatchet arrow pointing up might make you believe it did. The seller has no proof that it was used and then replaced.

And the beat goes on.

The same seller of the other two supposed Lizzie owned books is selling a third one, this one likewise signed by Lizzie, they say. I like this one a little better as it has the Maplecroft seal on the signed page. Starting bid, $10.99.

You gotta see this video, but be careful, the song will stay with you for a long time!

The Dolomites sing “Lizzie Borden.”

The story gets better on the Lizzie signed book mentioned below and in this sale on eBay. Someone wrote the seller and they posted the reply in the auction ad.

Q: can you provide me a signed letter from you stating that this is from her estate please so I can bid on the book? Thanks, Ralf
A: Yes Ralf- Our clients is willing to provide the following in writing: To whom it may concern: 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. We will provide a signed letter as requested to the winner

Hmm. In the reflection of Maplecroft in the window of Mr. Dube’s limo on sale on eBay I see something odd. Do you see it? Are those blue flowerboxes? Goodness me.

Found this article on filmthreat.com that mentions the location for the shooting of The Curse of Lizzie Borden. Apparently, many B movies are filmed in the house.

Originally built in 1921 by a by a well known architect hailing from New Orleans he styled the home in a classic French gothic design. While some of the property was sold off in the 1940’s to build G.I. tract homes an acre still remains that includes the main house, a large guest house (converted into a studio) and a walnut orchard.

It’s also been home to 15 + movies including 7 in the past six months. “Every director who set foot here wanted to film it. I like the idea of shooting at home because I’m never late for work.” Mr. Malone explained to me.

A few eBay offerings for your consideration and debate:

1. V.V.s Eyes- Owned & Initialed by Lizzie Borden, 1913. This is the same seller who has another supposed Lizzie-owned book for sale on eBay.

The appearance of this one makes me wonder about the provenance of the other. The initials on this one are very similar, almost exactly like, another discredited book’s marking that appeared on eBay in the past. What is right about this marking? It is slanted to the right and it is in pen, apparently. Other than that, please, please, please, make the seller prove where they got this book before you invest in a possible signature of Lizzie Borden. If it is from Lizzie’s estate there should be a bill of sale, I would think. Many of Lizzie’s books also contained a Maplecroft seal. If this really is Lizzie’s signature, the book should probably sell for $800 - $1500. A starting bid of $8.99 is suspicious.

Says the auction ad:

This book was owned by Lizzy Borden who was a New England spinster who was tried for the brutal axe murders of her father and stepmother in the late 19th century. Although she was acquitted, she has remained a notorious figure, and dispute over whether she was guilty continues to this day. It is a true first edition of “V.V.’s Eyes” by Henry Sydnor Harrison, 1913, Houghton Mifflin & Company, Boston. The book is inscribed: “L.A.B” on the flyleaf and is from the Borden estate of Maplecroft.

2. Shots in the Dark by Gail Buckland True Crime Pictures. This book has very clear Borden crime scene photos in it. Opening bid is only 99 cents and with an inexpensive shipping charge, how can you go wrong?

Saw this today on eBay and recognized it immediately as Mr. Dube’s limo, usually parked outside of Maplecroft so it gets into everyone’s photos of Lizzie’s former house. Dube is selling it now for only $4995. Here is the link: 1986 Other Makes : London Sterling Limousine.

1986 White London Sterling Limousine with Gray Interior. Estimated 100 produced, this was number 86, according to the plaque in the backseat (as seen in photo). Excellent Running Condition. A few small rust spots, but no holes (as seen in photos). Needs sanding and painting, otherwise in great condition. Door handle button needs repair (as seen in photo), we have the button, it just needs installation. Runs well, and only 16,374 original miles! Passed MA state inspection in 2005. Minibar cabinet in backseat. Pick up only, buyer may make their own delivery arrangements if desired. $250.00 down payment through paypal, balance due upon pick up (cash or money order, no personal checks). VIN couldn’t be entered in form due to nature of vehicle, VIN # SCRUB751IFD461913 Car located in Fall River, MA, 02720. Serious bidders only, please.

Yup, there is Lizzie’s wall in the background, you can just make it out. Check out the auction as there are a bunch of other images, both inside and outside the car. Hurry, only four days remaining.