AOL has published “Halloween Frightfest on AOL CityGuide: Top 13 Haunted Houses and Freaky Attractions, Celebrity Costume Ideas, Daredevil Dishes, Biggest Bashes, and Supernatural Salem” and the Lizzie Borden B&B has made it to #2 on the list of Top 13 Freaky Attractions.
Here is a link to the list in case you want to go traveling this Halloween!
A new volume of poetry by Julianna Baggott has recently been released titled Lizzie Borden in Love: Poems in Women’s Voices. A review of the book appeared today in the Lexington Herald-Leader: “Inside the minds of outsiders. Poems put words in mouths of infamous women”. You can read it here.
Of note is the critics take on Baggot’s Lizzie poems.
At the heart of the book, Lizzie Borden speaks to her trial jury. In the tradition of My Last Duchess by Robert Browning, Lizzie Borden Addresses Her Jury of Men is a dramatic monologue. It is visceral, shocking, grotesque and yet funny. Borden is depicted as a complex character, both crazy and stubborn. She speaks to the readers as a jury, saying she is not unlike them: Look again into my pale, damp face / so like your daughters’, sisters’, wives’.
My review of this collection will be published in the near future in The Hatchet: Journal of Lizzie Borden Studies.
In the Maptech Embassy Guide for Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire, 5th Edition (2001), there is a blurb about Fall River which includes mention of the Borden murder case. Let me share the text with you.
Lizzie Borden took an axe And gave her mother forty whacks. When she saw what she had done She gave her father forty-one!
So goes the legend, anyway. Truth is, Miss Borden, who was an old maid of 32 at the time of the crime, was acquitted in the killings of her father and stepmother. The case remains unsolved, despite overwhelming circumstantial evidence—more advanced forensic methods would likely have put Lizzie behind bars. Of course, it seems that Lizzie owned her acquittal not to the persuasive powers of an innocent face but rather to aiding and abetting (a neighbor was caught helping Lizzie destroy evidence). Nevertheless, the 1892 Borden double axe murder trial made for the most interesting headline in Fall River’s history.
Hmmm. Modern forensic methods would put her behind bars? A neighbor was caught helping Lizzie destroy evidence? The Borden double axe murder trial was held in 1892?
I find it fascinating that so many essays, articles, and blurbs get the case and this woman so wrong! It is not like there aren’t any sources for people to use to check their facts. It is not that there hasn’t been anything written about this case which would make it extra hard to know what’s what. It just feels like people make stuff up when they should conduct a little research instead. Is it so hard to take the time and effort necessary to present factually the story of Lizzie Borden, Fall River, and the murders that made Fall River famous?
I wish I could say that this type of error-filled essay was the exception to the rule. However, with the recent release of a book on the case (by a Harvard historian no less), that contains factual innacuracies, bold assumptions, and misstatements, I am afraid that the Borden case is doomed to be forever relegated to the world of the apocryphal.
Thanks to author Michael Brimbau for the find!
Visiting the Newport Mansions at Christmastime seems like a great idea!
The Preservation Society of Newport County offers tours of some of the stately homes and if you visit their site you can view the schedule of tours, events, and special packages.
The glitter of gold and the sparkle of silver will dazzle you as you tour The Breakers, The Elms and Marble House decked out in Yuletide finery, with thousands of poinsettia plants, spectacular evergreens, trees, wreaths and fresh flowers. Dining tables set with period silver and china and mannequins dressed in authentic costumes complete the elegant setting.
All three houses are decorated and open daily for tours from November 18 through January 1.
Purchase tickets online, or in person at any of the three properties.
Wow! Kewl! A Lizzie Borden maple skateboard deck! Sweet!
Boardpusher.com offers this unique item for only $49.99. And Christmas is coming!
A seller on eBay has this explanation for the exorbitant shipping being charged for their auctions:
Don’t get sticker shock over the shipping cost. Obviously, I’m factoring in a base starting price to save on fees. Can I do that? Well, others do. Let’s see what happens. (Can you tell I’m new to selling?) haha
$11.50 shipping for a $12 mug. Hmmm. Does the honesty make it all right? Or does the honesty make you doubt the integrity of the seller? Here is a link to the auction. You decide for yourself.
eBay does have rules about such things:
Excessive Shipping Charges Policy
Sellers may charge reasonable shipping and handling fees to cover the costs for mailing, packaging, and handling the items they are selling. While eBay will not prescribe exactly what a seller may or may not charge, eBay will rely on member reports and its own discretion to determine whether or not a seller’s shipping, handling, packaging, and/or insurance charges are excessive. Shipping and handling fees may not be listed as a percentage of the final sale price.
Sellers who want to be sure they are in compliance with this policy may charge actual shipping costs plus actual packaging materials cost (or less).
In addition to the final listing price, sellers are permitted to charge:
Actual Shipping cost: This is the actual cost (i.e. postage) for shipping the item.
Handling Fee: Actual packaging materials costs may be charged. A handling fee in addition to actual shipping cost may be charged if it is not excessive.
Insurance: Sellers offering insurance may only charge the actual fee for insurance. No additional amount may be added, such as “self-insurance”. Sellers who do not use a licensed 3rd party insurance company may not require buyers to purchase insurance. This is a violation of state law.
Tax: Only actual applicable federal, state, country, city, VAT, and equivalent taxes may be charged.
For cross border transactions, sellers may not collect tariffs and duties. However, buyers may be responsible for actual, applicable tariffs, and duties as requested by respective country laws.
Violations of this policy may result in a range of actions, including:
Listing cancellation
Limits on account privileges
Account suspension
Forfeit of eBay fees on cancelled listings
Loss of PowerSeller status
I do note that the seller no longer includes this “honest” caveat to their auctions, but continues to try to charge very large shipping fees.
A very enterprising group of actors have created some unique theatre experiences in Rochester, Michigan. Murder Mystery and Dinner Theatre Productions offers “A suspenseful night of interactive dinner theater filled with humor, mystery, and live entertainment.”
You can treat your clients or friends to several different events, including “Last Night on the Titanic,” “Jewel Heist at the Stardust Ballroom,” “Houdini Halloween Seance,” “Murder at the Sands,” “Phantom of the Op’ry,” and of course, “The Re-Trial of Lizzie Borden.”
The Re-trial of Lizzie Borden: Who killed Lizzie Borden’s parents? On a hot August morning in 1892, the Borden house was locked. The maid was outside washing windows. Emma Borden, Lizzie’s sister was out visiting friends. Lizzie was the only one in the house. Yet, when both her parents were found hacked to death… Lizzie was found “not guilty”. You will enjoy a night of mystery and laughter as our attorneys, who are also stand-up comedians, call our cast members up to the witness stand. The re-trial, complete with a twelve-member jury which is randomly selected from the dinner guests that night, along with a judge and two actual attorneys. While using audience participation throughout the evening, guests will determine if Lizzie is still “not guilty”. Package includes props, costumes, music, and actors. Other packages are available that include program production, invitations and publicity.
More info can be found here.
