Mondo Lizzie Borden

I have to say I watch this web-only show. I keep up with each episode and find it fresh and interesting. 30 Odd Minutes is the brainchild of Jeff Belanger. He is interested in all things paranormal and has created a great informal interview show that is well worth watching. His cohorts and coworkers include Matt Moniz, Rob Bailey, Andrew Lake, Andy White, and Sarah Samways. Check out their bios here, and don’t forget to mouse over the pictures for a laff.

30 Odd Minutes has produced a show on the Lizzie Borden house.

Here is their description:

Episode 27 – “Live” from Lizzie Borden’s

In Episode 27 we come to you “Live” from the haunted Lizzie Borden house in Fall River, Massachusetts. Okay, not totally “live” because we filmed the episode about a week before it aired. Nobody does a documentary like the 30 Odd Minutes crew! And Lizzie Borden is no different. Just like our studio show we do the whole thing live, straight-through, in one take. You get a tour of the house, learn about some of the history, hear from the manager, Lee Ann, and learn from our special guests: EVP specialist, Mike Markowicz, and the host of Spooky Southcoast Radio, Tim Weisberg. You just don’t know what will happen during this show. Do we uncover evidence of the paranormal or just a prank? Tune in to find out! If the truth is out there… 30 Odd Minutes will find it… but only by sheer accident.

Enjoy!

A group of rather inventive T-shirt designs have popped up recently on Zazzle.com.

Zazzle is the world’s leading platform for quality custom products. Zazzle’s proprietary technology enables individuals, professional artists, and major brands, including Disney and Hallmark, to create and offer billions of unique products for customers worldwide. Zazzle’s rapidly expanding product base covers every topic imaginable and includes t-shirts, business cards, invitations, in addition to a variety of custom gifts. Upon creation, products are instantly and accurately visualized on the site and offered in the Zazzle marketplace. When ordered, each product is made on-demand, typically within 24 hours. Launched in 2005 and based in Redwood City, California, Zazzle’s vision is to redefine commerce, powered by the world’s imagination.

Here are a sampling of their Lizzie Borden wearables.

I really like this one!

Purchase yours here.

This one is less dark and more comical.

Purchase yours here.

This one reminds me of the Haunted Mansion characters at Disney World.

Purchase yours here.

There is an interesting contest that unfortunately ends today where people can submit their ideas for a film poster for a movie that never existed, but models itself as a parody on B movies.

JohnLennon15 submitted a poster for a fake film titled “I Married Lizzie Borden.” It is pretty imaginative and well done (see below). I think it might win as it seems to me to be the best of the entries.

Here are the rules:

Yes, it’s B-Movie time! Your goal? To create a convincing poster for one of those enjoyable B-Movies (or lower down the alphabet).

Sound’s simple? Well, we’re going to make it even more challenging! Your goal is NOT to mock films, not to parody them – your goal is to take a randomly generated B-Movie title and make a poster that is as believable as possible for the movie you’ve imagined!

Here’s what you do!

* Go to the B-Movie Generator and generate a title you want to do the poster of.

Now, when you do this poster, you also have to include the following on your entry at the site it’s hosted at:

* The year it was made.
* A summary of the plot and characters.
* Any other extra detail to make it more believable.

So if your fake picture is from the 70’s, the poster is going to be in a different style than say, the 90’s or the 50’s. This also gives you a chance to find a style that fits your artistic skills and interests, from the cut-and-paste oddness of grindhouse posters to some of the strange and lush art of the 70’s and more!

A few resources to help those of you looking to do a blast from the past:

* Some 1970’s posters.
* Some 1960’s posters.
* Some 1950’s drive in posters.

So go on, let’s see what kind of wonderfully cheese films you can create – that never were.

The new issue of the FREE Literary Hatchet is now online for your reading pleasure. This issue is dedicated to the late William Schley-Ulrich.

You will find wonders within its pages, a gem in every poem and story.

We hope you enjoy it.

You can download your free copy here.

Just click Downloads, fill out the form for Issue #4 and it will download to your computer.

Warm wishes for a happy new year,

Stefani Koorey
Editor/Publisher
The Literary Hatchet

A short clip from the Monsterquest investigation of the Lizzie Borden B&B.

MonsterquestLB

Short piece on Fox Providence on the opening of the Lizzie Borden exhibit, A Tale of Two Cities, held at Gallery X in New Bedford, MA. This appeared on TV October 15, 2009.

A very interesting Flash Film by Pasarmiedo.com. The site is in Spanish, but the content and story are universal. (Japanese titles included!)

Quite worth the looksee!

Every day, it seems, we hear of even more events that revolve around Lizzie Borden. Something is definitely in the air!

Here is a recap of what’s ahead for the month of October. Check back soon for all the events for November!

October 14, Wednesday, Lynn Public Library, Lynn, MA, 7-8:30 pm.
The Delvena Theatre Company will once again present their play “The Trial of Lizzie Borden,” where the audience serves as the jury.
The Lynn Public Library is located at 5 North Common Street | Lynn, Massachusetts 01902 | Phone: 781-595-0567.
For further information.

October 16, Friday, Fairhaven Town Hall, Fairhaven, MA, 7 pm.
Donations accepted and light refreshments will be served.
Jules Ryckebusch will present a lecture titled “Lizzie Borden: Myths and Legends”
Info on the Town Hall.
Story about the lecture.

October 19, Monday, Bristol Community College, Fall River, MA, 6:30 pm.
Free. Building C, Room 111.
Part of the Fall River Historical Society’s Lizzie A. Borden Lecture Series
Kim Dennis, psychic medium, lecture titled “Lizzie Borden – Her Side of the Story”

If Lizzie Borden could tell her story, what would it be? Canadian clairvoyant and medium Kim Dennis believes she was contacted by Lizzie who is ready to reveal the truth behind the Borden murders. Find out how Kim first became aquainted with Lizzie in her living room, and how she paired up with a journalist to document and accurately verify her “insider” information with a trip to Fall River in 2008 and a stay at the Lizzie Borden Bed and Breakfast. The revelation will astound you and the details may put to rest the theories and finally bring peace to the 117 year old mystery.
For further information.

October 22, Thursday, Fall River Superior Court, Fall River, MA, 7 pm.
Free.
Lizzie Borden Redux, a mock retrial of the Lizzie Borden trial of 1893.
To obtain free tickets, mail a self-addressed stamped envelope to “Lizzie, Redux Request”, care of Clerk Magistrate Marc J. Santos, Bristol County Clerk of Courts, 441 N. Main St., Fall River, MA 02720. There will be two tickets issued per request. Tickets will be honored until 20 minutes before the performance, after which there will be a general admission until capacity is reached.
For further information.

October 23, Friday, Providence, RI, 7 pm.
Providence Ghost Tour, featuring some “haunts” of the Borden sisters.
Check out the web site here.

October 26, Monday, Bristol Community College, Fall River, MA, 6:30 pm.
Free. Building C, Room 111
Jill Dalton, award-winning actress, lecture titled “Lizzie Borden Live: From the Page to the Stage”

Jill Dalton’s Lizzie Borden Live combines historical facts with theatrical license as she portrays one of the most famous women from the annals of America’s Victorian past. This is a fascinating look at how the actress took a historic character and adapted her for the stage. Who knows? Lizzie may just make an appearance.
For further information.

October 31, Saturday, Eagle Performing Arts Center, Fall River, MA. 8 pm.
Tickets $25. At www.lizziebordenlive.com Click on ‘Schedule’ page or call (508) 989-9207.

$5 off for students, seniors and current union members (available at the door only)
If you like come dressed as your favorite character from the story or any costume you wish. Prizes for best costume
Grand prize: One night stay at the Lizzie Borden B&B (If you dare!)
Second prize: One-year subscription to The Hatchet
Third prize: Two tickets for the Providence Ghost Tour
For further information.

I spied this sign hanging on the wall at the 1 West Street mill building in Fall River, a mill that is full of artist work spaces. It is fuzzy, I know, because my hand moved when I took the shot with my cell phone.

But here is what it says:

A Call To Artists Who Love Lizzie Borden
We invite you to join us in celebrating the macabre legacy of the Queen of Fall River in
Lizzie Borden: A Tale of Two Cities
at Gallery X
Curated by Susan Hauck & Sonic Nova
October 14-November 15, 2009
Reception October 17, 7-10pm

This show is open to all artists, all mediums and interpretations encouraged

$10 per piece submission fee
The deadline for all entries is Oct. 11

Gallery X, 169 William Street, New Bedford, MA
www.galleryx.org
myspace.com/SonicNova
On Facebook: Gallery X, Susan Hauck Tim Gastall

The third edition of the popular and provocative Literary Hatchet is now available for sale in hard copy at only $8.00.

Support new fiction and poetry! Buy your copy today!

Please visit the sale site to purchase a copy or two or four or twelve.

Of course, the journal is also available for free as a digital download here.

From the editor’s remarks:

Welcome to 2009 and the third issue of The Literary Hatchet. Reviews have been more than positive and our authors are grateful for your patronage. This is a free magazine, so please share it with your friends and family around the globe.

In this issue, we are honored to publish three poems by the great Ada Jill Schneider, award-winning author of Behind the Pictures I Hang, Fine Lines and Other Wrinkles, and The Museum of My Mother. I have met Ada, shared poetry at her poetry club, and basked in the gentle goodness she brings to the world. I know you will enjoy her work as much as I do.

In addition to Ada’s work, we offer you some lovely pieces by two of my favorite poets—Michael Brimbau and Kat Koorey. Both of these substantial artists astound me in the breadth and scope of their talents. I am pleased to present them again to you here.

For short stories, nothing beats a work by David Marshall James. In this issue, he gifts us with two of his works—both related to the subject matter of Lizzie Borden, but in very different ways.

Readers of The Hatchet: Lizzie Borden’s Journal of Murder, Mystery & Victorian History will recognize regular contributor Eugene Hosey on these pages as well. Eugene’s short stories, while dark and brooding, always surprise me. They are a perfect companion to a thundering rainy day.

We are planning to have another issue out before the year is over, and submissions are being accepted now. Please send your short stories, poetry, humor, and artwork to peartreepress@mac.com.

Stefani Koorey

publisher/executive editor
stefani koorey

production/design
stefani koorey

design consultant
michael brimbau

contributing writers
ada jill schneider
kat koorey
david marshall james
eugene hosey
michael brimbau
aurora lewis
larry allen
stefani koorey
grim k. de evil
julia fisher
mark sashine
kathleen a. carbone

The 3rd issue of The Literary Hatchet, a free online magazine that contains provocative short stories, brief fiction, uncommon poetry and prose, and drollery that frightens and surprises, is online TODAY!

Please visit The Literary Hatchet to download your free copy. A print copy will be available soon!

From the editor’s remarks:

Welcome to 2009 and the third issue of The Literary Hatchet. Reviews have been more than positive and our authors are grateful for your patronage. This is a free magazine, so please share it with your friends and family around the globe.

In this issue, we are honored to publish three poems by the great Ada Jill Schneider, award-winning author of Behind the Pictures I Hang, Fine Lines and Other Wrinkles, and The Museum of My Mother. I have met Ada, shared poetry at her poetry club, and basked in the gentle goodness she brings to the world. I know you will enjoy her work as much as I do.

In addition to Ada’s work, we offer you some lovely pieces by two of my favorite poets—Michael Brimbau and Kat Koorey. Both of these substantial artists astound me in the breadth and scope of their talents. I am pleased to present them again to you here.

For short stories, nothing beats a work by David Marshall James. In this issue, he gifts us with two of his works—both related to the subject matter of Lizzie Borden, but in very different ways.

Readers of The Hatchet: Lizzie Borden’s Journal of Murder, Mystery & Victorian History will recognize regular contributor Eugene Hosey on these pages as well. Eugene’s short stories, while dark and brooding, always surprise me. They are a perfect companion to a thundering rainy day.

We are planning to have another issue out before the year is over, and submissions are being accepted now. Please send your short stories, poetry, humor, and artwork to peartreepress@mac.com.

Stefani Koorey

publisher/executive editor
stefani koorey

production/design
stefani koorey

design consultant
michael brimbau

contributing writers
ada jill schneider
kat koorey
david marshall james
eugene hosey
michael brimbau
aurora lewis
larry allen
stefani koorey
grim k. de evil
julia fisher
mark sashine
kathleen a. carbone

Creative little film by TheUnadoyle. 40 seconds in length.

On May 31, at 3:00 pm at the Polaris Theatre in New York City, paranormal expert Al Rauber will be presenting “The Lizzie Tapes.”

On Sunday, May 31st at 3pm, Sturges Paranormal is pleased to announce a lecture presented by Al Rauber. The price for this lecture is $20 at the door or you can save yourself a couple of bucks by paying $15 in advance (via paypal) when you RSVP.

On the morning of August 4th, 1892, the populace of Fall River, Massachusetts was shocked and horrified by a vicious and gruesome double homicide. The bodies of Andrew and Abby Borden were found in their home at 92 Second St. They had been bludgeoned to death with what appeared to be a hatchet. World renown Paranormal Investigator Al Rauber was commissioned by two different production companies for two different TV shows to come up with evidence of reported haunting phenomena at 92 Second St.

Known for his use of Electronic Voice Phenomena in gathering evidence of hauntings, Rauber offers many of the voices collected over 2 separate weekends of filming from this location. Voices of the spirits of The Lizzie Borden House which may shed new light on the infamous case of murder.Hear the detailed story about the two investigations presented in a new lecture entitled: The Lizzie Tapes-A Paranormal Case Study.

Al Rauber
Al Rauber has been in the field of paranormal research for over 40 years and has investigated haunting and poltergeist cases throughout the US and Europe. He has been featured on and consulted for a number of television shows including Sightings, The Other Side, The Paranormal Borderline, Encounters, Unsolved Mysteries and specials for The History Channel and The Travel Channel. He can currently be seen on The History Channel’s program, MonsterQuest. Al is co-founder of Haunted New Jersey and a current member of The American Association of Electronic Voice Phenomena and the prestigious Paranormal Research Organization. He is a past member of Vestigia as well as the Georgia based Parapsychological Services Institute and The Psychical Research Foundation. Known for his use of Electronic Voice Phenomena in gathering evidence of haunting, Al will offer many different voices caught on-site including one particular voice that he believes could be that of the still unidentified murderer.

Tickets are going fast. Check it out here!

A blogger named Creepy Hallows claims to have channelled Lizzie Borden, after much effort. This is not a spoof site or does the writer present themselves as anything other than serious.

This is an interesting read and worth looking at. While I do not subscribe to the idea that they did, in fact, contact Lizzie, I did think that the insight the author gained by his or her concentrated efforts is extremely interesting. I especially liked the idea that Lizzie had “acted out” in inappropriate ways well before 1892. The details the author presents of that acting out are most interesting.

I go back and forth about Lizzie’s guilt in this case. My leanings these days are that she is innocent. So this psychic reading, to me, does not plug into my reality of the story. However, I present it to you for your judgment and reading pleasure.

Please read the entire posting here.

Here is a portion:

The tides of bitter resentment turned to all-out hatred around her early 20s which slowly evolved from doing petty annoyances to upset her step-mother to indifference in her late 20s when she became more thoughtful of driving a wedge between her step-mother and father. By that point she thought it better noone be happy if she wasn’t going to be. Of course by this time Andrew had shown years of favor to Abby and her family over Lizzie and Emma (her sister) and Lizzie being the intelligent woman she was, was offended.

It led to her doing things that would cause family arguments because no one could decidedly say who did them… like moving objects around the house, hiding things Andrew or Abby needed, cracking dishes over heat, placing soiled linens with the fresh ones, and so on. This caused a rift between the parents and the girls rather than causing the rift between Andrew and Abby which is what Lizzie wanted.

By the time Lizzie’s 30th birthday rolled around she was so distraught, exhausted and mentally stonewalled to a point of being devoid of emotion, she came to a conclusion that seemed logical in her, a warped perception of what reality should be, to be rid of her step-mother and father. She knew that the longer Andrew lived and the older Lizzie and Emma became the chances her father would leave his fortune to Abby’s family increased. Since God had not made her a male heir she felt she was sanctioned, by the fact of her abuse, in killing Andrew and Abby. She would inherit the estate of her father as she felt was right, she had earned every penny and she would do right by the fortune.

Her decision was made months before the actual murders and she had tried, unsuccessfully, to kill her step-mother before. Abby had leaned from the second story bedroom window while attempting to clean the glass and seeing her Lizzie had thought about pushing her out, but was nervous. The second time Abby was in the kitchen and Lizzie was going to stab her with the cutting knife, but they were interrupted. The third time she poisoned Andrew and Abby with polishing liquid, but since she was afraid they would taste the chemical in the food she only put a little which turned out to make them sick, not dead. By this time her fears and anxiety of committing the murders was dissolved and she was more focused.

When the morning of August 4th dawned she was steady. Abby tended the guest room and Lizzie knew that if she behaved just as any other day that there would be no reason for Abby to suspect anything. She walked evenly, with a regular stride coming behind Abby for the first and subsequent blows. She admitted that once she started and the blade sliced the skull it unleashed all the bottled rage she had supressed and when she meant to only strike once it was followed by 19 more blows. She removed her shoes, lifted her skirt and bunched it around her thighs and went immediately to the basement where she washed her shoes and removed the apron over her skirt. She rinsed the hatchet and set it on the second to top stair. There were little blood droplets that went through the apron to the skirt and she tried to smudge them out with water. She wrapped the apron tightly and tucked it next to the wash basin in the basement. She recomposed herself and waited for her father.

By the time Andrew came home she had recomposed herself and Andrew lay down to rest after a day in the heat. Lizzie had greeted him and offered him something to drink but rather than leave the room to get him a refreshment she returned with the hatchet. She said it was easier the second time knowing what it was going to be like and took it to her father’s face. I really felt like her attack against Andrew was far more personal that the one with Abby. She wanted to see her father’s face when she hit him and that in me caused a great tension around my sternum as I was hearing this from her.

Creepy Hallows.

According to Medium Georgia O’Connor, Lizzie Borden did not take an axe and give her mother 40 whacks. Nor her father 41. It was a known person to victim Andrew Borden, a man named Earl Matthews.

She also says that Andrew was first hit in a doorway, then hit again (she says stabbed) on the couch, and died on the floor. The blood was cleaned up. Also, that Andrew died first, as his wife was not home when it occurred.

On Nov. 15th 2008 renowned Medium Georgia OConnor , The Spirit Messenger, was presenting Graveside Chats as part of her Meet The Medium series for The Heritage Hunters of Saratoga County NY at the Ballston Spa Library. One of the audience members was a relative of Lizzie Borden. Lizzie came through and told Georgia the details of the famous murder, that she was innocent and also the name of her parents killer. Georgias website is MeetTheMedium.com

Link.