Bridget Sullivan’s Timeline

Source: Bridget’s testimony at the Preliminary Hearing held from Thursday, August 25 – Thursday, September 1, 1892. Preliminary Hearing in the Borden Case before Judge Blaisdell, August 25 through September 1, 1892. Fall River, MA: Fall River Historical Society. Timeline of Bridget Sullivan © 2002 Kat Koorey
 

 
6:15 a.m. — Bridget got up. Did not see anyone else. Started her fire. Opened the back door. Took in the milk. (pg. 2).
 
6:30- 6:40 a.m. — Abby came down stairs. (pg.4 ).
 
6:30- 6:45 a.m. — Getting breakfast. (pg .5).
 
6:45 a.m. — Opened the door for the ice-man. (pg. 3).
 
6:50 a.m. — “Ten minutes after her [Abby]”, Mr. Borden came down in his shirtsleeves. (pg. 5, 6).
 
7:15 a.m. — Bridget first saw Morse at breakfast. (pg. 7).
 
7:15- 7:45 a.m. — Breakfast: Abby, Andrew and John Morse. (pg. 7).
 
7:45 a.m. — Abby, Andrew and Morse went into the sitting room. (pg. 7).
 
8:45 a.m. — Morse went out. Mr. Borden let him out; asked him to return to dinner. (pg. 8).
 
8:45- 9:00 a.m. — Mr. Borden went back upstairs. Came down with his collar and tie and went into the sitting room. (pg. 9).
 
Lizzie came down to kitchen. (pg. 11).
 
Bridget went outside to vomit, “10 to 15 minutes”. (pg. 11).
 
Did not see Lizzie when she came back in from outside. (pg. 11).
 
9 a.m. — Bridget saw Mrs. Borden in the dining room dusting. (pg. 10).
v
Mr. Borden “was gone then”. (pg. 10).
 
Bridget did not see Mrs. Borden after that. (pg. 10).
 
9- 9:30 a.m. — Bridget cleaned her kitchen. (pg. 13).
 
Shut 1 sitting room window and 2 dining room windows in preparation of washing windows. (pg. 15).
 
Did not see Lizzie. (pg. 15).
 
Did not go in the parlor at all. (pg. 15).
 
9:30 a.m. — Bridget started to get her implements together to wash windows outside. (pg. 13).
 
Lizzie appeared at back screen door to inquire if Bridget was about to wash windows, while Bridget was just outside. (pg. 12).
 
10:20 a.m. — Bridget “got (back) in the house”. (pg. 17).
 
“Got the hand basin and went in the sitting room, and started to wash the sitting room windows inside.” (pg. 18).
 
“Part of 1 window washed when Mr. Borden came.” (pg. 18).
 
10:30- 10:40 a.m. — Mr. Borden at the front door. (pg. 19).
 
“It might be later than half past ten; I could not tell.”- Bridget. (pg. 19).
 
Bridget heard Lizzie laugh from up the front stairs. (pg. 19).
 
Previous to this, had not seen Lizzie or Mrs. Borden during the intermediate time. (pg. 19).
 
10:35- 10:45 a.m. — Bridget saw Lizzie 5 to 10 minutes after Mr. Borden came in. (pg. 20).
 
“She (Lizzie) came through the front hall…She came through the sitting room, I was in the sitting room.” (pg. 20).
 
Lizzie then went into the dining room, where Mr. Borden was. (pg. 20).
 
Bridget heard Lizzie” telling her father very slowly that her mother got a note . . . and had gone out.” (pg. 20).
 
10:45- 10:55 a.m. — Mr. Borden went up to his room. (pg. 21).
 
Mr. Borden returned to sitting room. (pg. 21).
 
Lizzie got out ironing board and put it on dining room table and started to iron while Bridget was finishing the last window in the dining room. (pg. 22).
 
While both were in the dining room, Lizzie asked Bridget if she was going out that afternoon. (pg. 24).
 
Lizzie followed Bridget to the kitchen as she hung up her cloths and threw out her water, and told her about a sale of dress goods at Sargeants. (pg. 24, 25).
 
10:55 a.m. — “4 or 5 minutes to 11” a.m., Bridget went upstairs- knew by the length of time she was upstairs when “it struck 11 o’clock.” (pg. 25).
 
11:10 a.m. — Lizzie “halloed” to Bridget . . . “so loud . . . Come down quick”, that her father was dead. (pg. 27).
 
“I might be upstairs ten or fifteen minutes, as near as I can think, after I went up stairs.” (pg. 27).