The Second Street Irregulars: The Game’s Afoot

by Shelley Dziedzic

photography by Stefani Koorey

First published in August/September, 2008, Volume 5, Issue 3, The Hatchet: Journal of Lizzie Borden Studies.

The year was 1993. 

By all accounts, the Lizzie Borden Centennial of August 1992 had been a roaring success—but it was over. Still a private residence, the murder house on Second Street was locked and barred to inquiring minds. Nevertheless, a hard core group of Borden case followers wanted more Lizzie. The only thing left to do was to form an impromptu cadre of comrades to continue the cause—solving the Borden case!

Ed Thibault, the official “Mr. Lizzie” of Fall River, offered up his home as clubhouse about once a month to the likes of Len Rebello, Ken Souza, Debbie Valentine, Barbara MacDonald, and me. Since all of us were admirers of the Sherlockian Baker Street Irregulars society, we dubbed our little band of Bordenites the Second Street Irregulars. At first we simply gathered in Ed’s living room to discuss the case and various theories, but soon we were on the road to visit Lizzie’s dogs in Dedham, lounge longingly in front of #92 making timing experiments, and assisting with the Lizzie expos in the city every August. We sewed 1892 fashions for ourselves, read all there was in print on the murders, and volunteered to lecture on the case in classrooms and public places around the state. Ed had replicas of the Borden skulls made out of Bondo that always received appreciative attention from students, and Len, well, . . . he decided to write a little book about it all! 

A flood of projects and day trips followed, until time and circumstances took a toll on the good intentions of the little band of Bordenites. By 1998, we had scattered for one reason or another. By 1996, the house on Second Street had opened to the public as a museum and bed and breakfast, where Ed, Len, and I crossed paths as we worked there, but the gang had drifted apart. By 2007, the time was ripe for the renaissance of the Second Street Irregulars. Lizzie was in the news, the house was in the hands of new owners, and many new publications and documentaries had been made. There had not been a conference since 1992, the proposed conference for 2008 had folded, and there were people wanting to “talk Lizzie” everywhere. 

The Lizzie Borden Society Forum seemed the place to begin to hunt for recruits for the Irregulars because these folks talk Lizzie around the clock on the Internet and know their stuff! These people do not care so much about the ghosties and bumps in the night and the other paranormal business that is the hot topic at the crime scene these days. These hearty souls plumb the depths of the source documents, scour the 1892 newspapers, and ponder the genealogies of the main players in the case. Hardcore Bordenites—my kind of people! 

I came up with the Fall River Mutton Eaters as a scion name for the Chapter of the Irregulars. Kristin Pepe, fresh from her discovery of the Emma Borden/Wheaton College connection designed our shield featuring a sheep and Lizzie’s immortal quote “I can’t do anything in a minute.”

Naturally, #92 Second Street would be headquarters, and the Abbey Grille, located in Lizzie’s Rock Street Congregational Church, would be the scene for our annual banquet. With all this in place, the very first meeting of the Mutton Eaters was on November 9-10, 2007. 

The Flock convened in front of the A.J. Borden building dressed in deerstalkers and capes, Sherlock Holmes tee shirts, and other sleuthing paraphernalia. First stop was the New Bedford courthouse with a memorable tour and leisurely photo shoot of the scene of Lizzie’s ordeal. We were all mesmerized at being in the very spot, sitting in Lizzie’s seat, and marveling how little the courtroom had changed since 1893. Then it was off to White’s restaurant for lunch followed by a tour of Lizzie sites in Fall River and a retracing of Andrew’s last morning in town, led by Len Rebello. After hot cider we all got to collapse, briefly, before it was time to don our leg o’ muttons and go off to the Abbey Grille in Lizzie’s old church for our Mutton Eater’s banquet. Donald Woods and Lee-ann Wilber joined us there along with Len, Barbara MacDonald, Debbie Valentine (both original Second Street Irregulars)—we were twenty-one at dinner. 

Dave Quigley received The Golden Spoon Award for eleven years of tireless jonnycake flipping at #92. We figured he must have flipped about 100,000 of these Yankee tidbits. Kristin Pepe received the first ever Lens of Sherlock Award for Excellence in Detection, for finding Emma’s school last summer (this was a golden magnifying Sherlock-type lens on a chain). Donald and Lee-ann received The Order of the Golden Fleece medallion recognizing their work in restoring the Borden barn and grounds and continuing preservation work on the house. Len Rebello received his Golden Fleece in the Literary Field for his Lizzie opus, Lizzie Borden: Past and Present, but also for encouraging excellence in research and documentation of facts, and for sharing all the fruits of his labors with us for so many years. These may have been sort of funny tokens, but the sentiments expressed were genuine. We were also honored to include Director Jack McCullough and the beautiful actress Jill Dalton of the recent summer production of Lizzie Borden Live. Bob Shaw from New York, a long-standing Lizzie aficionado, and visitor to the Borden house—more times than anyone over the past eleven years—also joined us. 

After dinner, we went on a special tour of the church, including the kitchens, Great Hall, former parlors, and had the spot pointed out where the Borden pew once stood. It was fun to see it at leisure and we stayed quite some time for photos. Back at #92, the evening continued until midnight with a roundtable forum in front of the fireplace, with Len holding forth as we all discussed theories and enjoyed a wine and dessert party. Saturday came too early as we caravanned to Alice Russell’s grave in Westport to leave a bouquet, then we went on to Fairhaven for a city tour of Victorian buildings, given by Chris Richards, Fairhaven Director of Tourism, and member of the Lizzie Borden Society Forum. The Green Street house of the Brownells, where Emma was visiting on August 4, 1892, was a highlight of the tour as well as a visit to the grave of Eli Bence in Riverside Cemetery. 

Good food, good friends, great conversation and discussion—that was the weekend. We knew we would have to do it again. May 23-25, 2008, was set as the next gathering for the intrepid Mutton Eaters. Once a thing is repeated, then it must surely become a tradition. And so the Flock assembled at the Borden house on Second Street in May for a whole weekend filled with adventures, beginning with a trip to Swansea Public Library to see the new photo of little Lizzie, followed by a trip to Luther’s Corners to view the portraits of Sarah and Andrew Borden. Luther’s Corners was a revelation for us all, not only for the portraits but also for the contents of the museum, which spanned more than a century of local history. 

Eating and good food has become part of the Mutton Eater tradition, so lunches and banquets are a high priority for the weekend gatherings. Friday evening was the Annual Mutton Eaters Banquet at the Abbey Grille, where this time we had reserved one of the upper rooms for our event and awards presentation. This year the Lens of Sherlock (symbol of the astute and discerning eye for detection) was presented by last year’s recipient, Kristin Pepe to Hatchet editor, Stefani Koorey, in recognition for the discovery and publication of the Swansea portraits, as was the ultimate Second Street Irregulars’ accolade, the Golden Fleece, given for significant contributions to the body of knowledge in the Borden case. This year, the first award of recognition was given for Merit in the Performing Arts to actress Jill Dalton, playwright and performer of the one-woman tour de force, Lizzie Borden Live! The “Lambie” was received with all the solemn appreciation as if it were an Oscar by its recipient. More lively discussion and desserts followed back at #92, as well as a sampling, in the parlor, of Jill Dalton’s play. Kristen Pepe gave a presentation on Officer Medley after dessert, and the old house echoed with chatter and laughter until the wee hours.

Saturday’s agenda was packed with a trip to visit the Astors’ Beechwood where an 1891 script was being acted out by costumed staff in the roles of maids and ladies of society of the era. An unscheduled stop at the Vanderbilts’ Breakers gave us a window on the Gilded Age as well as an excuse to shop at the gift store. The weary band was very happy to collapse at LaForge Casino at the Tennis Hall of Fame for a lunch on the porch followed by a trip to view the spot where the old Perry House Hotel (where Bridget Sullivan had worked) was once situated. The unexpected treat of the day was a chance to go inside the Covell house on Farewell Street to see the very spot where Lizzie sojourned in the summer of 1893, after her acquittal. Some of the Mutton Eaters are persuasive when it comes to wrangling an entrée, and the caretaker was enchanted with the group and Lizzie! Although the house has undergone renovations to the first floor, there were many original touches to be found in the architecture and fittings. The tired but triumphant flock filtered back to Fall River for a pizza party and open house, with an evening of discussions and experiments. Just how long was Bridget out of the house running her missions as directed by Lizzie on the morning of August 4? Can someone stealthily sneak into the house without being seen? Can footfalls be heard from the sitting room if the dining room windows are closed? The Mutton Eaters answered all of these pressing questions that day.

Sunday morning saw the departure of most of the troupe, but the diehards soldiered on to Fairhaven for a cemetery tour of Riverside, a stop at the Green Street house, and of course lunch to sample Fairhaven’s best clam chowder and clam cakes and the required call to candy lover’s paradise, Dorothy Cox Candy Store. 

So, what is an “Irregular”? For reader’s of Conan Doyle and followers of Sherlock, you will know—they are the rag-tag motley crew of cabbies, street urchins, and everyman who can blend into the crowd, gathering clues and important information vital to solving the case. 

The game will be afoot once more in April 2009!