Parallel Lives: A Social History of Lizzie A. Borden and Her Fall River

The new book on Lizzie Borden and Fall River, due out late this year, and written by the curatorial staff of the Fall River Historical Society, promises to be a humdinger.

According to a “tantalizing tidbit” on the FRHS website, we will finally find out the identity of Todd Lunday, author of the 1893 pamphlet The Mystery Unveiled:—The Truth About the Borden Tragedy.

The identity of Lunday has long been the object of debate. Those who have spent a great deal of time with this issue have their best guesses. I know that one eminent scholar has compared the words used with known publications to help determine the name of the person who wrote the book (ala the deciphering of who was Anonymous, the author of Primary Colors, using word and textural identification).

One novice writer has based their opinion on the “phrasing, sentence structure, vocabulary, wit, and general degree of callousness” that they find in the writings of Lunday and one “James Dennan O’Neil, Irish Catholic, managing editor of the Daily Globe.” I guess the fact that the gent was an Irish Catholic is somehow important to his identification, although I cannot imagine why.

So those who care about such things, and there are many, will soon find out whether they are correct or not.

I can’t wait!