Small thing about the piles of clean clothes

[Airmid]

In other posts on this forum, I have read about the piles of clean clothes, that were taken upstairs to be stored away. For instance, diana wrote:

At the Preliminary Hearing she says Andrew and Lizzie both took up piles of clothes from the kitchen table on Thursday morning. But at trial, she says the laundry was all put away on Wednesday.

There was also some discussion about it, especially how likely it was that Andrew had been the one who took up the clean clothes, but I can't find that discussion any more.
Today, I read the following in Porter:
"Washed Monday, hanging out the clothes Tuesday and ironed Wednesday. Finished ironing that evening. Then I laid the clothes ironed out in piles and Mrs. Borden and the girls took them up stairs. I mean Lizzie took hers up instead of the girls took them up. They took the piles of clothes up Thursday morning, I separated the clothes before breakfast." (Porter p. 108)
Porter is giving his report on the testimonies during the Preliminaries in this part of his book. The telegram-style of his report suggests that he is working from his own notes rather than from an official source.
Do you think it's possible that there was an error on the side of the stenographer in the official account of the Preliminaries?

Airmid.

[snokkums]

I don't know if the stenograher got it wrong or if lizzie said something different at the trial. But if the clothes were washed on Monday, hung out on Tuesday, then ironed on Wednesday, it is very possible that the clothes were put up on Thursday. But, it doesn't make sense to me that you stretch out the laundry like that. Seems to me that you would have one day for laundry, so you can wash dry iron and put away all in the same day. But even still if they were ironed on Wednesday it seems more likely they would have been put up on that day.

[Harry]

I don't know if the stenograher got it wrong or if lizzie said something different at the trial. But if the clothes were washed on Monday, hung out on Tuesday, then ironed on Wednesday, it is very possible that the clothes were put up on Thursday. But, it doesn't make sense to me that you stretch out the laundry like that. Seems to me that you would have one day for laundry, so you can wash dry iron and put away all in the same day. But even still if they were ironed on Wednesday it seems more likely they would have been put up on that day.

Good question, Snokkums. Something tells me Bridget, like Lizzie, didn't do things in a hurry. Look how long it took her to do the windows.

Here's Bridget's testimony at the Preliminary, page 73+:

Q. When did you wash that week?
A. Monday.
Q. Are you sure, did not you wash Tuesday? Was not Monday a stormy day?
A. Yes Sir. I washed Monday.
Q. When did you hang your clothes out?
A. Tuesday.
Q. When did you begin to iron?
A. Wednesday.
Q. If you washed Monday, it was not a good drying day?
A. No Sir. I did not hang them out until Tuesday.
Q. Then you hung them out by going the back way from the cellar?
A. Yes Sir.
Q. Did you finish ironing Wednesday evening?
A. Yes Sir.
Q. Did you go out Wednesday evening?
A. Yes Sir,
Q. What time did you get home?
A. Five minutes past ten.
Q. And had your key?
A. Yes Sir.
Q. Did anybody come with you?
A. No Sir.
Q. Did anybody walk with you that night?
A. No Sir.
Q. Where did you leave the clothes you had ironed Wednesday evening?
A. I put them on the table, folded, and Mr. Borden took a pile, and the girls took the other pile.
Q. When?
A. Wednesday morning.
Q. What girls?
A. Miss Lizzie’s and Miss Emma’s clothes. I always separated them, and laid them in piles.
Q. You said you separated the piles, and Mr. Borden took one, and the girls took their piles; you do not mean that, because Emma was not there?
A. Miss Lizzie must have taken them then.
Q. They did not take them until Thursday morning?
A. No Sir.
Q. They were not ready to be taken?
A. They were on the clothes horse.
Q. They were hung to air as was your habit after finishing ironing?
A. Yes Sir.
Q. You folded them up Thursday morning?
A. Yes Sir.
Q. You took them off the clothes horse and folded them up?
A. Yes Sir.

So it looks like it was rainy Monday and she couldn't hang them out to dry that day. Tuesday she hung them out to dry. Wednesday ironing and folding.

Since Emma had been gone for a while there couldn't have been too many of her clothes.

There is a photo of the back of the house that shows what looks like a small rug over a clothes line. That line looks very short to me and it makes me wonder if they had multiple lines.

[SallyG]

Let's not forget that laundry back then was not as easy as it is now. You had to sort the laundry, heat up the water on the stove for the washtub, wash the clothes, wring, rinse in another tub of clear water, wring, mix up the blueing for the whites and soak, wring, boil up the starch and soak, wring, hang them out to dry-weather permitting, take in the laundry when dry, sprinkle for ironing, roll up. That was DAY 1.

DAY 2 - build up the fire to heat several flatirons. Set up the ironing board (usually a padded board set on a table), begin ironing when the flats are good and hot, when they cool down exchange them for a hot one and reheat the cool one, fold the ironed clothes, sheets, pillowcases, tablecloths, etc. Put away.

Now we sort, throw the clothes in the washer, add detergent and bleach, when they are done spinning throw them in the dryer with a dryer sheet, wait till the buzzer goes off, fold, and put away!

[Davo]

Yes, SallyG, you are so right. If you have ever seen the series '1900 House' on the PBS TV channel you can see how long it took to do things then: washing, cleaning, cooking etc. I was amazed. Our modern laundry soaps were not invented until the 1920's so they used soda crystals and boiling water to wash with the blueing for the white clothes. They said it would take three days to do the average family's laundry. Plus think of the the heat wave at that time in August 1892 and the heavy clothing the women had to wear. It would certainly slow me down! It seems life was at a much slower pace back then.

[diana]

At the Preliminary Hearing, when Bridget says the laundry was taken up Wednesday morning her statement is immediately and thoroughly corrected by the defense:

“They did not take them until Thursday morning?
No Sir.
They were not ready to be taken?
They were on the clothes horse. . . .
. . . You folded them up Thursday morning? . . . They were not ready until Thursday morning?
No Sir.
Where did you pile them up?
On the kitchen table.” (Prelim, 74+)

But at the trial -- although Bridget initially says the clothes were on the clothes horse Thursday morning (206) -- the prosecution later leads her into contradicting herself , and once again the maid is claiming that the clothes were not taken up Thursday morning.
“Moody: Had your ironing been completed the day before?
Bridget: Yes sir.
Moody: And the clothes put away?
Bridget: Yes sir.” (222)

It would appear that the prosecution really doesn’t want that laundry on the kitchen table on August 4. However a quick word search seems to show that by the time the trial rolled around, the defense was no longer concerned about correcting Bridget on this point. [I’m not on solid ground here – it was a very quick search – so if anyone can rebut this, please do!]

This particular issue of the laundry reminds one of how often Bridget relies on how things were 'generally' done. Some examples:

"I put them on the table, folded, and Mr. Borden took a pile, and the girls took the other pile." . . .
. . . "Adams: You said you separated the piles and Mr. Borden took one, and the girls took their piles; you do not mean that, because Emma was not there?
Miss Lizzie must have taken them then.” (Prelim. 74)


Regarding the screen door:
“Q. . . . now you cannot say whether you hooked it or not when you came back?
A. Well, I generally always hooked it.” (Trial 273)

“ Now do you recall doing anything else before any one came down stairs? No, sir; excepting my work around the kitchen generally, getting the breakfast; and I had clothes on the clothes horse; I suppose I took them down, as I generally did. (Trial, 206)

Robinson points up this inclination of Bridget’s to rely on her routine rather than her memory. At the trial he suggests to her that there was little in the events of August 4th prior to the murder to distinguish it from any other morning in her mind and she agrees. Then he asks her:
“Q: Could you tell us just what Mrs. Borden did the Tuesday before when she came downstairs?
A: The Tuesday morning?
Q: Yes.
A: Why, she went in the sitting-room as usual.
Q: Well, not as usual. I want to know what you remember about it?
A: Why, the woman came downstairs and wanted to know what was for breakfast and so forth, and went into her sitting-room and stayed there until her breakfast was ready.” (Trial, 270)

She displays her confidence that this indeed did happen two days before the murders just because it was what usually happened. So Robinson illustrates here that some of Bridget’s 'memories' of the morning of August 4 may simply be 'memories of the Borden routine' on a typical summer morning.

[Smudgeman]

Very good post Diana! I don't know why I have always suspected the folded laundry that was to be put away could be an important clue, but it COULD be. Was the laundry there wednesday or thursday morning? Lizzie claims she was sick and in her room all day wednesday, so why would she bother with laundry chores? Were the supposed pillow shams Abby used in that pile of laundry? Did Lizzie take some articles of clothing that belonged to Abby up to her room to prepare for the dirty deed? Or maybe Abby came down to get some laundry and Lizzie followed her back up with laundry of her own, or an argument ensued. I am still thinking why I think this could be of some significance. It seems Bridget does not remember the details, because she did the same mondane routines day to day. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary to her, or she just didn't notice.
Guess I am going out on a limb here, hmmmmm

[nbcatlover]

In the inquest, I believe Lizzie testifies about basting a button loop, and then there are questions about Abby using the front room for sewing. These activities would make perfect sense upon the receipt of freshly laundered clothes.

This piece in the archives caught my attention.

"Follow the Pillow Cases"
Posted by haulover on Dec-13th-03 at 7:05 PM


this is something i've been meaning to get around to -- i noticed it a while back. Lizze's Inquest -- my favorite evidence. i'd love to write a thorough analysis of her inquest someday, but i'm still just finding "parts." this is one lizzie-istic part that i don't think we've yet done to death (well, i could have missed it if it's way back in the archives). it concerns those pillow cases.

My question is this: In addition to whether there were small pillows at the foot of that bed with or without these pillow cases -- is lizzie trying to say that abby had pillow cases (already made) to put on these pillows -- or is she saying that abby was somehow in the process of making pillow cases to put on the pillows?

below is from lizzie's inquest, and i may editorialize with brackets.
____________________________

Q. Did she say anything about making the bed?
A. She said she had been up and made the bed up fresh, and had dusted the room and left it all in order. She was going to put some fresh pillow slips on the small pillows at the foot of the bed, and was going to close the room, because she was going to have company Monday and she wanted everything in order.
[i can only gather that lizzie learned this when she spoke to abby in the dining room (supposedly after abby had made the bed--we know it was made when she was killed). (there is one place in witness statements where apparently lizzie said she saw abby making up the bed as she went downstairs.) abby's stated intention to go back up signaled lizzie that abby was going back up there and therefore provided her the opportunity to murder abby in a place not visible to anyone coming into the house? this "company" to my knowledge was never identified -- but in addition to that, how likely or practical was it that abby would "close up the room" for four days when the girls, according to alice, did use that spare room as a "sitting room."]
Q. How long would it take to put on the pillow slips?
A. About two minutes.
[So pillow slips were made, we're talking merely about putting them on the cushions.]
Q. How long to do the rest of the things?
A. She had done that when I came down.
Q. All that was left was what?
A. To put on the pillow slips.
[Still we're talking about just putting on pillow slips. now get ready for one of lizzie's "turns."]
Q. Can you give me any suggestion as to what occupied her when she was up there, when she was struck dead?
A. I don't know of anything except she had some cotton cloth pillow cases up there, and she said she was going to commence to work on them. That is all I know. And the sewing machine was up there.
[here we go with the switch. now it's no longer just putting on the slips. it's that she was going to "commence to work on them" -- and in conjunction with that, lizzie implies sewing work. (let me say here that i've come to see lizzie's "That is all" statement as a blue light that she is concealing.) to explain the time, lizzie is suggesting that abby was sewing -- and notice in her wording she connects the pillow cases to the possibility of sewing (as opposed to putting on slips that would take two minutes).]

LATER........

Q. Do you know of any employment that would occupy your mother for the two hours between nine and eleven in the front room?
[I assume knowlton means the upstairs spare room where abby was killed.]
A. Not unless she was sewing.
[It's possible Abby was sewing in that room.]
Q. If she had been sewing you would have heard the machine?
A. She did not always use the machine.
[her answer is evasive. lizzie does not say "yes" she would have heard the machine. she is admitting she would have heard the machine but that -- that does not mean that Abby wasn't sewing.]
Q. Did you see, or were there found, anything to indicate that she was sewing up there?
A. I don't know. She had given me a few weeks before some pillow cases to make. [this is the part that vexes me. just what is she trying or trying not to say? it sounds like lizzie is now saying that abby might have given her a "sewing job?" but the thread running beneath the surface is that lizzie is now talking about "making pillow cases" as opposed to "putting on pillow cases." but there is something here even more baffling. could it be that these pillow cases in question were sewn by lizzie herself at abby's request, and that today abby is going to use them? this seems to be a classic lizzieism (that is, an answer to a logical question, an answer which is fairly logical on the surface, but in actuality illogical in terms of the logic of the questioning. Knowlton is trying to get at Abby's time in the room, and Lizzie resorts to an answer that may actually be true in terms of how pillow cases came into being, but her answer is outside the bounds of the question. i have to backtrack a bit to put this together: abby went up to put on pillow cases, abby may have sewed up there without the machine, now lizzie herself may have dealt with pillow cases some weeks before. if i may hazard a psychological guess: lizzie is explaining the history of some pillow cases as a way of explaining abby's time in the spare room that day? or is there something else altogether here i don't see?]
Q. My question is not that. Did you see, or were there found, anything to indicate that she had done any sewing in that room that morning?
[he sticks to his point, but lizzie's elusiveness sneaks past him.]
A. I don't know. I was not allowed in that room; I did not see it.
[after all, she has no idea what abby might have done and no real reason to think that abby might have sewed?]
Q. Was that room where she usually sewed?
A. No sir.
[she doesn't think of it as abby's sewing room.]
Q. Did you ever know her to use that room for sewing?
A. Yes sir.
[of course, that had sometimes been the case.]
Q. When?
A. Whenever she wanted to use the machine.
[so it was for the use of the machine that abby would have sewed there -- the machine which lizzie did not hear in use on the morning of the murders.]
Q. When she did not want to use the machine, did you know she used that room for sewing?
[is it conceivable that she would have used the spare bedroom for any kind of sewing?]
A. Not unless she went up to sew a button on, or something.
[lizzie has already told us that is not where abby usually sewed. but not just that -- she has told us specifically that abby would use that room for sewing WHEN SHE WANTED TO USE THE MACHINE.]
Q. She did not use it as a sitting room?
A. No sir.
Q. Leaving out the sewing, do you know of anything else that would occupy her for two hours in that room?
A. No, not if she had made the bed up, and she said she had when I went down.
Q. Assuming the bed was made?
A. I don't know anything.
Q. Did she say she had done the work?
A. She said she had made the bed and was going to put on the pillow cases, about 9 o'clock.
[we're no longer sewing, just putting on pillow cases. also lizzie gives us the approximate time of abby's murder.]
Q. I ask you again, remembering that--
A. I told you that yesterday.
Q. Nevermind about yesterday.
______________________

At this point he demands to know her conversation with Abby.

1. abby was going to put on pillow cases.
2. she didn't normally sew in that room; she would tend to do so if she used the machine, which she didn't; then again, she might sew in that room.
3. and abby gave lizzie some pillow cases to make a few weeks back.

any insights?

The part that was especially curious to me is Lizzie's testimony about Abby giving her some pillow cases to make a few weeks back. Haulover made some really good points here.

Did Abby criticize Lizzie's sewing of the pillowcases and choose to use some other cases?

Did Lizzie fail to finish the pillowcases?

Were the pillowcases the "trigger" to a violent altercation or just nothing at all?

It's hard to determine the point here. It's hard to determine the importance of preparing the guest room when no future guests ever presented themselves. It's all so bizarre because the action is all so mundane.

[Airmid]

Great posts, folks!!!

However, I think I haven't been clear enough im my post about the point I wanted to discuss with you.
In the official text of the Preliminaries, Bridget states that Andrew took up the clean clothes, but Porter's account says that Abby took them up.

Porter has made errors in his account of the trial, but I'm wondering if this time he could have been right. Your thoughts?

Of course, knowing when the clean clothes were taken up is an interesting point also.
Lizzie says this in her Inquest testimony (p. 60):
Q Did you go back to your room before your father returned?
A I think I did carry up some clean clothes.
She's speaking about her doings on the day of the murders. So Lizzie's pile might have been there on thursday morning, though of course the other clean clothes might have been taken upstairs the previous day.

Diana, I'm glad you brought up the character of Bridgets statements. I noticed this too, and I was wondering if I saw ghosts. Such a pity that Bridget is so sloppy with her answers!

Airmid.

[Kat]

I did get your question. After reading what was presented tho, since the name Mr. Borden was repeated by the attorney, I tend to think it was Andrew and not a mistake in the transcript, which was a good question.
Thanks guys for the testimony.

The other thing is, are we all thinking of a weekly wash including those big huge dresses the women wore? Because I don't think they washed those that often. The laundry to which Bridget refers may be the *smalls* and petticoats and the tablecloths and napkins and sheets.
I think the big dresses were sort of *dry cleaned* several times before they were washed outright?

[Kat]

Good stuff, Diana!

[Airmid]

I did get your question. After reading what was presented tho, since the name Mr. Borden was repeated by the attorney, I tend to think it was Andrew and not a mistake in the transcript, which was a good question.

Thanks, I guess you're right. Andrew seems to have done quite a lot of household tasks then!

The other thing is, are we all thinking of a weekly wash including those big huge dresses the women wore? Because I don't think they washed those that often. The laundry to which Bridget refers may be the *smalls* and petticoats and the tablecloths and napkins and sheets.
I think the big dresses were sort of *dry cleaned* several times before they were washed outright?

I agree. It was even so when I grew up, in the early sixties, in post-war Europe. Things that weren't really dirty weren't washed usually, but just hung out to air and/or brushed, simply because washing was such a tough task. We did have a "washing machine", but all it did was stir the wash. You had to fill it with water by hand, and wring out the clothes or mangle them by hand.

Airmid.

[RayS]

Cleanliness as we know it was invented after running water etc.
I wonder if there is any mention of washing clothes in the early 19th century, as in the novels of James Fenimoore Cooper?
The main purpose of washing w/ soap is to get rid of fleas and ticks, once people realized they spread disease. Ironing kills nids, the unhatched eggs of lice.
If you know about medieval habits, you wouldn't want to go there.
Public baths were viewed as unhealthy. They did not change the water so you got what the last persons left. Also, they gave the name to pimps, who worked the pumps and (like hotel clerks) would tell you where to meet a hot number.
At least that's what I read in a book.