Which Weapon Would You Have Used If You Were YOU?

[1bigsteve]

This poll is the flip side of my previous poll, "What weapon would you have used if you were Lizzie?" In this poll I would like to know what weapon you would have used on the Bordens if you were yourself in 1892 and not Lizzie. So if you are Harry you would be Harry Borden, a son, or Steve Borden, Karen Borden, Joe Borden, etc. And remember, your knowledge about forensics is as it would be in 1892 and not today's.

To keep the playing field level I am keeping the gun and poison off the poll for the same reasons; you failed to buy Prussic acid and, like Lizzie, you don't have a gun and would attract too much police attention if you had bought one. Remember you are trying to escape punishment by being careful. Since some of you are male I am adding in "bare hands" and "ligature." So with just the items around the house and property which would you uses for a weapon?

-1bigsteve (o:

[Shelley]

opps-sorry/ Blame AOL.

[Shelley]

I selected "other". It would also depend on how pressed for time I was- if I needed a weapon quickly, had to act with no time to prepare- then I would look for some thing very close to hand, some thing in the house or barn-some thing that left nothing to chance.

If I had time to consider all the angles and possibilities, then I would opt for no weapon- I would arrange a fatal accident. No weapon, no trace of poison, no having to clean myself up, hide anything. I would perhaps ask Abby to come up to Bridget's room on some pretense, or one of the storage rooms, and arrange a diversion which would compel her to go to a third floor window-then I would push her out the window. Another possibility, less surefire, would be a shove down the stairs- even if she did not die instantly, a follow up to the back of the head could ensure she was good and dead. I was recently reading about how many children suffered falls from windows and down steep Victorian staircases or over staircase bannisters. The front stairs at #92 has a very low bannister,- yes. . . and Abby was none too spry and sprightly. It would not be hard. Yes, she was a heavy woman and leaned against that rail at the top of the stairs- " - must have given way Mr. Hilliard. . ."

[1bigsteve]

Knocking Abby down the stairs or out through a third story window would certainly have a good chance of working, Shelley, but how would you get rid of Andrew? Both were killed so we would have to have a way for both parties. Your idea of pushing Abby through an upper window put a smile on my face. I had never thought of that method before. Abby could have been leaning out the window to check on Bridget's work and leaning a little to far out and...there she goes.

Thanks for the photo. It's nice to see the house has been kept in good condition all these years. It helps bring an old murder case into our present time.

-1bigsteve (o:

[Yooper]

A hatchet is most likely to be lethal with one blow regardless of physical size or gender considerations. Anything less rather narrows the spectrum of suspicion. Bare hands limits the possibilities to someone confident of overpowering both Andrew and Abby, etc.

[1bigsteve]

I had to think long and hard on this one. I wouldn't want my parents to suffer.

My first idea was my bare hands to break their necks. Of course there would not be a guarantee that they would die instantly but there would not be any weapon to clean or hide. But, the police would take one look at me and know who did it.

My second idea was a knife. But they may not die instantly and the pain would be too much. However it would be fairly easy to clean the knife, smear it in animal fat, clean it again and hide it in plain sight next to the other knives. I would have to choose a common sized knife so the murder weapon could have belonged to anyone.

After eliminating all the other weapons for various reasons I came back to the hatchet. I could easily drive the blade deep into their brains and even if they did not die instantly I know the blow to their head would be enough to knock them both unconscious. Very quick with little or no pain. And, because I would need only one blow there would be very little blood splatter. However, one deep blow would indicate to the police that the killer was a man. I would be number one suspect. Also, how would I hide it?

I figured that from the view point of my parents "benefit," a single blow with a hatchet would be more merciful, but I would be the prime suspect. From the view point of my "benefit" a knife would be better because anyone could be the killer and a knife could be easily hidden in the house.

I would want to kill in such a way that it is both merciful to my parents and shed suspicion away from me.

-1bigsteve (o:

[twinsrwe]

I had to go with other weapon, because there wasn't anything listed for 'none'. Murder is just not in me. I would be innocent!

[Shelley]

I have never thought Andrew Borden was the prime target. If this had been the case, why would a killer have come to the house after 9, when it was pretty common knowledge Andrew had a pattern of barber, post office, bank, and would not be found on a week day at home at that hour? No, I think Abby was the prime target, and as soon as John and Andrew cleared the side door and Bridget was safely on the other side of the house, the opportunity came. Lizzie's headboard was smack up against the communicating door with her father's room. Her pillow aligns beautifully with the keyhole (in the bed's 1892 position). I believe on Wednesday night, Lizzie overheard Abby and Andrew discussing the "sickness" and "poisoning" episode of the night before while they were in bed. Abby may have voiced anxiety that Lizzie was behind it all. I doubt Andrew believed her but it "put the wind up" Lizzie. The next morning, there may have been a confrontation ending in deadly results. Lizzie could have sat up late thinking over her options on Wednesday night, concealed the hatchet in her slop pail Thursday morning when she went into the cellar, carried it up to her room, and waited like a spider in a web- for the coast to be clear.

[Allen]

I think the killings were done this way, separately, to make it easier on the killer. It would be easier to corner Abby in the guest room when there was no one around. She couldn't cry out to Andrew because he wasn't there. If Andrew was at home and Abby had made any noise Andrew had to investigate, the killer would then have had to two intended victims and one hatchet handy. Those are not very good odds for any weapon but a gun in my opinion. With everyone else in the house absent, once that hatchet came out she was a sitting duck. She was cornered alone. The same with Andrew. I think that is why Lizzie tried to get Bridget to go to the dress sale. Luckily for Lizzie she went upstairs to take a nap, and Andrew decided to lie down on the sofa.

For the weapon I would use I chose other. I think I would've went the poison route, but have educated myself on it so that it was effective.

[Smudgeman]

I have never thought Andrew Borden was the prime target. If this had been the case, why would a killer have come to the house after 9, when it was pretty common knowledge Andrew had a pattern of barber, post office, bank, and would not be found on a week day at home at that hour? No, I think Abby was the prime target, and as soon as John and Andrew cleared the side door and Bridget was safely on the other side of the house, the opportunity came. Lizzie's headboard was smack up against the communicating door with her father's room. Her pillow aligns beautifully with the keyhole (in the bed's 1892 position). I believe on Wednesday night, Lizzie overheard Abby and Andrew discussing the "sickness" and "poisoning" episode of the night before while they were in bed. Abby may have voiced anxiety that Lizzie was behind it all. I doubt Andrew believed her but it "put the wind up" Lizzie. The next morning, there may have been a confrontation ending in deadly results. Lizzie could have sat up late thinking over her options on Wednesday night, concealed the hatchet in her slop pail Thursday morning when she went into the cellar, carried it up to her room, and waited like a spider in a web- for the coast to be clear.

I believe that Lizzie overheard a conversation between Andrew,Abby, and possibly Morse that led to these murders. I wish we knew WHAT that conversation was. I think she listened upstairs while they were talking that night, and I agree with Shelley that she probably overheard private conversations between the elder Bordens in their room. I could never murder, so I picked other because I would probably resort to poison (Antifreeze) if I thought I must kill someone.