Lizzie Borden Society Forum

If you are at all interested in Abraham Lincoln today is a field day for TV shows.

Right now on CSPAN-2, continuing until 3 this afternoon a repeat of lectures given on the Lincoln assassination. Expert authors such as Kauffman and Steers and others give talks and answer questions.

Then tonight beginning at 8pm, "Lincoln" a three hour documentary show on the History Channel.

Our Lizzie was born the year Lincoln was first elected.

I'm going to watch "Lincoln" on the History Channel. Right now I'm reading The War Years:Volume One by Carl Sandburg. My goal is to read all of the volumes. I've already read The Prairie Years.

I've often wondered if Emma had any memories of the war? For that matter I've wondered if Uncle Morse fought in the war or if he didn't how did he get out of it?

Joe Carlson only found Fernando Morse in the Civil War: "Company A, 32nd Illinois Infantry Regiment, where he served with distinction, First Sgt. Fernando Whitwell Morse..."- Hatchet, Vol. 1, Issue 3, June/July 2004, pg. 14.
He was John Morse's younger brother.

Not found any other immediate Morse or member of Andrew Borden side of the family, including Hiram Harrington.
I've been told that rich men could buy a replacement to take on their duty in the war.

Did you happen to catch, Harry, the mention by one of the writers who spoke on C-SPAN that the body of Paine/Powell was apparently autopsied after execution? They also spoke of the strange odyssey of his skull, which did not go with him to the grave as we know – at least not immediately. Someone there also made the point – and I have to wonder myself: If the purpose of an autopsy is to determine cause and manner of death – why bother? The cause and manner of death was ligature strangulation (or a severed spinal cord if the knot was properly placed) courtesy a government gallows!

We wish to know their names no more....

The best story though proves that saying "Thou shalt not speak ill of the dead." In at least one reported instance, an inappropriate response to news of Lincoln's death came to be the speaker's last words. (A Federal soldier standing within earshot was seized by an urge for target practice, drew his pistol, aimed at the man's head.... Not pretty, to say the least.)

When Ted Bundy was electrocuted they did an autopsy. (Out of all the states to choose to murder someone, he had to pick Florida - one with a death penalty.) I forget the reason for that. Maybe it's a state law.

No, no! I missed all those great Lincoln shows Monday???!! AAUGGHHHH!

That's a good point. Maybe it is a law.
Maybe they want to look at his brain?

Brain? What brain? If Bundy had a "brain" he wouldn't have killed those women. I can't figure out those kinds of people or those who feel sorry for them.

It's the law. Anytime a homicide is commited, even the execution of a murderer, an autopsy is performed. Odd. That's what I heard.

Lincoln's story has always interested me. I did reports on him in school. It seems he had some health and mental problems (who doesn't?) but I think he had his heart in the right place and meant well. He sure was an ugly coot. Poor guy.

-1bigsteve (o:

Sometimes it takes a physical/gross examination (meaning not microscopic) of the brain to deterimine or diagnose some diseases/conditions. For instance, the well-known form of dementia; Alzheimer's, is not truly diagnosed until a post-mortem exmination is done and shows certain conditions of the frontal lobe.

If someone in my family, or someone I cared about had a mental condition, I would not just write them off and not try to do something to help them...I would see if there was anything I could do to help them. Maybe if some people with mental conditions got some early help/treatment, terrible crimes, like those of Ted Bundy would not occur, or maybe at least there would be less of them.


Tracy...





Tracy...

I agree studying the brain of an executed violent criminal would be at the least enlightening.
I hadn't really thought of the death penalty *observed* was a homicide, but I guess it is.