Lizzie Borden Society Forum

I was on this websites online resources-- famous trials-- and I was reading Lizzie's statements during the inquest. They are so many inconsistanies.
Here are a few of them.

"Durig the inquest LIzzie gave different answers to simple answers. Was it because she was confused? How could she be confused about such a direct question as:

"Where were you when your father came home?

Here are some of the answers of the various answers she gave to that straightforward question.

"I was in the kitchen reading an old magazine that had been left in the cupboard."
A few seconds later the district attorney asked if she was "sure you were in the kitchen when your father returned ?"

Lizzie responded: "I am not sure whether I was there or in the dining room:

A few minutes later the question was put in a slightly differe t wasy.
Q.) Where were you when the bell rang?

A) I think in my room upstairs.
Q) Then you were upstairs when your father came in.

A)I don't know for sure, but I think I was.

A split second later she said:

I was in the stairs when she(the maid) let him (her father) in... I had only been upstairs long enough to take clothes up and bast the little loop on the sleeve I don't think I had been there over five minutes.

Within two pages of testimony, Lizzie had given completely different answers to a simple question: was she reading in the kitchen, sewing upstairs, or walking downstairs when her father came in.

Thought that it was interesting to see how many statements she came up with. You would have thought that she would have tried to keep her stories straight as to what she was doing.

You are right Snokkums, this is one of the reasons I don't trust Lizzie. She is all over the place with her statements and testimonies. Why didn't she say "I don't remember?" She places herself all over that house that day, but she can't be specific or pinned down for an absolute answer on anything!

That's true, she is all over the place! I, too, would have rather have heard "I don't quite remeber what I was doing" than to hear all those explanations as to what she was doing. Or at least give a time like at 9:30 I was outside 9:45 I was doing something else.

Lizzie's "alibi changing" is typical for a person who starts out lying and finds each lie is blown out of the water with the facts. Once you start lying you have to keep it up. I think that is what Lizzie got herself wrapped-up in.

-1bigsteve (o:

It seems that Lizzie's inconsistencies are spatially related, Abby is in, Abby is out, Lizzie is upstairs, Lizzie is in the kitchen. Her testimony while taking morphine was thrown out, but I wonder if any of it has merit. If she said her age was 78 or her father's name was Chester, perhaps she was under the influence, but if most of the testimony was correct, why wouldn't it all be correct?

I once read that President Eisenhower's convoluted sentences were a way to disguise and withhold information; to avoid a direct statement.
Ever notice this in other politicians?

In the case of Lizzie, she was trying to tell what she could and withhold the information about who was there that morning. Uncle John did the same, but he wasn't at the house then.

Circumstantial evidence can be interpreted in more than one way.

1bigsteve @ Sat Jan 13, 2007 10:53 am wrote:Lizzie's "alibi changing" is typical for a person who starts out lying and finds each lie is blown out of the water with the facts. Once you start lying you have to keep it up. I think that is what Lizzie got herself wrapped-up in.

-1bigsteve (o:

Yes, I think you are right about that. Or, maybe it was that she was tap dancing around what she was really doing at the time of the murders. and she wasn't giving up any information.

This topic title sounds familiar. Do we have a similar topic around here somewhere? For some reason I think I started one : Lizzie's Inconsistencies? I'm not sure how to look for it tho.

Kat @ Sat Jan 13, 2007 11:42 pm wrote:This topic title sounds familiar. Do we have a similar topic around here somewhere? For some reason I think I started one : Lizzie's Inconsistencies? I'm not sure how to look for it tho.

Yes, Kat, there is another topic thread, started by Allen, titled Lizzie's Inconsistencies....... Here it is:
viewtopic.php?t=1622&highlight=inconsistencies

Oh good! Thank you for finding that.
Sorry Missy- I thought it was me- but only because the title really speaks to me.