Lizzie Borden Society Forum

Amongst the letters Knowlton received was one from Brooklyn, NY. It is in the Knowlton Papers, HK003, page 6:

"Postal card, handwritten in ink.
Brooklyn, N. Y., Aug, 10,'92
Dear Sir:- A lately published detective story, a novel entitled The Catherwood Mystery, by Albert P. Southwick, bears a wonderful resemblance to the conditions surrounding the Borden tragedy of your city.
Respectfully, B."

I've not been able to find the book but there is some information on Southwick (at least I assume its the same one). Found this at:

http://en.allexperts.com/e/a/al/albert_p._southwick.htm

"Dr. Albert P. Southwick (1826 - 1898), was a dentist from Buffalo, New York. He is credited with inventing the first electric chair as a method of execution. Dr. Southwick is buried in Forest Lawn Cemetery in Buffalo, New York, USA."

Has anyone read the book The Catherwood Mystery?

He wrote a mystery story with hints of the Borden case and invented the electric chair?? Oh My!
Poor Lizzie!

I'm going to guess it wasn't the inventing dentist but rather the author Albert Plympton Southwick.

Southwick, Albert P. (Albert Plympton), 1855-1929: Quizzism, and its Key: Quirks and Quibbles From Queer Quarters (sixth edition, 1886) [source: upenn on-line books]

I can't find the Catherwood mystery by him, but he is listed in this crime compendium which would indicate he did write mysteries.
https://secure.locusmag.com/index/add4b.htm

I did find a book by that title by another author. This came out five years before the murders -- I don't know if Knowlton's letter writer would consider that a "lately published" story?

"My greatest case: Or, The Catherwood mystery
Sharp, Jack
New York. Munro. 1887. 41 S.. Old Captain Collier library. ; 242.."
http://www.bookmaps.de/lib/ruc/m/y/myg.html

Thanks Harry and Diana both!
Whew! No electric chair for Lizzie! I overreacted!

Well Harry, I found a copy at Princeton University, New York Public Library and in a huge mystery collection which sells for 400 dollars! The Catherwood Mystery By Albert Plympton Southwick is one tough book to find, it was published in 1892 by John A. Taylor and Co. as #10 in their Broadway Series. I entered search requests for all the search services- we'll soon see what we come up with.
The novel was 270 pages and at the time, cost fifty cents.

Southwick was born in Charleston, Massachusetts on May 11, 1855 , father was a naval officer. He graduated from high school, attended a seminary and then college, for 2 years followed by 2 years at the Naval Academy. 1879-1886 and educator, widower, self-published some works under Mine Publishing Co., wrote a series of 20 booklets called Dime Series of Questions and Answers, 1880 -83 wrote Short Studies in Literature, Quizzism and Its Keys 1884, Handy Helps, 1886, Quizz Manual of Teaching 1886, novel Bijou 1889, Wisps of Wit and Wisdom,1892, The Catherwood Mystery 1892, A Fact in Fiction, 1893, Brown the Lawyer 1893, wrote song When the Moon Began to Rise in 1889, contributed short stories to numerous magazines, and lived at 52 Jefferson Avenue, Brooklyn.

All this from Who's Who in America.

Diana and Shelley, thank you for the research. The brief biography on the dentist Southwick didn't mention him as an author so I had my doubts.

How curious the postcard, signed just "B", was received from Brooklyn and Southwick was living in Brooklyn at the time. Mmmmm... a little free publicity.

$400? Wow, I'll pass. I'll take one for the 50 cents though.

And that's why Shelley's paid the big bucks!

It would be interesting to get a look at the plot, wouldn't it? And a fun idea that Southwick may have been involved in a little self-promotion.....

Well I so love a challenge. And I must admit my curiosity is piqued. We shall have a copy of the book! So far Book Fetch has come up dry.We all know Lizzie loved to read- and novels aplenty. Just suppose , while she was out of town on her little vacation that summer before the murders, she read this novel- and her little wheels began to turn? What were the chances the author would see some similarity and blow the whistle? Hmm. . . now I wish Harrington, with his exceptional eye for detail- had had a look at Lizzie's bookcase!