Lizzie Borden Society Forum

I was reading thru some old posts, ended up with a question. Was abby kneeling cleaning the bed rails, or standing making the bed when she was axed? I was always under the impression that she was standing up making the bed and measuring the pillows. Which is it?

I personally feel Abby was probably on her knees making the bed, or had just made the bed, since it looked like it was already made up, when she turned her head to the attacker, got hit in the face then turned and fell to the floor and was then dispatched post haste. But, she could have been standing as well and then fell. The way her body was neatly laid out bothers me. I can't make that out.

-1bigsteve

I guess we'll never know. As Steve mentioned, maybe her body was repositioned somewhat?

Dr. Dolan
Prelim
144
Q. What of these wounds on the head, in your opinion, if any of them, were given while the person were standing up?
A. I would say the glancing scalp wound, which I spoke of, on the left side, that did not mark the skull; that flap drew right back.
Q. Now you tell us of a glancing scalp wound on the left side of the head over the left ear?
A. Yes Sir.
Q. You think that wound might have been given under what circumstances?
A. While standing up, and facing.
Q. That was not necessarily fatal?
A. No Sir.
. . .
144
Q. Now you are describing, in answer to my question, the wounds that she might have received when standing up; is there any other wound that you think of?
A. I do not think so, sir.
Q. In your opinion were all the other wounds given when the person was lying down, prone on the floor? Could they be?
A. Yes Sir, they could be.
Q. In your opinion, from what you saw, were they so given?
A. Yes Sir.
___________

Lizzie at the inquest said Abbie had done the work in the room before she herself came down that morning:
pg. 63(20)
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.
Q. How long would it take to put on the pillow slips?
A. About two minutes.
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.

The back of Abby's clothing and the front of Andrew's clothing should have shown something with respect to where the killer might have stood. I don't recall much testimony about the clothing or how closely it was examined. It was buried and subsequently dug up, which would have rendered it useless as evidence at that point.

Abby might have gotten a blow from the front from either a standing or kneeling position if she turned her head to face someone. The act of turning her head might have caused the blow to be misdirected.

We don't know if Dr. Dolan took into consideration whether Abbie was kneeling or hunched over when he determined the blow came standing face to face.

Maybe he did think of that, and yet answered as he did. He was there, and somewhat of an expert. If the case was trying to be made against Lizzie, proving Abbie was in a casual posture when first struck- a posture showing she was not uncomfortable with the person approaching her- that might have helped the prosecution's case- yet he said what he did and testified to that- so we should still keep Dolan's assessment in mind, I think.

The positioning of Abby's arms and hands has always seemed odd to me. It would appear to be a defensive sort of position, almost as though she was trying to brace herself against contact with the floor. I would think if she had been struck while standing, she would have gone straight down, collapsed onto her legs, and fallen in a more contorted position of some sort.