Lizzie Borden Society Forum

Based on witness statements and trial testimony, is it to be believed that right after the murders, Lizzie was seen coming out of Emma's room in her pink wrapper (I think, seen by Alice?) Could she have been hiding something in there? I know this has been discussed millions of times. But I remember reading something about a blanket in Emma's closet, presumably hiding something? I don't remember where I've read this-- it was in one of the posts from a long time ago. Just someone seeing Lizzie in or coming out of Emma's room and the closet was open and there was a blanket. This was right after the murders, when she was upstairs. Am I imagining having read something like this? Besides all this, what had she been doing in Emma's room in the first place? Or am I wrong about the whole thing altogether?

No, you are not wrong. It appears in Alice Russell's trial testimony (p412). She is being questioned about what she knew about the police searches:

"Q. Did you go up into the room while they were at work there?
A. Yes, sir.
Q. What did they do?
MR. MOODY. This was on Saturday?
MR. ROBINSON. This was on Saturday while the bodies were going to the grave.
Q. Do you wish to answer the question?
A. Yes, sir. I think one of the officers took the keys that lay on the bureau after Miss Lizzie had left and unlocked one or two drawers in her bureau, and didn't search any farther there. I think they opened what she called her toilet room, pulled the portiere one side, just looked there a little. I don't know how much they searched. I don't think very much; and they went into Miss Emma's room and looked around, and opened the cubboard door in her room, and I remember one of the officers pressing against a bundle after he shut it, I think so, some pillow or blanket, something of that kind, and the bed was taken to pieces. That is all that I saw."

Emma's bedroom is very small and the closet not very deep. Closet space in both Emma's and Lizzie's bedrooms was at a premium. Why Lizzie would have had any of her clothing in Emma's room is a mystery to me. That's assuming that was the reason she was in there.

Interesting too that Lizzie even kept her bureau drawers locked.