Andys' strange request.

[snokkums]

I have been thinking about a statement that Andrew mad to Emma. He made it to her before she went on her trip to Fairhaven. He said to her, "If I should want you immediately while you are away, where shall I find you?" The statement got me thinking. Was he worried that Lizzie was going to do something crazy, or was he worried because of his age, he might get sick or something? What do you all think? I think it was a little bit of both.

[Steveads2004]

I have read about this too, but how strange is it really? Emma is going away overnight, some say for the first time ever (maybe yes maybe no who really knows?) and her 70 year old father (pretty old by 1892 standards) asks how he should contact her should the need arise. There is no home phone service, so its a reasonable request I think. This may be a case of much ado about nothing.

[SallyG]

Was it REALLY Emma's first overnight trip away from the house to visit friends? If so, her parents being murdered during the first time she was away seems very suspicious. However, Andrew asking how to get in touch with her if needed does not seem all that unusual. Even today, parents still like to know how to get hold of their children if they need to...especially those along in years! Whether it was her first trip from home, or if she regularly visited friends, asking how to contact her seems a totally routine request by a parent.

[snokkums]

I'm just thinking along the lines that maybe Andrew was afraid of Lizzie and wasn't sure what she might do. Thinking maybe Lizzie was doing thinking along the lines of noone is in the house but me and daddy war bucks and wicked step-mom. Now only if I can only get Bridget out of the house.

[Steveads2004]

I think its too big a leap to take. It was more than likely an innocent comment that can be seen in a darker light with our modern eyes and language. Andrew did not seem to have any fear of Lizzie based on his reclining or sitting on the sofa knowing she was around and about that day.

[snokkums]

I'm just saying he might not have trusted Lizzie all that much. He did lock his bedroom door because of her shoplifting in stores. He might not have known what she was capable of doing.

[Steveads2004]

Thats a very good point Snokkums. I had not thought of his locking his door. The Daylight Robbery is a most curious aspect of the case. In hindsight it is easy to see how Lizzie was suspected. It could just as easily be viewed as evidence that the house's security had been compromised and was an unsolved case. That way it backs up the "intruder" scenario. Could be part of a small conspiracy that grew into a larger murder plot. Even now the holes in the case are big enough for Chris Christie to walk through.

[snokkums]

Yup, there are alot of holes. But I think that Andrew just didn't trust Lizzie. Or maybe she was just trying to get back at her father and Abby.

[SallyG]

My oldest son lives in Oklahoma and was out antiquing with a couple of friends last weekend. They observed that so many, many pieces of antique furniture had locks on the drawers and doors and called and asked me why that was done. I myself have my great-aunts mirrored vanity table from the 1800's and both small drawers have locks. Compare that to more recent furniture that displays no locks. I told him that in the past, a large majority of upper and middle class families had household help, and my guess was that things were kept locked to prevent theft and snooping by the "help". If I am not mistaken, the bedroom door to the parents room was kept locked, evey before the burglary, and Abby took care of her own room. It may have been just a general precaution people took in locking bedroom doors. I would wonder if that might have been more common a practice than we realize, especially if they employed servants. I can recall my grandmother having many, many pieces of furniture that locked...and they were always kept locked. And she didn't even have household help then.