Police Connection?

[Smudgeman]

I wonder if Dr. Bowen had any pull or connections with the Fall River Police? I have always thought that Lizzie acted alone, but I suspect she had some help from Dr. Bowen. I say this because he refused to let the police enter Lizzie's room immediately after the murders and he was in there with her for a short time. What gives him the power to refuse access to a murder scene from the police? Did he pull rank on an officer by threatening his job? I can't really put my finger on it, but there were several "suspicious" actions displayed by the doctor. That coupled with the fact that Lizzie seemed annoyed when Mrs. Bowen came over makes me wonder exactly what involvement if any he had with the murders?

[NancyDrew]

Yes, more than one person here has thought that Bowen is a suspicious character.

Doctors held a lot of power back then...they still do with my parents generation. I can't get my mother to ever stand up to her doctor; whatever he says is LAW. It's like he is a God. (my first husband was a doctor, and trust me, they're no Gods...)

Bowen's behavior at the crime scene could also be construed another way; he had just had a visit the day before from Abby, who was scared that she was being poisoned, and he basically laughed at her, patted her on the head, and sent her on her way (although he did stop in at the Borden's later, and was promptly shown the door by Andrew).

I think that when they both turned up dead, the good doctor panicked and was thinking of his own possible culpability...as in "gee, was I wrong? maybe I should have paid better attention to Mrs. Borden...I better find out all I can from Lizzie." And THAT is possibly why he spent time alone with her in her bedroom and was reluctant to let police search the room.

I don't know if it that the doctor had connections with the police, than the police simply weren't very assertive, authoritative..you know, COMPETENT. They should have secured the crime scene immediately, checked all people coming and going, and searched every INCH of the that house, up to and including areas that were "sensitive." (such as Lizzie's slop bucket.) l

Bowen was 20 years older than Lizzie; there have been speculations that they were having an affair (he accompanied her to church once, which set tongues wagging...but this was Victorian New England; it didn't take much spark to ignite baseless gossip) and I also believe that there used to be a woman here named Gramma who implied Lizzie had an abortion (was it by Bowen?) I've read the old archives of her posts and I believe she says this, no?

I've always thought it was odd that Bowen nearly immediately sedated Lizzie. First with bromo caffeine (potassium bromide is a sedative: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potassium_bromide) then with MORPHINE...she wasn't acting hysterical at all, in fact, she told the women fussing over her "I am not faint."

And I have read here that Mrs. Bowen came to the house, but was sent away (I don't have the citation for this.) presumably because she was too upset. One has to wonder if the good doctor gave his wife a shot of joy juice also...

[DJ]

I mentioned recently that I believe Dr. Bowen "juiced" Lizzie to keep her from rambling on to the police and anyone else who would eagerly listen.

In recent discussions, I've been thinking-- Dr. Bowen was the one who "signed off" that Lizzie was having her period, thus explaining the contents of the bucket in the cellar that drew the attention of the police-- and that Bridget claimed she had washed the previous Tuesday.

We've speculated here that Lizzie may have used the menstrual pads to wipe/wash after murdering Abby.

I wonder if Dr. B just took Lizzie's word for it.

It was a very, very, very important point. If an unbiased MD had examined her and she had not been wearing a pad, nor had she shown signs of having recently had her period, then we would not be rattling away on this forum. The case would have been made against her.

Frankly, I don't think Dr. Bowen examined Lizzie in that regard. I believe he juiced her to shut her up, for her her own good, too.

If he did just that, and nothing more, then he was an accessory to murder after the fact.

I think the matter of the pads was the irrefutable point at which Bridget knew Lizzie was lying and thus most probably guilty.

But, as you say, Nancy Drew, no one questioned the authority of an MD, and who wanted to fixate on the indelicate subject of menstrual pads, anyway?

[Smudgeman]

Thanks for your replies Nancydrew and DJ. I understand Doctors were respected and a symbol of authority if you will, but the police should have been present and not allowed the 2 of them to be alone and conspire. As soon as the police arrived at the house that day, they should have secured the house and all of the people inside of it so a search could be conducted. After all, the murderer could still be in the house. Oh yeah, she was in her room with Dr. Bowen getting their stories straight.

[NancyDrew]

DJ: If you wanted to "shut someone up" the last thing you do is give them an opiate. It lowers inhibitions, and makes people much more likely to do things they wouldn't do if they weren't high. Hmmm..

[Yooper]

I'm not sure exactly when it happened, but at some time on the day of the murders the focus changed from John Morse to Lizzie as the perpetrator. It's anyone's guess as to who may have suspected her at any given time, if at all. It may be that Dr. Bowen didn't suspect Lizzie and wasn't aware that the police suspected her, assuming the police did suspect her at that moment. Still, it wasn't within his purview to refuse the police access to Lizzie's room, only to advise them of any possible negative consequences to Lizzie's health as a result. It could be that Bowen thought police access to the room was less important than it was and he dealt with the request accordingly.

[Allen]

Bromo Caffeine was a common household cure at the time. It was thought to be good for many ailments. It was considered the same back then as we consider taking an aspirin when we have a headache today. In fact, it was used as a headache cure. The same can be said for Morphine, cocaine, laudanum, and many other drugs we would now be horrified to see given to patients so freely. They were prescribed on a pretty regular basis. I have some antique medical journals and Common Sense Household Remedy books that all praise this medicine. You can also find information about it in several books on Google that were printed in that era such as these.

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[Allen]

Bromo Caffeine As Being A Headache Cure from 1888

http://www.bottlebooks.com/wholesale%20 ... tison.html

[Allen]

Cocaine for toothache, morphine for your child's cough: The bizarre 'safe cures' of 19th Century that 'work like magic'
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... cohol.html

[NancyDrew]

Yes, Allen, you are quite correct...I think I mentioned before that i used to teach high school chemistry, and one of the homework assignments i would give my students was to research all these controlled substances that were once uncontrolled.

Potassium bromide is still used in other countries as a sedative; in fact, I think it is used in the United States on animals. Problem is the toxicity.

I was discussing all this with my daughter this morning...she is a medical student and doing her internship in a local hospital. (My family tolerates my obsession with Lizzie grudgingly.) I mentioned to her again that I didn't understand WHY Dr. Bowen gave Lizzie the bromide OR the morphine (in a much higher dose than she would have been able to purchase herself on a shelf) when she wasn't acting hysterical or in need of sedation at all...in fact, Lizzie showed very little emotion than one would think considering the circumstances (that is just my opinion, of course.)

Then she said something that really gave me pause...this is probably ridiculous, but I'm going to put it out here, and see if anyone else thinks the idea has merit. She said "Mom, he was probably giving her injections all the time...you know, before the murders. That is why she was so odd and had "flat affect" to begin with."

Could this have been possible? They did seem to have some sort of unique relationship (accompanying her to church, without his wife..spending all that time alone with her.)

Finally, a question: Is there a record anywhere (maybe in Rebello?) that lists a log of the visitors Lizzie had while in jail for 10 months? Thanks!!

[Allen]

I look at how things were thought of then. That is the only thing that really matters. What we know today doesn't necessarily apply to the mindset back then. Bromo caffeine's main use was for head aches and minor complaints. Like an aspirin. So Lizzie didn't necessarily have to be acting hysterical. Both of these medicines were also considered to help infants who were teething. I don't think Lizzie was teething either so we can rule that out. How do we know that the dosage he gave her was a higher dosage than normal? Do we know what an over the counter dosage was at the time? From all accounts in testimony he gave her a standard dosage of the bromo caffeine. He sent a bottle with instructions on how to take it over to the house as well. There is evidence that Dr. Bowen was asked to come to Lizzie's room. There is also evidence that Bowen used bromo caffeine for headaches and minor complaints. Bowen also testified that he knew the effects of morphine on the mind. The morphine was not prescribed until Friday, and was directed to be taken at bed time. It was not administered on the day of the murders. It's also important to note that Bowen prescribed the medicines, but he only actually saw Lizzie take medicine twice. This was the bromo caffeine. He did not ever witness her taking the morphine. Testimony shows the first dose of prescribed morphine was a mild dosage of one eight-grain to be taken at bed time. After that it was doubled. It was never injected, let alone by Dr. Bowen. I think the prosecution was trying to establish doubt that Lizzie ever even took the morphine. Nobody saw her take it.

Trial testimony of Seabury Bowen page 326:

Q. Did you subsequently see her in her room upstairs?
A. Miss Lizzie?

Q. Yes.
A. Yes, sir.

Q. How long after was that, do you think?
A. Sometime between one and two.

Q. The same day?
A. The same day.

Q. Did you get a message, or did Miss Alice Russell come to you with word from Lizzie?
A. Yes, sir, I went to her room.

Q. What did you prescribe?
A. I did not prescribe.

Q. What did you give?
A. I gave a preparation called bromo caffeine.

Q. For what purpose?
A. For quieting nervous excitement and headache.

Q. To bring on quiet. to allay nervous excitement?
A. Yes, sir.

Q. Did you give any instructions on how frequently this medicine should be given?
A. I left a second dose to be repeated in an hour.
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Testimony from page 327:

Q. I understand you to say on Friday you directed that the bromo caffeine be given?
A. No, sir, Thursday.

Q. Not on Friday. You prescribed a second dose and took over from your office a bottle of it with directions how to be taken. I wish to know if, after that, you had occasion to prescribe for her on account of this mental distress and nervous excitement?
A. Yes, sir.

Q. When was it?
A. Friday.

Q. The next day?
A. Yes, sir.

Q. Was the prescription or medicine the same as the other?
A. It was different.

Q. Well, what is commonly called morphine?
A. Yes, sir.

Q. You directed morphine be taken?
A. Yes, sir.

Q. In what doses?
A. One-eighth of a grain.

Q. When?
A. Friday night, at bed time.

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Trial testimony page 329:

Q (By Mr. Moody) How many times did you personally see her take the medication?
A. Not more than twice, I think.

Q. When were those times?
A. Between one and two in the afternoon, of Thursday.

Q. And that was the bromo caffeine?
A. Yes, sir.

Q. Is bromo caffeine a medicine which has a tendency to create hallucinations a week or so after it's taken?
A. No, sir.

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[Allen]

Bowen testified that he prescribed the morphine be taken at bedtime. Knowing what effects it had on the mind may have been why he prescribed it to be taken at bedtime. And he may have believed it would help her sleep. I can think of no other reason for a medicine to be taken at bedtime.

[Yooper]

If Bowen had been injecting Lizzie with morphine all along, why would there be any need for bromo caffeine?

[Yooper]

I can understand the question about the need for Lizzie to be sedated given the following:

Harrington, p.5, Witness statements:
During this conversation with Lizzie, I cautioned her about what she might say at the present time.
I said owing to the atrociousness of the crime, perhaps you are not in a mental condition to give as clear
a statement of the facts as you will be tomorrow; and also by that time you may be able to tell more
about the man who wished to hire the store. You may recollect of having heard his name, or of seeing
him, and thereby be enabled to give a description of him, or may recollect of something said about him
by your father; so I say it may be better for you not to submit to an interview until tomorrow, when you
may be better able to recite what you know of the circumstances.” To this she replied “no, I think I can
tell you all I know now, just as well as at any other time.” This conversation took place in Lizzie’s
room, on the second floor, in the presence of Miss Alice Russell, who sat in a chair by the door which
leads to the front hall, by which I entered Lizzie’s room.

If the bromo caffeine was prescribed as a sleep aid, the need may not have been apparent until Lizzie wanted to sleep, whenever that might have been. I doubt that this would have taken place while the investigation was still underway, for a variety of reasons. If it was prescribed earlier, then maybe Lizzie had some sort of a delayed case of nerves, perhaps about the time the cops started searching the house for a murder weapon.

[Smudgeman]

This thread has gone astray from the topic of Dr Bowen and the police, but it's okay. I understand that when he started giving her morphine, that her judgement and memory were most likely compromised.

My problem with the timeline of events is that Dr Bowen just so happened to come back home around the same time Andrew was murdered, and how did he find out his wife was looking for him? She said she was looking out of her window for her daughter to come home around the same time period. Dr Bowen was allowed to come and go from the Borden house, and when he told Lizzie to go to her room and stay there, the police were already present.
If he was so freaked out about Abby coming over the day before then why does he become so clueless about what Lizzie was wearing? I would make a note of it and remember, after all, 2 people just got slaughtered!

Another side bar that is very crucial timewise is that Lizzie said:
She went upstairs with clean clothes five minutes before her Father came home. Then she later said she did this before he left for downtown, putting her upstairs when Abby was murdered.

[NancyDrew]

No, I'm going with my gut on this one. Since I started reading source documents, the nearly immediate administration of drugs to Lizzie struck a wrong chord with me. It seemed...defensive....by Dr. Bowen.

Sorry for so off topic.