Lizzie Borden Society Forum

Mr. and Mrs. Borden kept their room locked at all times. Lizzie states her room is always locked, which means Emma would have to unlock it to get to her room. The outside doors were always locked, or at least latched. This was strange! I have heard the speculations about Mrs. Borden's possessions disappearing, and Lizzie being suspect. Also about Lizzie shoplifting. Does anyone have factual information on these speculations? I read (somewhere) that Mr. Borden locked the bedroom door, but left the key in plain sight, so how would that stop Lizzie from stealing? Dr. Bowen went and got the key after the murders so Maggie and Mrs. Churchill could go upstairs and get a sheet. Lizzie must have told him where the key was...Think how strange it would be to have every upstairs room locked in a home! I understand if you have children, and need some privacy for a bit, turning a lock while you are in the room, but to keep everything locked up all of the time shows a total lack of trust by everyone for everyone in the house. THAT is pathological.

Mr Borden began locking the master bedroom after the infamous 'day light robbery'. Things were taken from his and Abby's rooms. Street car tickets and Abby's watch among them. A police investigation was instigated. There was a nail in the lock of the outdoor entrance to the cellar. Days later, Andrew instructed the police to cease the investigation.

We have speculated he kept the key in plain sight as a sign that he knew who did the deed and would surely know if they did it again.

http://www.lizzieandrewborden.com/LBFor ... ery#p74340

Aamartin wrote:Mr Borden began locking the master bedroom after the infamous 'day light robbery'. Things were taken from his and Abby's rooms. Street car tickets and Abby's watch among them. A police investigation was instigated. There was a nail in the lock of the outdoor entrance to the cellar. Days later, Andrew instructed the police to cease the investigation.

We have speculated he kept the key in plain sight as a sign that he knew who did the deed and would surely know if they did it again.

http://www.lizzieandrewborden.com/LBFor ... ery#p74340

I have read the speculations on the robbery, it is assumed Lizzie did it. Allen posted something a few years ago:

Rebello page 36:

All the articles stolen at that time were property of Mrs. Borden and included, beside the watch and money, a quantity of free horse tickets. A number of persons were found presenting free tickets who were not entitled to them. The police asked them where they secured these little pasteboards. They said Lizzie Borden gave them to them. Lizzie had never any of these tickets until after the theft from Mrs. Borden, so Mr. Borden requested that there be no further investigation......"

From New Bedford Evening Standard, Tuesday, November 22, 1892 : 4.

I take this with a grain of salt b/c it is not from sworn testimony, but it makes sense b/c Mr. Borden asked the police to drop the case. As the prosecutor in the trial said though, these happened over a year before the murders, it seems implausible that they had anything to do with them. Some people speculate that Lizzie was setting it up to show how dangerous the neighborhood was, but then why not have another robbery days before the murders? Why wait a year? I think she hated Mrs. Borden and took the things to get back at her, not as a preparation for murder.

I've also wondered if all of the "break-ins" were Lizzie's way of trying to get her father to move. Maybe he would consent to move if he thought it was unsafe.
It must have been a sad home, Virtually every outside witness says they didn't get along, they didn't trust the neighborhood or each other, the doors were all locked, sounds completely miserable!