Lizzie Borden Society Forum

This from the Barnstable Patriot 5/20/1895.... "Bridget Sullivan, the witness in the Lizzie Borden trial, sailed for Ireland on the Lucania Saturday." I believe this has never been proven DEFINITE but where did they get the info if this wasn't true? I don't believe they pulled this one out of "thin air". It's known that Bridget payed Lizzie one last quick visit when she was released from jail.... hmmmmmm.

Hmmmm, is right! I believe you are correct; it had never been proven that Bridget went back to Ireland.

This is very intriguing, isn't it? I suppose, inconveniently, there are no passenger records still in existence for this ship, the SS 'Lucania'? I've just looked up where Barnstable in the U.S. is and it is quite a large town on Cape Cod in Massachusetts. So, if Bridget was working there she didn't go very far from Fall River.

If she got paid off for some reason by the Borden sisters, however, why wait until May 1895 to visit the 'old country'? If she was doing it from her own savings it's puzzling why she should pay a visit to Lizzie? After all, some of her evidence at Lizzie's trial contradicted Lizzie's, and wasn't exactly flattering to her in parts.

Bridget was not, I'm sure, disinclined to tell porkies when it suited. Maybe she was unhappy in this job at Barnstable, told someone she was off to Ireland, (whether true or not) and somehow someone on the local paper got hold of it. It is very interesting.

The Lucania sailed around Sandy Hook to Queenstown on May 18, 1895, but I can't find the passenger list on cursory glance. It's likely in ancestry.com but my membership has lapsed. If Bridget was on board then she experienced the fastest crossing to date.

Wow, thanks for that, debbie. I wonder how much a second class ticket would be.

BOBO, where is it 'known that Bridget paid Lizzie 'one last quick visit' after Lizzie came out of jail, please. According to her witness statement of that October Bridget was still working for the Josiah Hunts, Josiah being prison chief at New Bedford, at that time. Bit inconvenient if her employer got to know about the visit!

It was published in several newspapers that Bridget made one last trip to Lizzies place after the trial... if needed, I can look it up. No doubt, in my mind, she paid her off.

I think I have seen a passenger list with a Bridget Sullivan on it-- a long time ago. But I can't say 100%.

In our quest to only accept what we know for fact-- we often take things like this with a grain of salt-- and probably sometimes shouldn't.

I've seen "Bridget Sullivan" simultaneously living in various states doing various things, all of which were contradictory to each other. That is a VERY common Irish name. Her Death Certificate contains a birthday different from her age (26) she gave during the trial...so one or both are wrong.

Perhaps Bridget did sail to Ireland after the case, but she would have had to come back b/c she lived and died here in the USA. IF she sailed right after the case, that would raise my curiosity b/c she was a poor immigrant and the cost of a round trip ticket to Ireland and back was almost a years wages for a poor servant.

Just did a quick search for Lucania and Bridget Sullivan through some ship manifests and came up with too many to count. I'd like to see some documentation b/c that certainly would be suspicious...

Curryong wrote:BOBO, where is it 'known that Bridget paid Lizzie 'one last quick visit' after Lizzie came out of jail, please. According to her witness statement of that October Bridget was still working for the Josiah Hunts, Josiah being prison chief at New Bedford, at that time. Bit inconvenient if her employer got to know about the visit!

One of the best search engines I use for this forum is "chroniclingamerica.loc.gov"...... it is from the Library of Congress and dates from 1836-1922. It is time consuming even using the advanced search feature but well worth the visit!

Thanks BOBO, I'll try that!

A partial from an article in "The daily morning Astorian" (Astoria OR.) Oct. 8 1893..... "It is said that the sisters employ only one servant, as they did in the old house. She is not Bridget Sullivan. That center of gossip and threatened sensations called on Lizzie the day she reached home. It was a short call and has never been repeated."

Thank you for that BOBO. The 'centre of gossip and threatened sensations' eh, not a very flattering description! I would guess the call WAS brief. Bridget had, after all, been a prosecution witness, and the two women weren't close. I don't think they bore each other any ill-will, however!