Here is my take on your questions, August.
What is the best book about the Borden murders?
As MB has already mentioned, I also recommend
Lizzie Borden: Past & Present by Leonard Rebello, as well as
Parallel Lives: A Social History of Lizzie A. Borden and Her Fall River by Michael Martins and Dennis A. Binette. You’ll pay an arm and a leg for these books, but it is so worth it. Lizzie Borden: Past & Present can be purchased at Amazon.com:
http://tinyurl.com/oh4kf5h and AbeBooks.com:
http://tinyurl.com/p48d7fp. Parallel Lives: A Social History of Lizzie A. Borden and Her Fall River by Michael Martins and Dennis A. Binette. Can be purchased at Amazon:
http://tinyurl.com/ns5tz8z. Both of these books are fantastic. I also highly recommend the
Official Trial documents, Police Witness statements and Inquest documents. Official Documents For Download are here, and they are free:
http://tinyurl.com/ndh9u7u
Was Uncle John in on it, or the most poorly time visitor in all of history?
I don’t think Uncle John had anything to do with the murders. Granted he did visit with Abby and Andrew, but I believe he was primarily there on a business trip. He had received a letter from Andrew, and I think the content of that letter was the major topic of their conversation on the evening of the 3rd. I also think it was the main topic of this conversation, that was the straw which broke the camel’s back. I’m sure he knew a lot more than he said; he just didn’t want to get involved. I’m also sure he had no doubts about who the killer was.
Do you beleive someone could go in and out and all around the house cleaning windows and not have noticed two murder victims?
Yes, I think someone could have easily gotten by Bridget without being noticed. Her attention was focused on talking with the Kelly maid, and washing those dang windows!!! She would not have her attention focused on anything that was going on in the house at the time Abby was killed. At the time Andrew was killed, she was in her room on the third floor taking a nap, so I’m sure she didn’t hear a thing.
Do you think Emma was a conspirator?
No. I think Emma was an instigator, who planted the seeds of hatred toward Abby in Lizzie’s head from a very early age on, and she also held a highly influential hand over Lizzie. Abby’s wounds indicate that they came from a person who was full of hatred and rage. Something took place between Abby and Lizzie on the morning of the 4th, which caused the killer to murder Abby. I think Andrew’s death took place because he would have known who killed his wife. Whether Lizzie swung the murder weapon herself or she conspired with someone else to do it. I believe Emma had no doubts whatsoever, who killed her father and stepmother.
And the granddaddy of all questions: Did Lizzie hack Abby and Andrew to death?
I lean toward Lizzie being the sole killer of both Abby and Andrew. I think the conversation between Andrew and Uncle John on the 3rd, is the key to solving the mystery. I think Lizzie may have over heard parts of this conversation, and became very concerned about her future. I don’t believe the murders were planned to take place that particular day. I believe that something took place between Lizzie and Abby on the morning of August 4th, which put Lizzie over the edge. Both of these murders were done by someone who was full of rage. However, in Abby’s case I think hatred along with rage was also a motivating factor. I believe Lizzie was the only one who had the means, motive and opportunity to commit these murders. Furthermore, she and Emma were the ONLY people who gained anything from these murders. If she was not the sole killer, then she knew who the killer was and conspired with that person as well as covered up for them.
For the bonus question: Do you think Dr. Bowen is a bit fishy?
Yes, I do! I believe there was something more between Dr. Bowen and Lizzie than a patient/doctor relationship, as well as a neighbour/friend relationship. Dr. Bowen testified that he did not go to the Borden house on social calls, and that most of his visits there were on business or as a physician. Yet, he escorted Lizzie to her church and sat in the Borden seat, while the rest of the Borden family was away on the farm in Swansea. Dr. Bowen was a member of the First Baptist Church in Fall River, yet he accompanies Lizzie to the Central Congregational Church??? I find this action quite suspicious. Dr. Bowen was a 52 year old, married, man; Lizzie was a 32 year old, single, woman. He was old enough to be her father! Why would Dr. Bowen choose to accompany Lizzie to a church he was not a member of, over spending that time with his wife? Is it any wonder why there was so much gossiping over that incident? Granted the story of Dr. Bowen escorting Lizzie to Church came from Jane Gray, and that there were ill feeling between she and Lizzie. As far as I know, there is nothing which disproves the story Jane told Harrington & Doherty. However, I don’t believe Lizzie and Dr. Bowen were having an affair per say, but they were apparently closer than a physician/patient relationship indicates.
Dr. Bowen was the first person Lizzie asked Bridget to get when she ‘discovered’ her father was ‘hurt’. Her first thought to ask for Dr. Bowen, and then when he was not available, her second thought was to ask for Alice Russell??? Why didn’t she ask Bridget to go for Dr. Kelly, who lived right next door to the Bordens, or Dr. Chagnon, who lived on 3rd street behind Mrs. Churchill’s house if she knew for sure that her father was only ‘hurt’? What did she think Alice was going to do for her father?
We know a bloody weapon was not found. I think it is a possibility that Dr. Bowen placed the murder weapon in his Doctor’s Bag and took it out with him when he left on the day of the murders. Dr. Bowen was alone with Lizzie in her room for a period of time; he was never searched - he freely came and left the house on the 4th. If their relationship was more than a patient/physician one, then I can easily see he would help her cover-up the murders.
The following was posted by Kat on Aug 11, 2004:
Would Dr. Bowen perjure himself?
In the NY Times, Aug. 8th, there appeared this snippet:
"Strange as it may seem, the police do not put much faith in the statements made by Dr. Bowen, who was the first physician on the scene. He saw Mrs. Borden dead when he visited the house the first time [sic], but he did not discover that she had died from murderous wounds until his attention was called to the blood on her hair. According to statements of the authorities, he does not speak with that freedom that might be expected of a man in his professional position."
Oh, and let’s not forget about Dr. Bowen’s note burning incident; the police officers witnessed him tearing up a note in the Borden home on the day of murders, then he tried to piece it back together, and then he burned it. Dr. Bowen claimed that the note pertained to
his daughter. Officer Harrington testified that he saw the name "
Emma" in the upper left hand corner. Dr. Bowen’s daughter’s name was
Florence. Hmmmm.
I find it very odd that Dr. Bowen was the family doctor before the murders, but after the trail we don’t hear of any connection between him and the Borden girls. Why??? I wonder if Dr. Bowen may have realized that his actions with Lizzie, before and after the murders, were threatening his profession as a physician, and therefore the physician/patient relationship between him and the Borden girls had to cease.
