Lizzie Borden Society Forum

What do y’all think about Mrs Arubia Kirby?
Such an odd occurrence if true,
What was Bowen doing, and where on the street did this happen?
WS page 19

River. Sept. 25, 1892.
Mrs Arubia P. Kirby No. 29 Third street, the next house north of Dr. Chagnon’s, says “I was in the
kitchen and sink room all during the forenoon of the 4th of August, and could and would have heard and
seen anybody who might have gone up or down Dr. Chagnon’s drive way.”
Dr. Bowen stopped me on the street, and was very anxious to know what Mr. Knowlton meant
when be referred to having found another agent of death. He was very nervous when talking of this I
told him I did not recollect of any such statement in his plea

Inspector -- I suspect if you reread the witness statements you included in your post, you'll find that Dr. Bowen was asking that question of the police officer who wrote that witness statement. Aruba's statement ends with..."or down Dr. Chagnon’s drive way.”

With that in mind, do you still have questions about Aruba Kirby's statements or testimony?

Camgarsky - you are correct. The officer puts witness statements in quotes for their statement. Kirby's statement ended and he was adding his own statement, unquoted about Dr. Bowen.

Fall River. Sept. 25, 1892.
Mrs Arubia P. Kirby No. 29 Third street, the next house north of Dr. Chagnon’s, says “I was in the kitchen and sink room all during the forenoon of the 4th of August, and could and would have heard and seen anybody who might have gone up or down Dr. Chagnon’s drive way.”

Dr. Bowen stopped me on the street, and was very anxious to know what Mr. Knowlton meant when be referred to having found another agent of death. He was very nervous when talking of this I told him I did not recollect of any such statement in his plea.


If I had to guess what Dr. Bowen could possibly be concerned about it would be if he had prescribed anything at all that could have been used as a poison to either Lizzie or Emma. If Emma, then that paper he burned at the kitchen stove was probably just a precaution on his part since the hatchets were the cause of death and no poison that was tested for was found in the stomachs and they showed no signs of being damaged.

Thank you for the correction, no further questions.
Just curious about Bowen and his actions.

I was actually looking into Joseph Derosier a little and stumbled on Mrs Kirby.
The witness statements list Joseph on page 18, but I don’t see him there unless I missed him.

This is the only item in the witness statements I could locate. Page 18, but its just the officer listing his activities. No details of what was discussed. Quite frustrating.



Tuesday 23. Interviewed Joseph Derosier and Michael Sullivan.

Thanks for affirming.
Yes it is frustrating there wasn’t more. The language gap may have prevented it at the time.