Some 35 years after the murders of Andrew and Abby Borden, and soon after the death of Lizzie Borden, a newspaper ran a brief piece wondering if a lawsuit to break her will would revive interest in the crimes.
Miss Lizzie Borden bequeathed virtually all of her money, estimated at $1,500,000, to institutions for animal relief in Fall River, Mass., the scene of the murder. No institution caring for human unfortunates was a beneficiary under the will. Miss Borden said: “I intentionally have omitted to provide in this will for relatives and next of kin other than those mentioned herein.”
Interest Renewed. Interest in Miss Borden and the murder, which has remained a mystery to this day, was renewed this week when Henry L. Shaw, a farmer living near Girard, Kas., and four sisters and a brother filed suit in Boston to break the will of Miss Borden, their cousin.
According to Len Rebello in his Lizzie Borden Past and Present, the Shaws sued the estate of Emma Borden, not Lizzie. In fact, the part of the will quoted in the article is from Emma’s will. The Shaws later decided to drop the attempt to break the will. Read all about it in Rebello, page 342-343.
Along with the story ran an artist’s representation of “Miss Lizzie Borden” — and it looks like the paper took a photo showing a much younger Lizzie and altered it to fit the age of Lizzie at her death. I think they made her quite ugly, don’t you?
