{"id":5683,"date":"2016-11-22T06:34:32","date_gmt":"2016-11-22T11:34:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lizzieandrewborden.com\/MondoLizzie\/?p=5683"},"modified":"2024-06-28T05:38:12","modified_gmt":"2024-06-28T09:38:12","slug":"interview-with-author-rebecca-pittman-the-history-and-haunting-of-lizzie-borden","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lizzieandrewborden.com\/mondolizzie\/interview-with-author-rebecca-pittman-the-history-and-haunting-of-lizzie-borden\/","title":{"rendered":"Interview with Author Rebecca Pittman: The History and Haunting of Lizzie Borden"},"content":{"rendered":"

Rebecca Pittman, author of the just-released book The History and Haunting of Lizzie Borden<\/em>, graciously granted MondoLizzie an interview regarding her book and interest in the case.<\/p>\n

You can purchase your copy through this link<\/a> or on Amazon.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"RebeccaYou have written several books with a paranormal\/historical theme. What drew you to this particular story as your latest book?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I have been fascinated by the Lizzie Borden story since I was in Junior High. It is a mystery that defies logic. Not only was 1892 an era when women were window dressing and their views irrelevant, but the few murders orchestrated by females typically involved arsenic\u2014what was termed the \u201cInheritance Poison\u201d during that day, due to the number of rich relatives knocked off by its use.\u00a0 That Lizzie went first to arsenic is born out, but it was only part of her solution to rid herself of the people standing in her way.\u00a0 It is that sociopathic mind that I couldn\u2019t resist studying. That the Lizzie Borden B&B is listed in the top ten most-haunted places in America was a bonus.<\/p>\n

The biggest hook is how did she do it in that short window of time and escape detection? Who can resist trying to figure out how the magician pulled it off?<\/p>\n

Your book presents a brand new theory of the crimes. What convinced you that you had \u201cnailed it\u201d in terms of solving these murders?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I love this question. It was a combination of actual events and then pairing them with the trial testimony.\u00a0 You could tell as much from the questions the prosecuting attorneys were asking, as you could the answers. It\u2019s fascinating!\u00a0 You knew what they were thinking, and that there was more to what was being asked.\u00a0 Let me give you an example:<\/p>\n

Attorney Hosea Knowlton questioned Lizzie\u2019s Uncle John Morse on the stand:<\/p>\n

Knowlton:\u00a0 \u201cDid Andrew [Borden] send you over to the Eddy place to see how he was?\u201d
\nMorse:\u00a0 \u201cNo.\u201d
\nKnowlton:\u00a0 \u201cAndrew Borden didn\u2019t send you over with a message to see how Mr. Eddy was?\u201d
\nMorse: \u201cNo. Oh, I forgot something.\u00a0 I did pick some eggs while I was there.\u201d<\/p>\n

This is important, because during the murders, both of Andrew\u2019s farm hands, Mr. Eddy and Alfred Johnson are sick.\u00a0 Mr. Eddy has already told the police John Morse came to see him with a message from Mr. Borden to see how he was feeling.\u00a0 Why would Morse lie about something so innocent as a trip to see how the farm overseer was feeling?<\/p>\n

Knowlton:\u00a0 \u201cDid you see any other farm hands while you were there?\u201d
\nMorse:\u00a0 \u201cNo, sir.\u201d<\/p>\n

This is a strange question in itself. Why would Knowlton care if Morse saw other farm hands? Because, Alfred Johnson, who oversaw Andrew\u2019s Lower Farm, where the Borden\u2019s summered, was also sick the day of the murders.\u00a0 I already believed if Lizzie was going to kill her parents that week (and the book will show the murders were time-sensitive) she would have to kill them at the Borden summer house on the Lower Farm. That is where they were supposed to be. Everyone knew that. People in town were surprised to see Andrew on Tuesday and said, \u201cI thought you were going to be at the farm.\u201d\u00a0 Andrew and Abby changed their plans to go at the last minute. But the poison was already in place at the farm, waiting for them. When they didn\u2019t show, others involved with the farm house became sick.<\/p>\n

Now look at those questions again from Knowlton to Morse.\u00a0 Why did Morse lie about an innocent thing like asking Mr. Eddy how he was feeling? Because by then the wind was up that poison was in play, both at the farm, and at the Borden home on Second Street, where Andrew an Abby are violently ill.\u00a0 Morse, who was the first person suspected, has to distance himself from anyone being sick, or his having knowledge of anyone in the Borden circle being sick. He can\u2019t be linked to poison. \u201cDid you see any other farm hands?\u201d takes on an ominous meaning.\u00a0 This is Knowlton\u2019s way to open the door to poisoning, a subject the court has ruled inadmissible. But if Morse opens the door by saying they were sick, Knowlton can pursue it. Morse sidesteps the trap.\u00a0 When you look at this exchange between Knowlton and Morse, you can only ask one question\u2026why lie about asking Eddy if he\u2019s sick?\u00a0 The answer points you places\u2026I followed the bread crumbs.\u00a0 It\u2019s also interesting to see how Morse tried to change the subject: \u201cI forgot to tell you. I picked up some eggs.\u201d<\/p>\n

This happens throughout the trials.\u00a0 The clues were also in the police reports and witness statements.\u00a0 Bridget had several that shed light on crucial evidence.<\/p>\n

You have conducted a great deal of research on this case. How important was it for you to visit in person Fall River and Swansea and local significant places related to the story? Which location was the most influential to your understanding of Lizzie Borden as a person and not just a mythic symbol?<\/strong><\/p>\n

You can\u2019t get the sense of a place without being there. The first thing that stood out was how close all the locations that played a part in the Borden case were to each other.\u00a0 The Post Office and Police Station would have been only a five-minute walk.\u00a0 The A.J. Borden Building is right there!\u00a0 Only steps from his home.\u00a0 You don\u2019t get that sense of convenience when you read the stories about the case.\u00a0 You could see why Andrew found the location of his home pragmatic, even though the storm was brewing overhead as to his daughter\u2019s wishes for a better address.<\/p>\n

Swansea was very eye-opening.\u00a0 The Upper and Lower Farms were massive land acquisitions. This was no small footnote to Andrew\u2019s holdings.\u00a0 It underscored my belief as to Lizzie\u2019s motive for murder.\u00a0 Once again, Swansea is so close to Fall River\u2014only a few minutes\u2019 drive across the bridge.\u00a0 You feel you are traveling in the shoes (or buggies) of the people so important to this story.\u00a0 You see Lizzie and Andrew walking South Main; Andrew conducting business, Lizzie hitting the stores.\u00a0 Abby shopped at Wade\u2019s Market, which was only two houses down from her home.\u00a0 The world shrinks when you visit here.\u00a0 Having the chance to spend time in Lizzie\u2019s Maplecroft home on \u201cthe Hill\u201d completed the transition for me as to her life from Second Street to the elite on French Street.\u00a0 She did come to life, as did Andrew. Something I could not have grasped from my desk in Colorado.<\/p>\n

If you could ask Lizzie Borden one question, what would it be? (to ask you the question you asked me!)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Fair enough. I would like to cheat and ask her three questions:<\/p>\n