Lizzie Borden Imagine being famous for murdering two close family members with an axe. Lizzie Borden became well-known for being charged with the gruesome murder of her father and stepmother, on August 4th 1892. During this time, women were considered the “weaker” sex, and not capable of murder. However, there was evidence to prove Lizzie Borden was guilty. Lizzie Borden’s case impacted the world because even though she was declared innocent, she was punished by public opinion. The Borden family were citizens of wealth who had lived in Fall River for at least eight generations. Andrew Borden and his second wife, Abby, and his two daughters, Emma and Lizzie lived in a modest house (Gottesman 1). Senior partner in Borden, Almy, and Company, he had been president of the Fall River Savings Bank and owned textile mills and other real estates. Despite his wealth, estimated at $500,000 in 1891, Borden lived simply (Borden 1). “The relationship between the Borden sisters and their stepmother, …show more content…
Abby was found upstairs, slumped forward on her knees, her head was almost torn off her shoulders (Brown 1). Andrew Borden's face barely unrecognizable, and had been hit by eleven blows of an axe. Lizzie found her parents dead, and immediately told the maid, Bridget. Lizzie said she last saw her father alive, before eleven, reading a newspaper on the sofa. Bridget Sullivan, the house maid testified that at 10:55 she went up to her room to lie down while Mr. Borden settled down on the couch in the living room (Brown 1). “Another witness reported seeing Lizzie burning a blue dress shortly after the murder. On the other hand, a similar axe murder had recently occurred in Fall River, and two witnesses reported separate sightings of unidentified men outside the home.” It’s believed that Lizzie was burning her blue dress, because it may have had her parents blood on it, and she needed to destroy the
On August 11 she was served a warrant of arrest and jailed. Then the grand jury indicted her to the murders. Lizzie’s trial was located in New Bedford the following June. They didn’t claim the axe was the murder weapon. They did not find any clothing containing blood from the murder.
The following evidence is what proves Lizzie is not guilty. First, all cases like this must include evidence to find the killer, but none was found against LIzzie to make her guilty. According to Source #1 , “There was no physical evidence linking her to the murders. A hatchet had been discovered in
From when Abby had fallen to the floor, the wackes taken to the head and other noises that could have occurred throughout the death. Article 3 also states, “Lizzie claimed to have been in the loft of the backyard barn for 15 to 20 minutes looking for lead sinkers for a fishing excursion. Police found the loft so stiflingly hot that it was difficult to believe anyone would voluntarily remain in such a place for as much as 20 minutes.” Though police officers claimed it was too hot for a woman to stand to be in there for 15 to 20 minutes as she claimed. Then it’s not very convincing that she could have been in the loft looking for lead sinkers.
A family friend who stayed with the Borden sisters in the days following the murders, witnessed Lizzie burning a blue dress in a kitchen fire. As Lizzie explained her action, it was because the dress had been covered with old paint." Coupled with the earlier testimony from Bridget Sullivan that Lizzie was wearing a blue dress on the morning of the murders, the evidence was enough to convince grand jurors to indict Lizzie for the murders of her
It is clear that Lizzie Borden committed this crime because of the evidence against her, the rage in the murders, and
When blood dries… it turns brown. For sure this sounds a little queasy that she would burn the dress with brown stains on them and not throw it away. As can be seen she for sure wanted all evidence to be permanently gone. Another example of evidence about Lizzie being guilty is two days prior to the murder she was found buying prussic acid (Gustafson, [45]). If you are not familiar in what that is, it is a deadly poison.
This could also explain the bloody towels, as she would not have had time to clean up all of the evidence before someone discovered her. Another theory places Bridget Sullivan, the family’s maid, as Lizzie’s lesbian lover who wanted to kill the Bordens because she was “enraged by Lizzie’s suffering at the hands of her cruel stepmother” (Newton 51). However, there is not much evidence to support this portion of the theory. Lizzie and Bridget have also been theorized to have worked together for the murders, as they were the only ones near or inside the house at the times of both killings (McBone). John Morse, a maternal uncle of Lizzie and Bridget, is another suspect.
“Lizzie Borden took an ax, and gave her mother forty whacks. When she had seen what she had done, she gave her father forty-one.” This rhyme is not exactly accurate, but has the jist. Andrew and Abby Borden were brutally murdered in their comfy home. This murder is 125 years old and is still a mystery and still rocks the media.
It’s kind of weird because she told the police she didn’t hear anything, not even the sound of a fall by Mrs. Borden. Mrs. Borden’s body was found upstairs in the guest room. Guess what? Bridget was also upstairs. What a
Have you ever wondered, who killed Andrew & Abby Borden? Lizzie is accused of murdering her parents. It’s hard to believe that because women were proper and polite back then, but she was the only one there. Also there was no sign of force entrance. I strongly believe that Lizzie Borden is guilty, and killed her parents.
Lizzie sending the people who came to help off on errands I believe was so that they wouldn’t see any stains of blood on her or the hatchet that was used to kill her parents anywhere to turn into the police. If she was supposedly grieving she would have wanted to have someone with her not only so she wouldn’t be alone, but also because the so called killer still could have been somewhere around the
In fact, when police searched the house they found a hatchet. The police suggested that a hatchet with a broken handle in the basement was the murder weapon. The hatchet was even rolled in ash to look unused and dusty. Next, Lizzie was seen burning a dress, a blue dress to be exact. Lizzie burned the dress claiming that it was stained with paint/ though police thought she was burning evidence.
Additionally,Lizzie and Emma had some feelings for their parents after the murders. Lizzie and Emma set up a $5,000 reward
August 4th, 1892, around noon Andrew Borden was found in the parlor of his home, followed by the finding of his wife’s body in an upstairs bedroom. Who did it? Several theories have been given as the causes of this murder. Lizzie Borden, was accused of this crime, but the question is was she really the murderer? The theories have emerged which could explain the causes of Andrew and Abby Borden’s death.
Lizzie Borden took an ax, And gave her mother forty whacks; When she saw what she had done, She gave her father forty-one. The famous rhyme of Lizzie Borden giving her mother 40 whacks and then her father 41. Most people assume she committed the crime, of killing her parents, and that she planned the whole thing though there are some holes in the case. Everybody thinks she committed the crime though no one is sure, one thing is certain there are holes in the case and these holes make me believe that Lizzie did not do the crime. There are so many holes that no one is certain who did the crime.