Was It The Daughter?
The murder of Andrew and Abby Borden
Lizzie Borden:
Lizzie Borden became the daughter of Andrew and Sarah Borden on July 19, 1860 (Lizzie Borden’s Parents Found Dead). She had an older sister, Emma, who was away at the night of the murder. Both of these girls despised their step-mother, Abby Borden, very much. They could always be found fighting with Andrew taking his wife’s side. Lizzie was one of the only two people that were at the house where the bodies were found (Lizzie Borden’s Parents Found Dead).
The Murder:
It all started out like a Cinderella story. Lizzie Borden's mom had died and her father remarried and just like the story, Lizzie and the “wicked” step mother did not get along. A quiet August morning of 1892 in Fall River, Massachusetts is where our story begins (Lizzie Borden’s Parents Found Dead). Lizzie was in the barn right next to the house and supposedly didn’t hear a thing. No screams or please for help could be recalled and she wouldn’t have known they were dead except for the fact that she found her dad laying in a pool of his own blood as soon as she walked into the living room (Lizzie Borden’s Parents Found Dead). She was heartbroken to find that not only had her dad’s skull had almost been split in two, but her step-moms face wasn’t even recognizable.
Autopsy:
It was found that Abby had been murdered first (Lizzie Borden’s Parents Found Dead). One thing that shocked most people was that the murders were done with a hatchet. That means the killer would have to be able to sneak up past Andrew, and go up the stairs undetected. Only to come back down the stairs and slice him up. While doing so, the killer would also have to sneak past the barn, where Lizzie is said to be, and the maid, who could be anywhere in the house at any given time. You would think that this would be a hard task, but not for this killer!
Suspicions:
Not long after the word got out about the double murder, Lizzie was arrested. People were quick to judge her because of all the fighting (Lizzie Borden’s Parents Found Dead). She was put on trial for a double homicide but got away scotch free.
The Trial:
Evidence against Lizzie was very hard to find. No blood could be found and she was an upper-middle class white christian woman (Eschner). According to an all male jury, Lizzie could have never committed the crime. Reports came in saying that Lizzie was acting suspicious on the days leading up to the murder (Eschner). Allegedly, she tried to buy poison the day before the crime took place, but in her statement Lizzie said that she thought they had food poisoning because they had both been really sick. It was also said that Lizzie was successful in burning a dress of hers days later (Lizzie Borden’s Parents Found Dead). Although the prosecutors could have had the hatchet tested for finger prints, the were reluctant on its reliability because of how new the invention was at the time (Lizzie Borden’s Parents Found Dead). Because of all of this. the trial only lasted 90 minutes and Lizzie was acquitted of all charges.
Two Sides:
Majority of people thought Lizzie was guilty. She had all the right motives: money and hate (Eschner). All the signs pointed to her and it made sense. Daughter doesn’t like parents, so daughter gets rid of them in the fastest way possible. People had many different theories bu a few thought she may have done it in some kind of fatigue or that she killed them while she was naked (Eschner). Others said that it wasn’t possible. Women couldn’t even think of a crime like that. Especially Lizzie because she was so respectable (Eschner). They thought she would have had enough force behind the swing. Maybe that’s why she hit Abby 19 times and Andrew 11 (Sherman).
The rest of her life:
Lizzie was never able to shake the suspicion. The town thought too badly of her. Rumors kept being made and people grew afraid of her. They they believed that they too would get chopped if they got too close. People refused to sit by her in church (Sherman). Children would play ding dong ditch and throw eggs and pebbles at her house (Sherman). It became a game that everyone loved to play.
Today:
The house has been turned into a bed and breakfast for hundreds of people to enjoy. The case has never been solved but their are people out their who have very strong feelings about what happened. Although Lizzie may be dead, she will always be known for her famous rhyme: “Lizzie Borden took an axe, And gave her mother forty whacks; When she saw what she had done, She gave her father forty-one.”
Eschner, Kat. “Lizzie Borden Didn’t Kill Her Parents (Maybe).” Smithsonian.com, Smithsonian Institution, 20 June 2017, www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/lizzie-borden-didnt-kill-her-parents-maybe-180963721/.
“Lizzie Borden.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 3 Nov. 2019, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lizzie_Borden.
“Lizzie Borden’s Parents Found Dead.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 9 Feb. 2010, www.history.com/this-day-in-history/borden-parents-found-dead.
Sherman, Elisabeth. “Did Sunday School Teacher Lizzie Borden Get Away With Butchering Her Parents With An Ax?” All That’s Interesting, All That’s Interesting, 11 Oct. 2019, allthatsinteresting.com/lizzie-borden-murders.