Borden Lizzie Books

There are countless non-fiction accounts of the trial of Lizzie Borden and the events leading up to it. This is not one of them. This is a fictional account, written by a man better known by his pseudonym, Ed McBain. Lizzie Borden was a spinster Sunday school teacher who, in 1893, was tried for and acquitted of the hatchet murders of her father and stepmother. Hunter's book tells the story of Lizzie's 1890 Grand Tour of Europe, alternating with intercalorie chapters detailing Lizzie's inquest and trial. The last chapter tells the events of the murder day, at least as Hunter imagines they may have happened. Lizzie was a suspected Lesbian, and had a lengthy affair, post-trial, with popular stage actress of the day Nance O'Neil. Hunter's book tells of how Lizzie became enamored of a beautiful British woman while in Europe, and how her affair with the lady led to the events of August 4, 1892. Although this is not the book for someone researching the case, it is hightly entertaining, and does contain some useful information. The dialogue in the inquest and trial scenes are the actual courtroom testimony, although they are written like fiction, with "he said," and "she said". The Europe scenes, although completely fictional, are well-written and tell a good story, and the conclusion is at least plausible. I recommend this book to fans of crime novels and to Lizzie buffs who are anxious to get another "take" on the case.

This is the first book I ever read about Lizzie, but it made me want to read more. After reading other material and seeing all of the documentaries, Mr. Hunter's theory still seems like a very probable motive for the crime. A wonderful read!

Julianna Baggott writes outstanding fiction (for adults amd children) but she was first and still an outstanding poet. This one speaks from the voices of women from Lizzie Borden to Mary Todd Lincoln - and each poem is true to the speaker while touching the reader who may have nothing in common with the woman.

First, let me say that I discovered Julianna Baggott in Third Coast - a journal out of Michigan. I fell in love. I went on a search to learn more about my "new" favorite poet and discovered the lizzie borden book and immediately ordered it. I devoured it upon arrival and called my three best friends, (also poets) and suggested that they buy it, too. I read a couple of pieces over the phone to my poet friends and they orderd the book, too. The work is simply alive, though the majority of the women the poems are about are not. Norman Rockwell's wife, Helen Keller, Monica Lewinsky and of course Lizzie Borden are present among others. The poems are biographical fiction - Baggott paints tender, raw, angry, forlorn portraits. These poems are written so well that they ring true...it's easy to forget that they are poems and not pieces of autobiography. There is technique here, and patience with word choice and image. The closing piece, about Helen Keller, is worth the price of the book alone. I cannot recommend this book enough... I recommend it to everyone I talk to who's looking for a new poet (or not!).

"Lizzie Borden took an axe / Gave her mother forty whacks..." According to popular belief Lizzie was responsible for the double murder in Fall River, Massachussetts on 4th August, 1892. A year later, however, a jury found her 'Not Guilty' and officially the case remains unsolved. This has led to a number of theories as to who 'really' did the deed (the maid, the sister who was supposedly in another town, a previously unknown illegitimate half-brother).

With this book you get a plain chronologue of facts and sources - fully referenced - which are left to speak for themselves. From the ancestry of the Bordens of Fall River to the grave of Lizzie's pets you get the full story of the case from beginning to end.

This book is a tremendous work of scholarship. You finally feel you do know Lizzie and her family and understand the world in which they lived. More importantly, the book doesn't attempt to answer questions which will always remain unanswered (why did Lizzie feel driven to kill her father and stepmother at that particular time and in that way?).

The final impression is one of great sadness. Lizzie was acquitted by a jury but condemned in public opinion, living an increasingly lonely life snubbed by her former friends. Even her sister left her in 1905 and they didn't meet or communicate for the rest of their lives - 22 years. And yet this isolated, eccentric old lady treated her newspaper delivery boy to "the best muffins" (baked by Lizzie herself) in town. You could say Lizzie served a 35 year sentence in a prison without bars.

This book lays to rest many of the myths that have grown up about the case (it seems even the weather on that day has been misreported) and should be studied by anyone with a genuine interest in the 'Fall River tragedy'.

Presented in bibliographical style, this is the longest and arguably the most complete and comprehensive Lizzie book written to date. The amount of time and research and writing it must have taken is hard to fathom. This mammoth of a book is an incredible work.

David Rehak
author of "Did Lizzie Borden Axe For It?"

The Borden Murder Mystery, by Arthur S. Phillips

Andrew J. Borden accumulated large wealth through parsimonious thrift and "by means which fell within the letter of the law". Mr. Borden's "conduct in business matters had made him many enemies"; "the sharpest man in town". Borden was rumored to charge more for funeral services than actually provided. He raised rents for tenants who earned more. Borden's daughters did not enjoy the fittings of their social rank. Lizzie's character was benevolent in religious and charitable work. Reporter John J. Manning said the guest bedroom was "not very light", and a body could not have been seen from the hall. One photograph shows Andrew J. Jennings peeking from the front door closet while concealed therein. The walls and ceilings were covered with hundreds of blood spots, yet Lizzie's clothing had none. The murder weapon was never found. Denying counsel to Lizzie at the Inquest resulted in the exclusion of her testimony at the trial.

After forty years Arthur S. Phillips was the sole survivor of those who participated professionally in this trial. Phillips joined the defense team with all the enthusiasm of a new lawyer. "The mass of documents and other evidence collected by the defence have never been disclosed or discussed", because it would be necessary for any new police investigation. [Some believe this hidden history would solve the Borden murders.] A perfectly sane, normal woman without any criminal history could not hack her stepmother and father to death. Lizzie was believed guilty because no one else could have committed this crime. If Lizzie later showed a lack of mental balance it was because she lived alone, was ogled in public, and was very annoyed by public activities.

At the time of the murders there were two strangers loitering around the front of the house with a team as seen by Mark Chase, a former assistant to the Chief of Police. Dr. Benjamin J. Handy saw a stranger acting in an unusual and agitated manner. Mrs. Sarah R. Hart also saw him. The back screen door was unfastened during the morning. Lawyer Jennings was aided by George D. Robinson and Melvin O. Adams to avoid an "anti-climax", some minor matter that could unduly affect a jury. Phillips gives an example that refuted the claim of the Prosecutor that Lizzie was not up in the barn.

Public opinion is created and maintained by news stories and editorials in the press. The Fall River `Globe' produced stories to make Lizzie appear guilty, and that money and social position can "turn the wheels of justice". Bridget was detained by the prosecution and was unavailable to the defendant's attorneys. Andrew J. Borden was not liberal with his family, but Lizzie had $2,800 in her banks, plus textile shares and was not in want. Many children dislike a stepmother. Lizzie couldn't have committed the crime, but has been judged guilty by the classes. This is the real mystery, "Others had more reason to kill him" even if we do not know the reason for which it was done.

This book is a fascinating look at the people and times of America circa 1892-1893. The letters and other correspondence of Hosa Knowlton,Prosecuting Attorney of the Southern District of the Commonwealth of Mass. draw a vivid picture of people from all walks of life and their opinions and reactions to the murder of the Borden family. Anyone who has been drawn into the mystique of Lizzie Borden and her times will not regret the time spent with this book.

Robert Flynn: Lizzie Borden and the Mysterious Axe.

Among the tantalizing mysteries that remain unresolved in the Borden saga is the elusive axe - the instrument that so effectively undid Abby and Andrew Borden. For decades the focus has been on the fabled "handle-less hatchet" found in the Borden basement - a stubborn and formidable exhibit at Lizzie's trial. Now in the collection of the Fall River Historical Society, it was an instrument that "could have and was capable of causing the wounds" inflicted on the Bordens. However...a key piece of evidence regarding the actual nature of the murder weapon was not presented in testimony - the presence of a residue of gilt metal in one of the cuts on Mrs. Borden's skull, indicating that "the hatchet used in killing Mrs. Borden was a new hatchet, not long out of the store." Both forensic physicians (Drs. F.W. Draper and David Cheever) were keenly aware of the deposit and had communicated their findings to prosecutor Hosea Knowlton, but neither mentioned it at the trial, leaving the very false impression that the murder weapon was before the jury. In all likelihood it was not! Several years ago Robert Flynn discovered a brief and overlooked newspaper clipping headed "Another Hatchet Found" - a rusted hatchet which, when cleaned, disclosed a slight coloring of gilt, suggesting that is was "quite new when lost or discarded." And where was this intriguing object found? On top of a barn belonging to John Crowe, whose property abutted the rear of the Borden property. Here may well be the solution to the question of the missing hatchet. A fascinating and nicely recounted bit of sleuthing, indeed, and a must for anyone who quests for a solution to America's most debated murder case - a debate that continues with unabated vigor after nearly 107 years!

The book, even though difficult to find, is worth a good look. There's LOTS of information and it doesn't seem as though the book leans one way or the other....innocent or guilty. What IS included are excerpts from the trial and inquest transcripts and clippings from newspapers of the day. If you can find it, GET THIS BOOK!

If you're fascinated by Lizzie Borden, this book -- a collection of 26 papers presented at the conference held on the 100th anniversary of the infamous murders -- will keep you glued to the page. Here you will find Lizzie, the person and Lizzie, the case considered from five perspectives: psychological/women's issues; historical; literary; legal and forensic; and bibliographical. Sample titles: "The World Owed Her: Lizzie Borden's Shoplifting," "Lizzie, You Mean and Spiteful Thing," and "Librarians in the Life and Legend of Lizzie Borden."

But what really sets the book apart is its compelling suggestion that Lizzie may have been a victim of childhood incest (three papers focus exclusively on this idea). "The evidence, often the product of modern sociological, psychological, and clinical research, is persuasive and certainly provides us with a new way of looking at the crime," writes editor Jules Ryckebusch.

Indeed, the book's biggest virtue is its total departure from the usual did-she-or-didn't-she. I really couldn't put it down, although several spelling and grammatical errors detracted from my reading pleasure.

David Kent was an amateur actor and as a child actor took part in Orson Wells radio show War of the Worlds that scared listeners of a Martian invasion. He was a consumate Borden Scholar and insisted in writing only true facts. His book "40 Whacks" is a classic. David died before publication of his book and play. The book is a hardcover limited edition.

Detailed introduction to a baffling case

I'll bet that most Americans have heard of Lizzy Borden, and know something about her reputation of having killed her parents with a hatchet. Beyond that, not so much.

"The Borden Tragedy" tries to cover all bases in the case, introducing the reader to the major actors and the theories behind the murders, which occurred (I'm embarrassed to admit) in my own backyard -- Fall River, MA, barely half-morning's drive from my home. In the sweltering, mid-morning hours of August 4, 1892, someone brutally murdered Andrew and Abby Borden inside their cozy home with multiple blows from a weapon. A maid, a grown child, a border and neighbors scurried about, seemingly oblivious to the grisly drama unfolding inside. Suspicion fell, naturally, on those closest to the tragedy. But hard evidence was equally hard to find. Were the Bordens done in by those of their own household? Was this s revenge crime related to Mr. Borden's business ventures? Or was a madman on the loose?

The book reconstructs in fascinating detail the movements of the many individuals on that fated day, but also in the days preceding. The Bordens were odd, in their way, but not seemingly bizarre. Father Andrew was a quite stern and forbidding man, though not unsentimental. He wore a ring Lizzie gave him as a gift years before. Stepmother Abby was hardly beloved, but seems not to have been detested. Daughters Emma and Lizzie, in their 40s and 30s respectively, were unmarried and still lived at home with their parents. If there were resentments, they were kept carefully in check. But was there more to the family drama than met the eye? While the speculation of moderns minds may tend toward the lurid (weird dad + 2 single women = ?) , the author follows the lead of his 19th century subjects and leaves this promising territory unexplored.

The book does a nice job of laying out the rather confusing facts of the murders the subsequent trial, and the aftermath for the involved parties. Though the murders were brutal, involving extensive injury to faces and heads, the wounds are always hidden by shadows, except for a display of the skulls in the trial scene. This minor mercy makes the book appropriate for kids about 10-12 and up who have an interest in the story.

The author's only stumble was in what must have been a marketing gimmick on the back cover -- a comparison of the Borden case with the more recent OJ Simpson case. Oh well. At the back of the book, the author does include a few newspaper clippings of the day, giving the interested reader the chance to get a feel for journalistic styles of the late 19th century.

"The Borden Tragedy" gave me a good grounding in the case. Next time I swing (!) through Fall River, I'll have to pop by their home (still standing) and their family grave.

best part is on the back cover where it compares oj simpson to the borden girl! very fun book to read although id have put more dialogue in it. but it does cover the murders nicely.

Rather than read a single book that "solves" the Borden killings (there's a new solution every few years), you should get a copy of this. This book beautifully outlines the ambiguity of the Borden scenario, leaving the reader with both the sense that noone but Lizzie could have done it, AND that there's simply no way she could have done it. This book clearly and beautifully lays it all out for you. With his expert eye Geary's illustration-diagrams clarify things in a way that even a movie can't. The wierd layout of the Andrew Borden house has never been more clear than in his cut-away illustration.

Noone understands like Geary, the usefulness to a reader of foregrounding the factual information, which leaves you in a position to think more critically about the events. I find his books to be the most useful authority for getting my head around the facts and movements of the suspects, moreso than in the non-fiction books covering the same topic. Geary's best books bring the crime scenes and milieus vividly back to life. His calm, methodical sequencing of the surrounding events lends an operatic and important scale to some tawdry murders. They are perfect for reading just before bedtime.

I enjoyed reading the history of Lizzie Borden following a 10 km walk in Fall River, MA. I walked by her original home and also saw her home on French Street where she lived after she was acquitted at her trial. This home is now a bed and breakfast and the Innkeeper also filled me in on the details of the home and the crime.

You'll learn a lot about history in this time period as well as Fall River and Lizzie's family.

This is an illustrated novel to provide a quick tour of this famous unsolved crime. The `Bibliography' fails to list David Kent's "Forty Whacks", the one best book on this case. Geary's book necessarily skims over the details; there are no page numbers. If Abby was called to the front door to receive a note would the door still be triple-locked as at night? The position of Andrew on that sofa shows how he was found; he must have been sitting upright (try it and see). The drawing of the barn omits the stairs to the second floor. Geary sums up the arguments for Lizzie's innocence, and covers the other solutions from other authors.

The wounds on Andrew's skull suggest a right-handed killer who faced him; or a left-handed killer who struck while Andrew was reclining. Abby's killer would have to be right-handed to hit her right side of her head from the back; or left-handed if she faced the killer. This is one of the puzzles of this crime. The question about Andrew "apparently fallen over from a sitting position" can be explained by Andrew putting on his shoes to greet a secret visitor. Lizzie was guilty of withholding the identity of this visitor. But her actions were approved by the members of the Fall River ruling class. The back cover compares Lizzie Borden to O.J. Simpson on a number of similarities. The last item about "any other individual" points to an unknown subject given the lack of evidence against either (no bloody clothes or shoes, no murder weapon). Somebody else did it. It would be more accurate to compare Dr. Sam Sheppard to Lizzie. Both were at the crime scene, neither had blood spatter on their clothes or the murder weapon. Both were correctly found not guilty, but suffered from prejudice for the rest of their lives.

You can read about other True Crime cases. If no one in the household did the murder, it was an intruder (or unknown subject). The Borden murders was solved in Arnold Brown's book: it was a nephew of Andrew. Lizzie kept this secret to avoid a scandal. Members of the Fall River ruling class knew, and also kept this secret (except to acknowledge it was a secret). Arnold Brown spent two years researching his book. That was more time than the professional writers used. Brown admits he has no documentary proof for his conclusion, the nephew's birth certificate is kept secret by Massachusetts' laws. There can be no documentary proof of the Mellen House Gang conspiracy because a secret is never committed to paper (else it is not a secret). Brown believes the conflict was over Andrew's will. But a will does not require an heir's presence. Andrew did business from his home, he often made loans to people and foreclosed on their property when they couldn't pay. I believe the secret visitor was there to explain why he could not repay a loan that was due. There are many stories of murder for money in True Crime. Remember the loan from Dr. Parkman to Dr. Webster?