Born on July 19th, 1860, in Fall River, Massachusetts, Lizzie Andrew Borden was the daughter of Sarah Anthony Borden and Andrew Jackson Borden.
Andrew, of English and Welsh descent, faced financial struggles in his youth despite being the descendant of affluent local residents. Over time, he found success in the furniture and casket industry, later becoming a prosperous property developer, director of textile mills, owner of significant commercial properties, president of the Union Savings Bank, and a director of the Durfee Safe Deposit and Trust Co. While wealthy, he maintained a frugal lifestyle, as evidenced by the lack of indoor plumbing in the Borden residence, an unusual choice for the affluent neighborhood it stood in.
Lizzie, along with her older sister Emma Lenora Borden, was raised in a religious environment, attending Central Congregational. Lizzie actively participated in church activities, teaching Sunday school to children of recent immigrants and involving herself in religious organizations like the Christian Endeavor Society. She was also associated with social movements, such as the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union and the Ladies’ Fruit and Flower Mission.
Following the death of Lizzie's mother, Andrew married Abby Durfee Gray. Lizzie referred to her stepmother as "Mrs. Borden" and hinted at a strained relationship, suspecting Abby's motives for marrying her father. Bridget Sullivan, the Bordens' live-in maid, testified that Lizzie and Emma rarely shared meals with their parents. In May 1892, tensions rose as Andrew killed pigeons in the barn, a move Lizzie disapproved of. A family dispute in July 1892 led both sisters to take "vacations" in New Bedford. Lizzie, upon returning to Fall River a week before the murders, opted to stay in a local rooming house for four days before returning to the Borden residence.
Tensions heightened within the family, particularly regarding Andrew's real estate gifts to Abby's family. The sisters, after receiving a rental property, sold it back to their father for $5,000 a few weeks before the murders. The night before the tragic event, John Vinnicum Morse, Lizzie and Emma's maternal uncle, visited, sparking speculation that discussions about property transfer aggravated the already tense situation.
In the days leading up to the murders, the entire household fell violently ill. Some speculated that mutton left on the stove for several days caused the illness. Abby, fearing poison and considering Andrew's unpopular status in Fall River, added another layer of complexity to the tragedy.
On the evening of August 3, 1892, Morse, Lizzie Borden's maternal uncle, arrived and spent the night in the guest room. The following morning, after a shared breakfast with Andrew, Abby, Morse, and Sullivan, Andrew and Morse engaged in conversation in the sitting room for nearly an hour. At approximately 8:48 am, Morse left to purchase a pair of oxen and visit his niece in Fall River, intending to return for lunch at noon. Around 9 am, Andrew left for his morning walk.
Despite the fact that cleaning the guest room was a routine task for Lizzie and Emma, Abby went upstairs between 9:00 am and 10:30 am to make the bed. Forensic evidence later revealed that Abby was facing her assailant during the attack. Struck initially on the side of the head with a hatchet, Abby fell face down, sustaining contusions on her nose and forehead. The assailant proceeded to deliver seventeen more blows to the back of her head, resulting in her death.
Upon Andrew's return around 10:30 am, his key failed to open the door. Sullivan attempted to unlock the door but found it jammed, expressing frustration. Later, she testified to hearing Lizzie's laughter from the top of the stairs immediately after this incident. Lizzie denied being upstairs and claimed that her father had inquired about Abby's whereabouts, to which she responded that a messenger had summoned Abby to visit a sick friend.
Sullivan asserted that she assisted Andrew in changing into slippers and lying down for a nap, a detail contradicted by crime scene photos showing Andrew wearing boots. Around 11:10 am, Lizzie called from downstairs, informing Sullivan that her father was dead, allegedly killed by an intruder.
Upon investigation, Andrew was found slumped on a couch in the sitting room, having suffered ten or eleven hatchet-like blows. One eye had been cleanly split in two, suggesting he was asleep when attacked. Dr. Bowen, the family physician, declared both victims dead, estimating Andrew's death around 11:00 am.
Lizzie's responses to police questioning were initially inconsistent. She reported hearing various noises before entering the house, later changing her story. When asked about her stepmother, she claimed Abby had received a note to visit a sick friend. Despite her changing alibis and demeanor, she was not checked for bloodstains, and the search of her room during the trial was criticized for lack of diligence.
In the basement, police discovered hatchets, axes, and a hatchet-head with a broken handle suspected to be the murder weapon. However, these tools were not removed from the house. The mysterious illness preceding the murders led to the testing of milk and victims' stomachs for poison, which was not found. Residents suspected Lizzie of purchasing poison, but her defense was that she sought acid for fur cleaning, despite conflicting testimony.
Amidst these events, Morse stayed in the attic guest room, police stationed around the house on August 4, and Lizzie was seen entering the cellar with a lamp and slop pail. On August 5, Morse left amidst a mob, and a thorough search of the house took place the following day, leading to Lizzie being informed of her suspect status. Russell found Lizzie tearing up a dress the next morning, claiming it was covered in paint, though it was unclear if it was the dress worn on the day of the murders.
Lizzie Borden appeared at the inquest hearing on August 8, where her request to have her family attorney present was denied due to a state statute mandating private inquests. Having been prescribed regular doses of morphine to alleviate nerves, there is speculation that her testimony may have been influenced. Her behavior during the inquest was erratic, often refusing to answer questions, contradicting herself, and providing varying accounts of the morning in question. She claimed to be in the kitchen reading a magazine, then in the dining room doing ironing, and later coming down the stairs.
The district attorney took an aggressive and confrontational approach, leading to Lizzie being served with a warrant of arrest and subsequently jailed on August 11. The inquest testimony, which became the basis for the ongoing debate over Lizzie's guilt or innocence, was later ruled inadmissible during her trial in June 1893. Reports from contemporaneous newspaper articles described Lizzie's demeanor as "stolid" and highlighted her physical reactions during the proceedings. The inquest garnered significant national press attention, with The Boston Globe publishing an extensive three-page write-up. A grand jury heard evidence on November 7, resulting in Borden's indictment on December 2.
Lizzie's trial commenced on June 5, 1893, in New Bedford. Prosecuting attorneys included Hosea M. Knowlton and future U.S. Supreme Court Justice William H. Moody, while the defense was led by Andrew V. Jennings, Melvin O. Adams, and former Massachusetts governor George D. Robinson.
Five days before the trial, on June 1, another axe murder occurred in Fall River, with Bertha Manchester as the victim. The similarities between the Manchester and Borden murders were noted by jurors. Jose Correa de Mello was later convicted of Manchester's murder, with evidence confirming he wasn't near Fall River during the Borden murders.
The trial extensively discussed the hatchet-head found in the basement, with prosecutors arguing that the handle was removed by the killer. The prosecution failed to convincingly demonstrate it as the murder weapon. Testimony from Russell indicated Lizzie burning a dress on August 8, 1892, purportedly ruined by wet paint. The defense did not challenge this statement during the trial.
Disputes arose over Lizzie's presence at home. Sullivan's testimony placed Lizzie in the barn at 10:58 am, while Lizzie claimed she spent "twenty minutes or possibly a half an hour" outside the house. Witnesses testified to seeing Lizzie leaving the barn around 11:03 am. At 11:10 am, Lizzie called Sullivan downstairs, revealing Andrew's murder and instructing her to get a doctor.
Autopsy evidence, including the victims' skulls, was presented on June 5, 1893, leading Lizzie to faint upon seeing them. Evidence of her attempt to purchase prussic acid the day before the murders was excluded as too remote. Associate Justice Justin Dewey delivered a supportive summary for the defense before the jury acquitted Lizzie Borden after an hour and a half of deliberation on June 20, 1893. Upon leaving the courthouse, Lizzie told reporters she was "the happiest woman in the world." The trial is historically compared to later high-profile cases, such as those of Bruno Hauptmann, Ethel and Julius Rosenberg, and O.J. Simpson, for its impact on publicity and public interest in American legal proceedings.
Theories Regarding Perpetrators
Lizzie Borden
Despite being acquitted at trial, Lizzie remained the primary suspect in her father's and stepmother's murders. In 1967, writer Victoria Lincoln proposed the intriguing idea that Lizzie might have committed the murders while in a fugue state. Another theory suggested she was subjected to physical and sexual abuse by her father, leading her to take extreme measures. While there is limited evidence to support this claim, the topic of incest was not openly discussed at the time, and forensic methods in 1892 were vastly different. This belief circulated in local papers during the murders and was revisited by scholar Marcia Carlisle in a 1992 essay.
In his 1984 novel "Lizzie," mystery author Evan Hunter (known as Ed McBain) theorized that Lizzie committed the murders after being caught in a tryst with Sullivan. In a 1999 interview, McBain speculated that Abby had discovered them, reacting with horror. Lizzie, in a fit of rage, allegedly killed Abby with a candlestick and later confessed to Andrew. However, when Andrew reacted similarly, Lizzie purportedly killed him with a hatchet. McBain further suggested that Sullivan disposed of the hatchet afterward.
While Lizzie was later rumored to be a lesbian, there was no such speculation about Sullivan, who married a man in Butte, Montana. Sullivan, on her deathbed, reportedly confessed to changing her testimony to protect Lizzie.
John Morse
Lizzie's maternal uncle, John Morse, who had slept in the house the night before the murders, became a significant suspect. Law enforcement noted Morse's seemingly perfect and detailed alibi for Abby Borden's death, considering him a suspect for a period.
"William Borden"
A man named William Borden, suspected to be Andrew's illegitimate son, was proposed as a suspect by author Arnold Brown. Brown suggested that William attempted to extort money from his alleged father but failed. Leonard Rebello, after thorough research, proved that William was not Andrew's son.
Emma Borden
Despite having an alibi in Fairhaven, crime writer Frank Spiering suggested in his 1984 book "Lizzie" that Emma might have secretly visited the residence to commit the murders before returning to Fairhaven.
After the trial, the Borden sisters moved to a modern house in Fall River's Hill neighborhood, known as "Maplecroft." Lizzie, now using the name Lizbeth A. Borden, lived with live-in maids, a housekeeper, and a coachman. Despite Abby's estate going to Andrew and then to his daughters, a settlement was paid to settle claims by Abby's family.
Despite her acquittal, Lizzie faced societal ostracism in Fall River. Accused of shoplifting in Providence, Rhode Island, in 1897, she continued to endure public scrutiny. In 1905, Emma moved out following an argument, severing ties with her sister.
Lizzie's health declined after gallbladder removal, leading to her death from pneumonia on June 1, 1927, in Fall River at the age of 66. Few attended her funeral, and details were not published. Nine days later, Emma died from chronic nephritis in a New Hampshire nursing home. Both were buried side by side in the family plot in Oak Grove Cemetery.
At the time of her death, Lizzie's net worth exceeded $250,000 (equivalent to $5,652,000 in 2022). She left substantial bequests, including $30,000 to the Fall River Animal Rescue League and $500 in trust for her father's grave's perpetual care. Friends and family received varying sums, marking the end of a complex and enigmatic life.
In Cultural Context
According to scholar Ann Schofield, the narrative of Lizzie Borden has often taken on two fictional forms: the tragic romance and the feminist quest. Schofield notes that the story, shaped through rhyme and fiction, has evolved into a popular American myth or legend, serving as a connecting thread between the present and the past.
The former residence of the Bordens has been transformed into a museum and currently operates as a bed and breakfast, maintaining its 1890s styling. Notably, pieces of evidence utilized in the trial, including the hatchet-head, are carefully preserved at the Fall River Historical Society.
Folk Rhyme
The infamous case has left an indelible mark in popular culture, being immortalized in a skipping-rope rhyme set to the tune of the then-popular song "Ta-ra-ra Boom-de-ay."
Lizzie Borden took an axe
and gave her mother forty whacks.
When she saw what she had done,
she gave her father forty-one.
Legend has it that this rhyme was concocted by an anonymous writer to promote newspaper sales, while some attribute it to the omnipresent but unidentified "Mother Goose." In reality, Lizzie's stepmother endured eighteen or nineteen blows, while her father suffered eleven.
The rhyme also contains a lesser-known second verse:
Andrew Borden now is dead,
Lizzie hit him on the head.
Up in heaven, he will sing,
on the gallows, she will swing.
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