Lizzie Borden – Killer of Fall River, Massachusetts?
The chilling rhyme echoes through history, forever linking a name to a gruesome act: "Lizzie Borden took an axe and gave her mother 40 whacks. When she saw what she had done, she gave her father 41." This infamous verse, whether accurate or embellished, is inextricably tied to Lizzie Andrew Borden, the central figure in one of America’s most enduring and debated murder mysteries. In 1892, in the quiet town of Fall River, Massachusetts, Andrew and Abby Borden were brutally murdered, and Lizzie became the prime, and ultimately acquitted, suspect.
Lizzie Andrew Borden was born on July 19, 1860, in Fall River, Massachusetts, the daughter of Sarah Anthony Morse Borden and Andrew Jackson Borden. Andrew, a man destined for considerable wealth, and Sarah, married on Christmas Day in 1845, began their family. Their first child, Emma Lenora, arrived on March 1, 1851, followed by Alice Esther on May 3, 1856. Tragically, Alice died before her second birthday, casting an early shadow on the family. The arrival of Lizzie Borden in 1860 completed the original Borden family, but sorrow struck again when Sarah Morse passed away on March 26, 1863, leaving a young Lizzie without a mother at the tender age of two and a half. It is said that on her deathbed, Emma made a promise to her mother that she would always watch over little Lizzie.
Two years later, on June 6, 1865, Andrew Borden remarried, taking Abigail "Abby" Durfee Gray as his wife. The union remained childless. Lizzie and her older sister, Emma, who was nine years her senior, continued to reside with their father and stepmother, their lives intertwined within the confines of the Borden household well into their adulthood. The circumstances of this family dynamic, the social aspirations, and the financial disparities all contributed to the narrative surrounding the Lizzie Borden case.
Andrew Jackson Borden’s lineage traced back to a family of wealth and influence, holding significant land ownership in Fall River as early as 1714. Despite this heritage, Andrew’s early life was characterized by modest beginnings. He apprenticed as a carpenter and even helped in the construction of the house at 92 Second Street, a property he would later purchase decades later. Displaying entrepreneurial spirit, he transitioned into the undertaking business, securing a $1,000 loan to partner with William M. Almy. Their venture, focusing on casket and furniture manufacturing and sales, proved successful.
By the 1850s, Andrew’s ambition led him to property development, further augmenting his wealth. He ascended to the presidency of the Union Savings Bank and served as a director for several textile mills, including the Globe Yarn Mill Company and the Troy Cotton and Woolen Manufacturing Company. His influence extended to the Durfee Safe Deposit and Trust Co. and the First National Bank, solidifying his position as a prominent figure in Fall River’s financial landscape. In April 1872, Borden invested $10,000 to acquire the house at 92 Second Street. He moved in with his wife and daughters, Emma, then 21, and Lizzie Borden, who was 11.
Despite his considerable wealth, Andrew Borden was known for his frugal nature. While many of his relatives resided in the more affluent neighborhood known as "The Hill," Andrew remained content in his less fashionable surroundings. He resisted modern conveniences such as indoor plumbing and electricity, relying instead on oil lamps, even though he could easily afford the upgrades. He even sold eggs from his farm on Main Street. He did, however, employ servants to maintain the household. This frugality often caused tension within the family, particularly with Lizzie, who yearned to emulate her relatives on "The Hill." The juxtaposition of wealth and austerity created a breeding ground for discontent, potentially contributing to the events that would later unfold and define the legacy of Lizzie Borden.
Lizzie and Emma never developed a close relationship with their stepmother, always referring to her as "Mrs. Borden." As their father’s wealth grew, the sisters began to suspect that Abby’s family was trying to gain access to their father’s fortune. Raised in a religious household, the family regularly attended the Central Congregational Church, located in the prestigious neighborhood of "The Hill." Lizzie was actively involved in church activities and organizations, even teaching Sunday school. As they grew older, Emma and Lizzie assisted their father in managing his rental properties.
Emma was described as "prim, confident, apparently reliable in every fiber," while Lizzie was more outgoing and attractive, with red hair and several suitors. However, these suitors were not from the "Hill" neighborhood to which she aspired. Despite attending the church of the town’s aristocracy, the family never truly fit in due to Andrew’s frugality and questionable business practices, which relegated them to middle-class social status. Even when Lizzie considered suitors outside her social aspirations, her father dismissed them as "fortune hunters," seemingly condemning both sisters to spinsterhood. The growing tensions, coupled with social aspirations and financial anxieties, painted a complex picture of the Borden household in the months leading up to the fateful day. The Borden family was a ticking bomb of social and economic pressures, with Lizzie Borden at the center.
In the months preceding the murders, the tension within the Borden household escalated, particularly after Andrew gifted real estate to Abby and her sister. Emma and Lizzie demanded a similar concession, leading to the grant of the house they had lived in until their mother’s death. However, they sold it back to their father for $5,000 just a few weeks later.
In May 1892, Andrew, believing the pigeons roosting in the barn to be pests, killed them with a hatchet, upsetting Lizzie, who had recently built a roost for the birds. An argument in July 1892 prompted both sisters to take an extended "vacation" to New Bedford, Massachusetts. They returned a week before the murders, but Lizzie spent four days in a local rooming house before returning home. The strange circumstances surrounding the vacation, coupled with growing family tensions, only deepened the mystery surrounding the murders and the potential involvement of Lizzie Borden.
For several days before the murders, the entire household suffered from violent illness. On August 3, Abby summoned Dr. Seabury Bowen, fearing poisoning. However, the doctor attributed the illness to bad food. Andrew, angered by what he perceived as Abby’s wasteful spending on a doctor, ordered him to leave.
That evening, "Uncle John" Morse, the younger brother of Sarah Morse Borden, visited the Borden residence unannounced. He had not been involved in the girls’ lives until about two years before the murders, when he began making frequent visits. He was allegedly there to discuss business matters with Andrew. Some speculate that their conversation about property transfers aggravated the already tense situation. He spent the night in an upstairs bedroom.
On the morning of August 4, 1892, Andrew and Abby Borden were discovered brutally murdered in their home. Lizzie was 32, and Emma was 41. Both were unmarried and still lived with their father and stepmother. However, on the day of the murders, Emma was visiting a friend in Fairhaven, Massachusetts, about 15 miles away. The stage was set for the tragedy that would forever define Fall River and the name of Lizzie Borden.
Lizzie was the first to discover her father’s lifeless body. He had been bludgeoned to death while seemingly asleep on the sofa, his face almost unrecognizable. She cried out for the maid, Bridget Sullivan, who ran to fetch Dr. Bowen and a neighbor, Adelaide Churchill. Bridget and Adelaide discovered Abby Borden in an upstairs guest bedroom, also dead, her head severely beaten. Both victims had been killed with a small, sharp hatchet.
Police quickly arrived and searched for evidence of an intruder but found none. They located two hatchets, two axes, and a hatchet head with a broken handle in the basement. The hatchet head was suspected of being the murder weapon due to the fresh break in the handle. Notably, there was no blood anywhere except on the victims’ bodies. The crime scene was quickly compromised by the presence of journalists and curious neighbors. The family was even allowed to clean up the house, and no one bothered to check Lizzie or Bridget for bloodstains. The police were later criticized for their lack of diligence.
Authorities concluded that someone within the Borden home must have committed the murders. Emma was ruled out due to her absence, and Bridget Sullivan was seemingly never considered a suspect. Suspicion then focused entirely on Lizzie Borden. Emma was informed of the deaths by Dr. Bowen, who sent a telegram urging her to return to Fall River. Within two days of the murder, newspapers began reporting that Lizzie Borden might have been involved in her parents’ deaths.
During the police investigation, Abby’s body was found cold, indicating she was attacked first, sometime between 9 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. She was struck in the head with a hatchet around 18 times. The coroner concluded that she was facing her killer when the first blow struck the side of her head, causing her to turn and fall face down on the floor, at which point 17 more blows were directed at the back of her head. Abby was 64 years old and weighed about 200 pounds.
Andrew’s body was still warm when the police arrived, suggesting he was killed after Abby, between 10:30 a.m. and 11:10 a.m. He was struck in the face with a hatchet ten times. Andrew was described as a tall, thin man, 70 years old, with hooded dark eyes and a long, mean mouth.
The investigation revealed that Andrew and John Morse chatted in the sitting room for almost an hour after breakfast. Morse left at about 8:45 a.m., and Andrew left at about 9:00 a.m. to take a walk. Bridget was washing windows, Abby was cleaning the guest room, and Lizzie was ironing in the dining room. Mr. Borden returned home at about 10:30 a.m., and Lizzie discovered her father’s body at about 11:10 a.m.
Lizzie was arrested on August 11 and was represented by Andrew Jennings, a long-time attorney for the Borden family. The next day, she pleaded "not guilty" and was transported to the Taunton, Massachusetts jail.
The preliminary hearing took place in Fall River from August 25 through September 1, 1892. A few months later, the grand jury heard the evidence between November 7-21. Lizzie was indicted for murder on December 2, 1892.
During this time, newspapers were filled with varying accounts of the affair. The Boston Daily Globe reported rumors that Lizzie and her stepmother did not get along and had not spoken for some time. However, family members insisted that relations between the two women were normal. The Boston Herald was kinder, stating, "In Lizzie Borden’s life, there is not one unmaidenly nor a single deliberately unkind act."
Lizzie’s trial began in New Bedford, Massachusetts, on June 5, 1893. By then, she had become a media sensation. During the investigation, inquest, and trial, several suspicious events were uncovered. The day before the murders, Lizzie tried to buy prussic acid from a drug store but was denied because she lacked a prescription. This testimony was suppressed during the trial. On the morning of the murders, Bridget Sullivan said that the lock was jammed when Andrew returned from his walk at about 10:30 a.m., and she had to let him in. During this time, she testified that she heard Lizzie laugh from the top of the stairs. However, Lizzie denied this. Lizzie claimed that Abby had received a note to visit a sick friend, but no such friend or note was ever found. Lizzie also said that she had removed Andrew’s boots and helped him into his slippers before he lay down on the sofa. However, he was wearing his shoes when the police found his body.
The front door and all the windows on the first floor were locked, suggesting that the only way to enter the house was through the kitchen, but the women were in and out of there all morning. It seemed unlikely that someone could have committed two murders and escaped without being noticed. During police questioning, Lizzie’s answers were confusing and contradictory. She claimed to have been in the barn loft at the time, but authorities were unconvinced because the loft revealed no footprints on the dusty floor, and the stifling heat would have discouraged anyone from being there. There were also rumors that the victims’ wills were missing. Andrew’s will likely would have left much of his estate to his wife, who would leave little or nothing to Andrew’s daughters.
During the trial, Lizzie’s attorney emphasized her close relationship with her father and her church, charity, and volunteer efforts. The prosecution stressed the brutality of the crimes and Lizzie’s hatred for Abby. Emma Borden strongly supported her sister and testified in her defense. Lizzie did not take the stand, and her inquest testimony was not admitted into evidence.
On June 20, 1893, after just 90 minutes of deliberation, Lizzie was acquitted of all charges due to a lack of forensic evidence linking her to the scene. Upon hearing the verdict, Lizzie let out a yelp of joy.
No one else was ever investigated, and the case remains officially unsolved. Many people believed she escaped conviction because she was a sweet-looking Christian woman, too petite to commit such a brutal act, and there was a reluctance to execute a female.
After her acquittal, Lizzie returned to the family home and continued living with Emma. Despite the verdict, most people believed she was guilty, and the newspapers continued to obsess over the case. Although she became a pariah in her own town, she chose to stay in Fall River.
Upon his death, Andrew Borden’s estate was valued at $300,000, equivalent to over eight million dollars today. After settling claims by Abby’s family, Lizzie and Emma inherited a significant portion of the estate, which allowed them to purchase a new home.
Lizzie finally acquired her "Hill" house, which she named "Maplecroft" in 1893. The Queen Anne Victorian home was about 4,000 square feet with eight bedrooms, four bathrooms, and six fireplaces. They hired live-in maids, a housekeeper, and a coachman. Around this time, Lizzie began using the name Lizbeth. She continued to attend the same church, hoping to finally fit into the elite upper-class society to which she had long aspired. However, friends and acquaintances soon stopped talking to her, and people began to avert their eyes.
Lizzie only made matters worse by never wearing mourning clothes and flaunting her wealth. She bought a new carriage, fashionable and expensive clothes, and traveled to Boston, New York, and Washington D.C., staying in expensive hotels and indulging her love of the theater. The newspapers were only too happy to obsess over her luxurious life. Further, the Fall River Globe printed an article about the crime every year on the anniversary of the murders, always openly pointing at Lizzie Borden.
As the gossip continued, eggs were thrown at her house, churchgoers shunned her, and children maligned her with the sing-song verses of the infamous rhyme. Her reputation was further tarnished when she was accused of shoplifting in Providence, Rhode Island, in 1897.
The sisters lived peacefully until 1904, when Lizzie met actress Nance O’Neill. The two formed a strong bond, leading to speculation that they were lovers. Emma disapproved, and after Lizzie threw a party for O’Neil and her theatrical troupe in 1905, Emma moved out.
Emma eventually moved to a nursing home in Newmarket, New Hampshire, in 1923, allegedly to avoid renewed publicity following the publication of another book about the murders. Lizzie continued to live in her house in Fall River, eventually replacing her carriage with a limousine and continuing to travel extensively.
In 1926, she had her gallbladder removed and was chronically ill. She died of pneumonia in Fall River, Massachusetts, on June 1, 1927. Funeral details were not published, and few attended. Emma died of kidney problems nine days later, on June 10, 1927, in Newmarket, New Hampshire. The sisters were buried beside their father in the family plot in Oak Grove Cemetery.
After Lizzie’s death, she left $30,000 to the Fall River Animal Rescue League, $500 in trust for perpetual care of her father’s grave, and $6,000 to her closest friend and a cousin. The enigma of Lizzie Borden remains, a testament to the power of suspicion, the limitations of justice, and the enduring fascination with a crime that continues to haunt Fall River, Massachusetts.