Lizzie Borden Innocent?

Lizzie Borden

“Lizzie Borden took an axe and gave her mother 40 whacks;

When she saw what she had done, she gave her father 41.”

Yes, this is the awe-inspiring jump-rope ditty of the famous Falls River, Massachusetts murder that happened over a hundred years ago in 1892. 

The most popular theory is that the 32 year old spinster Sunday school teacher, enraged that her miserly father forced his wealthy family to exist in poverty,  lost it one hot August afternoon and chopped her stepmother and father to death. (Actually, just two or three hacks to each did the job quite nicely).

Lizzie's axe

She was eventually acquitted by a jury but not by public opinion.  The town became obsessed with the murders, which spread through the rest of the country.   

 Today, sleuths travel from far and wide to study the double homicide and arrive at their own conclusions.  Did the father, Andrew Borden shun an indoor toilet, decent clothes for his two daughters, and even hot water in the house?

Michael Martins, curator of the Lizzie Borden Museum, argues that no he did not.  The girls dressed well and ate fresh swordfish, but many people, even those with money, didn’t have hot water.
 

No hot water with three women in the house?

The Borden House

There was also the rumor that Mr. Borden was leaving all his money to his wife.  Turns out he planned to leave her well, but he did deed a house to his daughters.  Maybe it was a small one and not good enough Lizzie.
                                                                                   

But over the last century some of the townspeople decided there must be another side to Ms. Borden and started collecting all things Lizzie.  After nine years, they completed their tome called Parallel Lives.  It’s 995 pages long and just short of 7 pounds.  Right now it’s locked under tight security until its release later this month.
  

 The authors conclusion?  They believe that Borden is innocent.   Come on, are they serious?

No, I haven’t seen the book, nobody has, but I don’t think for minute that she is.  Sweet letters written to children in her later years prove nothing.  All evidence at the time of the crime point only to her.  It comes down to Lizzie’s word alone.  Was she telling the truth or not?   There wasn’t any forensics back then--no fingerprints, blood, DNA, no NADA.  But no other suspect was found and nothing was taken from the house.  When the cops questioned Lizzie, she kept changing her story.
  

 Sounds guilty to me.

Now after all these years, there’s suddenly fuss about her innocence? There really isn't any new evidence.
Besides, they NEED this legend.

Falls River used to be a mining town, but that’s long gone.  All they got going is this whodunit.  The Borden home is now an inn offering ghost tours while the rest of the city services the crime.  They also got these great blogs, “The Hatchet Journal” and “The Noble Order of Mutton Eaters.”  The latter refers to Mr. Borden ordering his daughters to eat rotten mutton soup.

  

I go with the rotten mutton.  I go with the miserly father.

Lizzie Borden took an axe and whack, whack, whack…

She was desperate for good food, fancy clothes, and a hot shower.   I'd kill for a hot shower, so I think that’s motive enough.  The jury's wrong.  She did it.  And thank God I solved the case.