Lizzie Borden: Warps and Wefts

The number of post-trial, post-hatchet, Maplecroft plays is ever- growing. The public never wearies of imagining the possibilites of Lizzie’s life after the acquittal.  If she was guilty, did she suffer twinges of conscience? Was she depressed- lonely?  If she was innocent- how horrible was it living under the cloud of suspicion all those years? Why did Emma leave her sister?  Who were Lizzie’s few friends who continued to call at the house on French St. ? So many unanswered questions opens up a rich field for exploration.

Here is the Nick Pelino offering on the subject, written in 2006, available now on Amazon.com in the 10-12 dollar range.

Lizbeth of Maplecroft- After the Axe

 2006 by Trafford Publishers

Paperback, 243 pages

isbn1425113893    (isbn13: 9781425113896)

 ”This is the two act play, available in print! It is based on the later life of the accused axe-murderess, Lizzie Borden, years after her acquital. A three woman play that has performed to great success. By the author of THE FINAL WORD: THE HALL-MILLS MURDERS and its sequel and equally popular THE HALL-MILLS TRIAL, Nick Pelino, Jr. 

It’s hard to know just how much cooking Lizzie was compelled to do in her lifetime what with Bridget Sullivan and Abby Borden manning the old black stove on Second Street and servants being at hand at Maplecroft.  Apparently Lizzie did don an apron from time to time and a few of her favorites have filtered down via word of mouth or the odd reference by friends. 

Recently a lady who stayed at the Second Street house commented that her father, when he was a little boy, recalled Miss Lizzie keeping a dish of chocolate covered peppermints in a dish in the front hall so as to be handy for youngsters who passed by- these were of the peppermint patty type, wrapped in foil.

Mrs. Florence Brigham, the curator of the Fall River Historical Society for many years, had in her possession handwritten  3 x 5 recipe cards in a box of her late mother-in-law Mary Ella (Sheen) Brigham. Lizzie’s favorite meatloaf recipe was among the gems in the box. Mrs. Mary Brigham gave testimony at the trial and was a good friend of Lizzie and Emma Borden, and a frequent caller at Maplecroft, her home being very nearby on Belmont St.  After Emma and Lizzie parted ways around 1905, Mrs. Mary Brigham stopped dropping by at Maplecroft.  This recipe was given to the Fall River Historical Society some years ago by the son of Mrs. Florence Brigham and has been published in the society newsletter.

Here is the recipe as written, and the modern day trial adaptation which works very nicely. Recipes were frequently written with little direction as it was assumed a lady ought to know how to put the basics together without being told as she would have been taught by her mother from an early age.

Lizzie’s Version

1 pound steak, 1/2 pound pork steak, 1 egg, 1 small onion, 3 soda crackers, herbs, salt, pepper.  Grease tin, cover loaf well with hot water and bake about one hour.

A modern approach: One pound ground sirloin (15-20% fat for flavor), 1/2 pound ground pork, one large egg for a binder, one small onion (red or vidalia), 3 Uneeda brand soda crackers pulverized into crumbs (or soup/chowder crackers will work), 1/2 tsp. dried basil, 1 tsp. garlic powder, 1 tsp. salt, 1 tsp. dry mustard, 1/2 tsp. black pepper. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a loaf pan or spray with PAM, mound thoroughly mixed ingredients into the pan, cover with aluminum foil and bake one hour.  Good served with a little ketchup on top, or catsup as it was spelled years ago.  November is a good month for comfort food.  If this recipe is too much trouble- Almac’s Diner on President’s Avenue in Fall River has superb meatloaf, mashed potatoes and brown gravy, luscious enough even for The Hill clientele of the 1920’s!

With Halloween fast approaching, a few fearless souls are looking for a frightful weekend getaway at a spooky location.  The Travel Channel had placed the Lizzie Borden Bed & Breakfast in the top 10 spookiest destinations 8 years ago at #1, even above the Winchester Mystery House.  Lizzie’s place is still on the top ten list, at #1 along with #2. The Bell Witch Cave in Tennesee, #3 The Villisca Axe Murder House in Iowa, #4 The Stanley Hotel in Colorado, #5  Waverly Hills Sanatorium in Kentucky, #6 Sorrel Weed House, Savannah, Georgia, #7 Winchester Mystery House in San Jose, California, #8 Eastern State Penitentiary, Philadelphia, Pa., #9 The Myrtles, Louisiana, #10 Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery, Chicago.  http://www.toptenz.net/10-creepy-places-in-america.php  This Saturday 12 intrepid people will attempt to stay the night at Lizzie’s house.  Rooms have been booked for months.  October is second only to the murder anniversary month, August. Will the annual Halloween seance turn up any new clues?

Lizzie was acquitted in her own home town tonight at Superior Court in a repeat of the mock trial redux which was so well attended last month in New Bedford.  Will she make it three in a row next month in Taunton when the excellent cast takes the stand again?  Read all about tonight’s trial in the Herald News article by Debbie Allard with some superb photos by Jack Foley.http://www.heraldnews.com/news/x637610488/NOT-GUILTY-Lizzie-retrial-falls-in-line-with-history

Something to watch for- The Lizzie Borden Collection-coming soon. The site page is worth a visit to hear the great sound file and graphics. Visit the site at http://www.thelizziebordencollection.com/ Bloody Rare is a site specializing in fine rare books and original movie posters in horror, science fiction, fantasy, mystery and crime.

(photo credit) CELIA FRANK/For Shorelines
Susan Roche (left) plays Emma Borden and Karen Garrett is Lizzie Borden in “After the Murders: The Quest of Lizzie Borden,” which will open Friday at Atlantic Beach Experimental Theatre.

Lizzie’s on stage again -this time in a mystery drama by Fernandina Beach playwright Richard Wolf entitled “After the Murders: The Quest of Lizzie Borden”.

To read more about the new production which is set in the interval after the acquittal, visit this link http://jacksonville.com/community/shorelines/2009-10-21/story/abet_production_goes_after_the_murders_in_lizzie_borden_case

“After the Murders: The Quest of Lizzie Borden” will be performed Friday-Sunday, Oct. 30-31 and Nov. 6-7 at the Atlantic Beach Experimental Theatre. Performances are at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays. The theater is in the Adele Grage Cultural Center, 716 Ocean Blvd., Atlantic Beach. Tickets are $15, $12 for seniors, students and military. For reservations, call 249-7177 or visit www.abettheatre.com.

Got Ghost in the parlor?

There were some interesting online comments today as a result of an article posted in the Fall River Herald News- article and comments at this link http://www.heraldnews.com/news/x536357278/Medium-Lizzie-did-it

The popular Lizzie series at BCC featured a Canadian psychic last night, Kim Dennis, who claims to have channeled Lizzie in her livingroom.  Nothing is hotter than the paranormal at the moment-both at the Borden Bed and Breakfast and as a popular culture phenomenon.  TV is full of it, magazines and best-sellers are doing a brisk trade, and mediums, ghostbusters and psychics are riding the wave.

Ms. Dennis reveals nothing which others have not thought of before.  Nearly every possible scenario has been well-imagined over the years since the famous murders: motive, method, weapon, accomplices, etc.  There is an abundance of information online and in print about every detail of the crime scene and the principal players as well as a goodly number of who-dunnit theory books.  Messages from the Great Beyond have been leaking through the ether since 1893 when a Ouija board was employed to seek out the answers to the Borden mystery.

What is interesting to read are the comments following the article.  Is the public saturated with Lizzie Borden- or is it just Fall Riverites?  It has surely been a Lizzie summer and autumn, with no end in sight.  Whether a believer in the paranormal, or an avid scholar of the case, there’s no getting away from the fact that Lizzie will not be going away anytime soon-a haunting of sorts.

Visitors and guests who visit the Borden house are intrigued by all of the pears they find inside.  For those in the know about the case, they smile and understand the reference to Lizzie’s alibi about being in the hayloft munching the fruit when her father was murdered, and sometimes humorous testimony about all of the pear-eating by the occupants of #92 on August 4th.  August 4th is also the one day of the year when the house re-enactment troupe, The Pear Essential Players, are in residence recreating the fateful day for visitors.  Did the police check Lizzie’s alibi and look for pear cores in the hayloft? Or would Lizzie smoothly have admitted to eating those pears cores and all?

Blood Relations written by Sharon Pollack and directed by Stephen Kay opens November 12th.  The play runs November 12-22 at the Your Theatre Playhouse at 136 River Street, New Bedford.

The play within a play structure in which, ten years after her acquittal, Lizzie Borden’s actress friend, Nance O’Neil acts out the crucial scenes, lends a fascinating sense of ambiguity to a familiar story.  For reservations call 508-993-0772.

For more about the play read http://www.enotes.com/blood-relations