Lizzie Borden: Warps and Wefts

Just when you think everything has been done that can be done with the Borden case, along comes a new twist.  We have Lizzie dolls, pins, magnets, teeshirts, bracelets, earrings, coffee mugs and shot glasses.  There are books galore with more coming soon, paperdolls, collector cards, toy hatchets, and even Cat’s Meow has put out a wooden replica of the murder house on Second Street.  And now- from ETSY, an online crafter’s catalogue, we have a Lizzie Borden perfume oil, in a limited edition, available only until November 2010.  Have a look at the newest entry on the Lizzie market. Wonder what’s next?

This “eau de murder” is described as:

“A waft of Mother’s garden blooms, Father’s unlit pipe, tiny roses on the parlor wallpaper, and a dusty wooden axe handle.”

http://www.etsy.com/listing/52051486/lizzie-inspired-perfume-oil-halloween

Those interested in the Borden Case will have a week ahead chock-full of things to see and do.  It has been a long time since the conference at Bristol Community College and many who are fascinated with the case and needing a good dose of Bordenalia are heading to Fall River this week to take in as much as possible. Great weather is predicted!

THINGS TO SEE AND DO

1.  The Fall River Public Library is hosting a book reading with author Richard Behrens, reading from his new book, Lizzie Borden, Girl Detective beginning at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, August 3rd.  Costumed cast from the annual Lizzie Borden Bed & Breakfast Museum August 4th performances, The Pear Essential Players, will attend in character with a few words to say about Wednesday, the 4th on Second Street.

2.  The Lizzie Borden Bed & Breakfast will have daytime tours on the hour from 11 a.m. -3 p.m. on August 3rd.  Don’t miss the gift shop! Advance tickets are on sale for August 4th performances of CSI Lizzie Borden.  Richard Behrens will also be autographing his book on the 4th in the gift shop. A drawing will be held at the end of the day for a night’s stay for two at the house.  Program GPS devices for 230 Second Street or 230 2nd Street. 

3.  Oak Grove Cemetery has convenient black arrows on the pavement from the office gate to the Borden plot and is open from early morning until dark. Many other case personalities are buried in the historic Victorian cemetery.

4.  The Fall River Historical Society will be open with a special augmented Borden exhibit, featuring some items which are generally not on display all the time  This is a must-see on the list for visitors coming to Fall River for the day. The society can be found at the corner of Maple and Rock streets.  There is also a great gift shop selling Lizzie Borden merchandise and books.

5.  A little drive around the city in the late afternoon might be a great way to end the day.  The Andrew Borden Building is still standing on the corner of Anawan St. and South Main, Lizzie’s little school can also be found in the South End on Morgan Street, and Maplecroft is convenient if you plan to see the cemetery as it is only a short drive from Prospect to French Street. There is much beautiful Victorian architecture to be seen on The Hill and some fantastic restaurants in which to sample the local cuisine for dinner at the end of your day. 

Richard Behrens, author of the new adventure stories of Lizzie Borden: Girl Detective will be signing copies of his book in the giftshop at the Lizzie Borden Bed & Breakfast on August 4th from 10:30- 4 p.m..  Copies of the book will be on sale.

“You Can’t Chop Your Poppa Up in Massachusetts” is a well-known Lizzie tune but a few others have tackled the subject.  Flotsam and Jetsam, a thrash metal band from Phoenix, on the 1986 album Doomsday for the Deceiver put their spin on the old story.  You may just want to turn the volume down a little!

Lyrics

A young maiden with a demon in her soul,
A twisted mind with secrets to unfold.
An innocent face, a deceiving smile,
Under no suspicion, servant to Belial.

The axe came down… Blood all around…

She lurks possessed, without a sound,
Butchers her Dam when no one is around.
The next day her Sire feels her wrath,
She has no remorse in her merciless bloodbath.

She’s Miss Lizzy, she feels no pain
The axe came down
She’s Miss Lizzy, she strikes again,
The axe came down… Blood all around

Lizzy Borden took an axe, gave her mother forty whacks,
When she saw what she had done, she gave her father forty-one.

Now before the jury with a solemn face,
These legendary murders… she left not a trace.
Lizzy found it so simple to take their lives,
Today she walks free… Axe by her side…

She took an axe.

The Dubious Brothers are a very popular UK band, playing gigs for charity in a style which can only be called ecclectic.  To sample a taste of their Lizzie tribute, “O, Mother Borden,” click on this link and scroll down to the song. Click the arrow for a few moments of the song, or download the entire selection.  http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/thedubiousbrothers

Nothing Says Love Like Lizzie !

This little fellow in the Youtube segment below loves Lizzie, but apparently not his day care teachers. Even worn as an undershirt, Lizzie’s face raised a few eyebrows.  Need one for your baby from Baby Wit? What next- hatchet rattles? To order: http://www.babywit.com/TRR105I.html

Filmed as a made-for-TV-movie, the 1975 Legend of Lizzie Borden with Elizabeth Montgomery is an eagerly-sought after commodity for guests visiting the Borden house. For those abandonning VCRs for Blue-Ray format, taping the film from a television airing no longer fills the bill. For about 11 dollars, a DVD copy can be had from Lost Movies at the link below.

http://lostmovies.webs.com/legendoflizzieborden.htm

Recently a letter surfaced in England written by Lizzie to a friend living there.  The woman now owning the letter in the television programme that aired last week in Britain had the letter written to her grandmother by “L. A. Borden,” signed thus, over three pages, that was very conversational and ordinary in tone, being pre-murders. It was valued, very conservatively, at £600-800  or $1,200 to $1,600.

With the upcoming publication of the Fall River Historical Society’s Parallel Lives, (now delayed until late March -early Spring), Lizzie letters are much on the minds of Borden enthusiasts everywhere.

If a Lizzie Borden signature is out of your wallet range, many Lizzie-affiliated signatures can still be had for a bargain.  The signatures of the Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts in 1892-96 and the former Governor, George Dexter Robinson, also better known as Lizzie’s head defense attorney, were bought recently for $30 on Ebay. Another former Governor’s autograph (John Davis Long 1880-1883) was thrown in as a bonus.

 

Roger Wolcott (1847-1900)  was Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts from 1892-1896 and Governor from 1896-1900.

Roger Wolcott

John Davis Long (1838-1915)

Governor of Massachusetts 1880-1883, Secretary of the Navy 1897-1902

The Navy destroyer USS Long (DD-209) was named after him. 

To the growing catalogue of Lizzie-related tunes, here’s one from a “thrash metal” band album called Doomsday for the Deceiver. To learn more about this band and their music, visit the link at http://www.flotsam-and-jetsam.com/band.html or listen to the Lizzie song, She took An Axe at this Youtube link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_Jq35QPWVE

SHE TOOK AN AXE

A young maiden with a demon in her soul,
A twisted mind with secrets to unfold.
An innocent face, a deceiving smile,
Under no suspicion, servant to Belial.

The axe came down…Blood all around…

She lurks possessed, without a sound,
Butchers her Dam when no one is around.
The next day her Sire feels her wrath,
She has no remorse in her merciless bloodbath.

CHORUS
She’s Miss Lizzy, she feels no pain
The axe came down
She’s Miss Lizzy, she strikes again,
The axe came down…Blood all around

REFRAIN
Lizzy Borden took an axe, gave her mother forty whacks,
When she saw what she had done, she gave her father forty-one.

REPEAT REFRAIN

REPEAT REFRAIN

Now before the jury with a solemn face,
These legendary murders…she left not a trace.
Lizzy found it so simple to take their lives,
Today she walks free…Axe by her side…

Some footage from this past weekend’s event-with some really great entries.

Lizzie Borden Tale Of Two Cities

Youtube entry by Rick Rebelo.

Got plenty of time to kill? Google Lizzie Borden and find 494,000 results on the web and 80,000 image files -some of which go out there pretty far to be related.

But maybe the newest thrill on the internet might be Bing.com where Lizzie Borden can net you 1,300,000 results and 11,500 image-related files. The images are worth the search and can turn up some pretty interesting stuff ranging from the Partners in Crime Kennels which has bred this beautiful red Irish setter bitch named – Lizzie Borden

to the very unique and mysterious Lizzie artwork of Lu LoBue (lulobue.com)

Happy Googling- and uh, Binging?

The Herald coverage in today’s edition of last night’s Lizzie lecture at BCC revealed a particularly interesting tidbit- Lizzie had a lady companion named Trudy.  http://www.heraldnews.com/town_info/history/x1789521502/New-Lizzie-Borden-book-teased-at-lecture

It was a common custom of the time for wealthy ladies to have a younger companion to accompany them on trips out of town, shopping excursions and the like. Miss Trudy apparently lived at Maplecroft and enjoyed the elegant  library and hearthside of Miss Borden before going off to give matrimony a whirl.  How nice to know Lizzie did not lead quite such a reclusive and lonely life as many have thought.

Other snippets read at the lecture included diary entries by a schoolchum named “Lulie” which added a bit more color as to the many moods of Lizzie as a school girl.

The popular lecture series continues through November and is stirring up great interest in the launch of the historical society publication Parallel Lives which will go on sale before Christmas and is probably on every Lizziephile’s Wishlist.

• Sept 28, Annette Holba, Ph.D., author, “Lizzie Borden as Conscious Pariah: A Discussion About Private Life.”
• Oct. 5, Cara Robertson, legal scholar, “What the Jury Heard: Evidence in the Trial of Lizzie Borden.”
• Oct. 19, Kim Dennis, psychic medium, “Lizzie Borden: Her Side of the Story.”
• Oct. 26, Jill Dalton, award-winning actress, “Lizzie Borden Live: From Page to Stage.”
• Nov. 2, Ricardo Rebelo, filmmaker, “The Myth and Media of Lizzie Borden.”
• For information about the lectures or “Parallel Lives,” or to reserve a copy of the book, call 508-679-1071 or visit www.lizzieborden.org.

Gallery X will be holding an open exhibit “Lizzie Borden, A Tale of Two Cities”. On August 4, 1892, a terrible crime was committed in the city of Fall River. After all suspects were interviewed, all were cleared except for the youngest daughter of the victims, Miss Lizzie Andrew Borden. The vicious murders and it’s following trial caused the largest media blitz America had ever seen. Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Jackson Borden were brutally slain in their home in broad daylight. The trial of Lizzie Borden has lived in the hearts, imaginations, and minds of a larger group of people than one would expect. The crime was committed in the City of Fall River, On June 5, 1893, Ten months later, Lizzie was brought to trial at the Bristol County Superior Court house in New Bedford. After a trial of thirteen days, Lizzie was acquitted for lack of evidence.

The show’s title, “Lizzie Borden, A Tale of Two Cities” is a reference to the connection of these two cities and the national interest the murders in Fall River, and the following trial in New Bedford caused. Nearly every newspaper in the country held front page accounts of the tragedy and it’s proceedings. It seems everyone had their opinion on these bizarre proceedings and the press couldn’t get enough! The exhibit is open to all artists, local and otherwise. All submissions must pertain to Lizzie and/or the Borden tragedy. The limit is three pieces per artist, at $10.00 each. Gallery X will receive A35% commission on any sales. The show opens on October 14, 2009,the opening reception will be on October 17, 2009. The deadline for entries is Sunday October 11,2009 between the hours of 11:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. Gallery X hours are Wednesday through Friday 11:00 a.m. till 5:00 p.m. , Saturday and Sunday 11:00 a.m. till 3:00 p.m.