No full moon tonight over #92 Second Street.  This was taken on October 27th over the barn in the back yard.  But it will be creepy enough with ten brave guests spending the night at the scene of the crime.  After a tour of Oak Grove, hot cider and doughnuts, a tour of the house will begin at 8, interrupted by a few fearless trick-or treaters.  There may even be a seance at midnight, just in case anyone “on the other side” wishes to leave us a clue.  Happy Halloween!

    Warps and Wefts will return on

                    Monday, September 24th .

With the high prices realized this past year for some of Lizzie’s Maplecroft library books, what’s left to the average collector which is affordable?  Ephemera, or collectibles made of paper, can often be the answer to owning a bit of Bordenia.  The cardboard fan with tassel has become a popular ebay item in recent years and is still affordable.  This was a dainty souvenir produced for the  world premiere of Slaughter on Second Street at the Bristol Community College  Conference in 1992.  When in doubt – keep everything!

The playbill for the evening (click on images for larger size) 

A   was the August the murders took place,

B   Bordens murdered by blows to head and face.

C   was the Crime in all its detail,

D   was the Daughter at once put in jail.

E   was the Evidence not in her favor,

F   was the Few little facts that might save her.

G   was the Gown all covered with paint,

H   doubtless the Hatchet, tho’some said “it ain’t”.

I   was the Inquest they held all in vain,

J   was the Jury who ‘most went insane.

K   was the Kind of a woman she was,

L   was the Lawyer, who pleaded her cause.

M  for Money the motive was plain,

N   surely the Note they searched for in vain.

O   was the Officers of the police,

P   was the Pardon and speedy release.

Q   were the Queries and Questions each day,

R   was Alice Russell who gave her away.

S   was the Sentence, oh how did she fear it!

T   was the Ten months she waited to hear it.

U   is the Unfinished story it makes,

V   is the Villainous interest one takes.

W  for WHO it is nothing explains,

X   the Unknown who forever remains.

Y   would still bother us if we would let it,

Z   is our Zeal as we try to forget it.

Chances are slim today that the name of Otis Skinner or his daughter Cornelia would ring any bells except in the minds of students of the theatre.  Otis Skinner, who enjoyed a successful career spanning fifty years, worked with the greats of the Charles Frohman stable of stars, the Immortal Madame Modjeska, and Edwin Booth, brother of the infamous John Wilkes Booth.  

Begining his work as a clerk, by age 18 he was begging his clergyman father for a theatre career.  None other than P.T. Barnum. who knew the Skinners when they lived in Hartford, encouraged and supported Otis’ talent and potential for the stage. He is most remembered as a Shakespearian actor and for his great performance as the beggar in Kismet. He was a genial, gentle, friendly man- and much-loved by adoring fans.

 Cornelia was born into the business in Chicago in 1899 and debuted in her father’s acting company in 1921. The rest is history.  Cornelia inherited her father’s acting and writing genes and made her mark not only on the stage but in films, television, Broadway, and literary circles.  She wrote for the New Yorker, and wrote, produced and starred in one-woman monologues based on famous and powerful women in history.  Her amusing novel travelogue When We Were Young And Gay was made into a successful Broadway play. The International Movie Data Base includes Cornelia’s filmography as follows by date:

1. The Swimmer (1968) [Actress .... Mrs. Hammar]
2. The Pleasure of His Company (1961) [Writer] (play)
3. “This Is Your Life: Charlie Ruggles” (1959) TV Episode [Actress .... Herself]
4. “What’s My Line?: (1959-03-29)” (1959) TV Episode [Actress .... Herself - Mystery Guest]
5. “What’s It For: (1957-10-12)” (1957) TV Episode [Self]
6. “The Alcoa Hour: Merry Christmas, Mr. Baxter (#2.5)” (1956) TV Episode [Actress .... Susan Baxter]
7. Max Liebman Presents: Dearest Enemy (1955) (TV) [Actress .... Mrs. Murray]
8. The Girl in the Red Velvet Swing (1955) [Actress .... Mrs. Thaw]
9. “Person to Person: (#2.40)” (1955) TV Episode [Actress .... Herself]
10. “Toast of the Town: (#7.8)” (1953) TV Episode [Actress .... Herself]
11. “Toast of the Town: (#5.32)” (1952) TV Episode [Actress .... Herself]
12. “General Electric Guest House: (1951-07-01)” (1951) TV Episode [Actress]
13. “Toast of the Town: (#4.14)” (1950) TV Episode [Actress .... Herself]
14. “Toast of the Town: (#4.7)” (1950) TV Episode [Actress .... Herself]
15. “This Is Show Business: (1950-04-30)” (1950) TV Episode [Actress .... Herself]
16. “The Girls” (1950) TV Series [Writer] (book “Our Hearts Were Young and Gay”)
    … aka Young and Gay (original title (first two episodes title))
17. Our Hearts Were Young and Gay (1944) [Writer] (book)
18. The Uninvited (1944) [Actress .... Miss Holloway]
19. Stage Door Canteen (1943) [Actress .... Herself]
20. Kismet (1920) [Actress .... Miskah]

Cornelia married Manhattan stockbroker Alden Sanford Blodget- many thought an unlikely choice, and together they had one son.  Cornelia Otis Skinner died in New York on July 9, 1979 and was buried beside her husband who had predeceased her by fifteen years. The mystery seems to be why Oak Grove- and why Fall River?  R.I.P. – an amazing lady-and amazing career.

“Women keep a special corner of their hearts for sins they have never committed.”

“Woman’s virtue is man’s greatest invention.”  Cornelia Otis Skinner

The guestroom must be the most photographed and well-documented interior of #92.  The famous bedstead, dresser and dresser ornaments, photos on the wall, carpet and wall paper pattern are easily seen, but until 2001, the odd little blob to the left of the photo above Abby’s head was undisclosed.  Purely by accident, I found this object one day on ebay and learned it is a match safe. One side holds new matches, the other side holds used matches, with the striker in the middle.  These items came in all sorts of designs and materials. The one in the 1892 photo appears to be of wood.  The match safe is at a fairly low height which may be because Abby was a short woman.  Each room in the Borden home would have had one of these handy household conveniences as Andrew Borden used only candle and kerosene to light his house.  The little platforms on the sides of the bureau mirror and frequently seen on the ends of the high headboard were to hold a candle or small lamp-which made reading one’s Bible easy in bed!  Today there is a brass match safe in place which resembles the one of many years ago.

For half of her life, Lizzie A. Borden lived in modest homes in the unfashionable south end of the city. For the other half, she lived a life of quiet luxury on the Hill section in the north end of town in a dream house of her own taste and furnishing. The trip to Maplecroft is the pilgrimage all true Borden scholars must make. Briefly a B&B back in the 1990′s, no house in the city is surrounded by more mystery, because photographs, even in its public days, were forbidden inside. For all who want to understand Lizzie, the desire to see what is left of her gilded cage on French Street is a heart’s burning desire. Perhaps the fact that the house is closed to inquiring eyes makes knowledge of her private palace even more desirable.

As the house was not built for Lizzie and Emma, – they took occupancy in September 1893 - it would be nearly impossible to say with any certainty just how much of the interior furnishings such as woodwork, fireplace mantels, built-ins, etc. are Lizzie’s taste, and how much were the previous owner’s. Some things are known to be Lizzie’s additions, such as the back bedroom over the kitchen, the stone chimney, the back yard granite block wall, – and perhaps the mantel in her library with her favorite hymn and Scottish thistles, At Home in My Ain Countrie. Of course there is always just the chance that the mantel was there first, and inspired her love of the hymn after. We may never know. 

                                                            (c) S. Dziedzic1992

                                                          (c) S. Dziedzic 1992

One mantel in particular has captured the imagination of Bordeniaphiles for years however- the second floor front mantel with this verse:

And old time friends and twilight plays
And starry nights and sunny days.
Come trooping up the misty ways
When my fires burn low.

Whether this room which faces French Street on the front second floor of the house was a bedroom or reception room is unsure, but the verse in the mantel invokes a deep sense of wistfulness as one contemplates how it may have held great significance for Lizzie’s solitary life after Emma departed Maplecroft in 1905. For the loyal handful of friends who braved the criticism of Fall River high society, and called upon Lizzie there, theirs must have been a warm welcome. These were the “old time friends” who drew near when Lizzie’s “fire burned low”. The poem is surrounded by clusters of clover leaves, tokens of good fortune. The message of the mantel is not lost upon those who care to look.

The mantel today is no longer in its old familiar place. It has been replaced by one of marble. Eighty years ago a frail woman sat by this mantel perhaps thinking over her life and all the secrets locked away within the walls of Maplecroft. If places retain the resonance of those who have dwelt within them, surely Maplecroft holds dark secrets and mysteries still.

                                                     c) S. Dziedzic 2006

                                                                  Click on photographs for enlarged image
                                                    (c) S. Dziedzic 1992

After the great mills and textile industry, the old Fall River Line’s  luxurious Floating Palaces should be the next thing Fall River should be remembered for (although many might say Lizzie Borden). The steamboats plied the south coast of New England from Fall River to New York with connecting rail service to Boston from 1847 to 1937.

  The famous upbeat song, On the Old Fall River Line was written by prolific Tin Pan Alley Composer Harry Von Tilzer(1872- 1946) whose most well-know hit is probably She’s Only a Bird in a Gilded Cage, written in 1900. 

No trip to Fall River would be complete without a trip to the Marine Museum at Battleship Cove, which houses an incredible display of luxury Fall River Line appointments,- from china to crew uniforms and parlor chairs, carved paneling, to newel posts from the grand staircases.  The museum also boasts a 28 foot model of the Titanic from the movie of the same name starring Clifton Webb and Barbara Stanwyck, and a fantastic display of artifacts from the sunken Italian liner, the Andrea Doria.  Be sure to plan some time to visit Battleship Cove and see what’s left of the old Fall River Line pier.

In the heart of the city, at 104 North Main Street, which is a comfortable sprint from #92 Second Street, there is a treasure trove of information on the Borden case and city history. http://www.sailsinc.org/fallriver/reference.html#SpecialCollections

The current Fall River Public Library, built in 1899, is a spectacular edifice architecturally as well as being a vast repository for Fall River history resources and Borden case references. “The Lizzie Borden Collection consists of biographies, nonfiction accounts of the murders and trial, fictionalized retellings of the story, plays, bibliographies, newspaper articles and magazines dealing with Lizzie Borden, her trial, and the Borden murders”.
An impressive collection of work by Fall River School artists adorns the walls, featuring the work of Frank Miller, Robert S. Dunning and a schoolmate of Lizzie’s, Mary Lizzie Macomber (1861-1916) .  Miss Macomber was a student of Mr. Dunning who is most celebrated for his still lifes of fruit.  Mary Macomber went on to become a premiere female artist of the pre-Raphaelite school and is famous for her paintings of beautiful women which are laden with symbolism.  Her paintings hang on the second floor gallery and include Angel, Memory Comforting Sorrow and the haunting Marconi, inspired by the sinking of the Titanic. The magnificent main entry off North Main Street is also lavishly embellished with the work of Cremonini, who also painted the interior of Fall River’s Notre Dame, which burned several decades ago.   Whether for reference materials on the case, or for the love of great artwork- a  visit to the Fall River Public Library is a must.

Who else shares the day?

1834 Edgar Degas France, impressionist painter 
1851 Hendrik J Jut Dutch murderer (head of Jut)
1865 Charles Horace Mayo surgeon/co-founder (Mayo Clinic)
1896 Archibald J Cronin England, author (Citadel, Shining Victory)
1937 George Hamilton IV NC, actor (Evel Knievel, Love at 1st Bite)
1938 Richard Jordan NYC, actor (Dune, Old Boyfriends, Interiors)
and Vikki Carr [Florencia Casillas], El Paso Tx, singer (Let it Be Him)
1947 Bernie Leadon Minneapolis, guitarist/vocalist (Eagles-Take it Easy)
and Brian May London, rock guitarist (Queen-We are the Champions)
1952 Alan Collins rock guitarist (Lynyrd Skynyrd)
and Dominic Muldowney composer
and Howard Donald Saunders Danbury Ct, murderer (FBI Most Wanted List)
1954 Kathleen Turner actress (Accidental Tourist, Jewel of Nile)
1962 Anthony Edwards Santa Barbara Calif, actor (It Takes Two, ER)

Things to Remember for July 19:
     Baked Beans-Hot Dog-Ice Cream-Hitch Hiking Month
     Flowers-water lily & larkspur         Gem-ruby
     Park & Recreation Month-National Picnic Month
  2 Days Astrological sign:  Cancer

Highlights in History Which Occur July 19:
  64 Circus Maximus in Rome catches fire
1524 Boer war begins in Germany
1545 King Henry VIII’s flagship Mary Rose sinks at Portsmouth; 73 die
1553 15-year-old Lady Jane Grey deposed as England’s Queen after 9 days
1836 HMS Beagle/Charles Darwin reaches Ascension
1848 1st women’s rights convention (Seneca Falls, NY)
1850 Airship Elizabeth leaves in storm for Fire Island, crashes (42 die)
1860 1st railroad reaches Kansas
1862 Forrest’s 1st raid
1863 Battle of Buffington’s Island, OH
1864 Battle of Winchester, VA (Stephenson’s Depot
1870 France declares war on Prussia; Franco-Prussian war begins
1918 German armies retreat across Marne River in France (WW I)
1940 Hitler advises Great Britain to surrenders
1957 1st rocket with nuclear warhead fired, Yucca Flat, Nevada
1961 1st in-flight movie shown (TWA)
1965 Shooting begins on Star Trek 2nd pilot “Where No Man Has Gone Before”
1966 50 year old Frank Sinatra marries 21 year old Mia Farrow in Las Vegas
and France performs nuclear test at Fangataufa Island
and Gov James Rhodes declares state of emergency in Cleveland (race riot)
1967 1st air conditioned NYC subway car (R-38 on the F line)
and Race riots in Durham NC
and US launches Explorer 35 for lunar orbit (800/7400 km)
1969 Apollo 11 goes into Moon orbit
 and Don Bowden becomes 1st American to break 4 minute mile (3m58s7)
and US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
1977 Floods in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, kills 76
1985 Christa McAuliffe chosen 1st school teacher to fly space shuttle
and Dam in Fiemme Valley Italy bursts; 200 die
1990 BASF plant in Cincinnati explodes in flames, 1 dies
and Cincinnati Red Pete Rose is sentence to 5 months for tax evasion
and Richard Nixon library opens in Yorba Linda, Calif
1992 NYC Ballet star Peter Martins, arrested for beating his wife
1993 Pres Clinton fires FBI director William Sessions
1994 1st game ever cancelled at Seattle Kingdome (falling tiles)
and Bomb explosion in Alas Airlines at Colon Panama, 21 killed