• Did you miss this one?

    September 14, 2010 /

    (photo from Amazon.com)

    (photo from Amazon.com)

    Published in 2003 by Trina Robbins and Max Allan Collins, this one is still available on Kindle or paperback through Amazon.  It is a smorgasboard of ladykillers, thoughtfully organized under sections such as “They Did it For Love”,  “They Did it For Money”, “Bandit Queens and Gun Molls”, “Fabled Femmes Fatales”, ” and  “Shoots Like a Girl- Women Who Missed”,  here’s a cozy read for a cold autumn’s night! 

    For preview pages (some containing great cartoon graphics of Lizzie Borden with other femmes fatales), visit this Amazon link to preview and order now!

    http://www.amazon.com/Tender-Murderers-Women-Who-Kill/dp/1573248215/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1284516190&sr=1-1#reader_1573248215

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  • New Play Makes a Debut

    September 11, 2010 /

    The Huntsville Times- by Sara Cure  Dateline: September 9, 2010

    “HUNTSVILLE, AL. – A new play written by Wayne Miller called “The Ax” will debut at the Renaissance Theatre, 1214 Meridian St., this weekend. Performances will be Friday and Saturday, both at 8 p.m., and Sunday at 2:30 p.m.

    Although the play’s title conjures up morbid images, Miller said it’s really a farce.

    Based on the Lizzie Borden case, an ax belonging to a famous serial killer in the early 1900s basically has a life of its own. It’s soon in the possession of a man who has a weird interest in collecting serial-killer memorabilia.

    The man’s wife is a stereotypical repressed housewife who is not satisfied with her place in life. To make matters worse, her husband is cheating on her. She then starts to hear the ax communicate with her and it offers a solution to all of her problems through violence.

    “Even though it sounds grim, it will be a fun and humorous experience,” Miller said.”

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  • The Sisters of Abby Borden now online

    September 7, 2010 /

    The latest in the series of “Mutton Eater” short articles is available for the month of September.  It is a tale of sisters-  Abby Borden and her two siblings Priscilla and Bertie in one corner versus the Borden sisters Emma and Lizzie in another!  As in most lives, the Gray girls had their share of tragedy, hard work and joy, but they, unlike Emma and Lizzie enjoyed motherhood and grandchildren.  In the Borden case, where nearly all the main players are women, here are two more stories to add to the potent mix which ended in the events of August 4th 1892.

    Graves of George and Priscilla Gray Fish in Hartford, CT

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  • Chad Mitchell Trio to visit Lizzie Borden house

    September 6, 2010 /

    You Can’t Chop Your Poppa Up in Massachusetts was a hit for the popular 1960’s folk group, and second only to “Lizzie Borden Took an Axe” as Borden -related tune most people know.  Made popular in a Broadway production, Leonard Sillman’s New Faces of 1952 as the Fall River Hoedown, the single was released by the Chad Mitchell Trio in 1961. The trio will be visiting the Lizzie Borden house this week- should be great fun for everyone. Hopefully they will sing a chorus in the parlor where a copy of the sheet music has been on the piano since the house opened as a museum in 1996.

    http://www.chadmitchelltrio.com/

    Lyrics by Michael Brown

    Yesterday in old Fall River, Mr. Andrew Borden died
    And they got his daughter Lizzie on a charge of homicide
    Some folks say she didn’t do it, and others say of course she did
    But they all agree Miss Lizzie B. was a problem kind of kid

       ‘Cause you can’t chop your papa up in Massachusetts
       Not even if it’s planned as a surprise
       No, you can’t chop your papa up in Massachusetts
       You know how neighbors love to criticize

    She got him on the sofa where he’d gone to take a snooze
    And I hope he went to heaven ’cause he wasn’t wearing shoes
    Lizzie kinda rearranged him with a hatchet so they say
    Then she got her mother in that same old-fashioned way!

       But you can’t chop your mama up in Massachusetts
       Not even if you’re tired of her cuisine
       No, you can’t chop your mama up in Massachusetts
       You know it’s almost sure to cause a scene

    Well, they really kept her hoppin’ on that busy afternoon
    With both down- and up-stairs chopping while she hummed a ragtime tune
    They really made her hustle and when all was said and done
    She’d removed her mother’s bustle when she wasn’t wearing one

       Oh, you can’t chop your mama up in Massachusetts
       And then blame all the damage on the mice
       No, you can’t chop your mama up in Massachusetts
       That kind of thing just isn’t very nice

    Now, it wasn’t done for pleasure and it wasn’t done for spite
    And it wasn’t done because the lady wasn’t very bright
    She’d always done the slightest thing that mom and papa bid
    They said, “Lizzie, cut it out,” so that’s exactly what she did

       But you can’t chop your papa up in Massachusetts
       And then get dressed and go out for a walk
       No, you can’t chop your papa up in Massachusetts
       Massachusetts is a far cry from New York

       No, you can’t chop your papa up in Massachusetts
          Shut the door, and lock and latch it, here comes Lizzie with a brand new hatchet
       Can’t chop your papa up in Massachusetts
          Such a snob, I’ve heard it said, she met her pa and cut him dead
       You can’t chop your papa up in Massachusetts
          Jump like a fish, jump like a porpoise, all join hands and habeas corpus
       Can’t chop your papa up in Massachusetts
       Massachusetts is a far cry from New York

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  • Lizzie Borden: Now A Halloween Fixture

    September 1, 2010 /

    With Halloween soon upon us, haunted houses, haunted hayrides and other ghoulish attractions are busily preparing costumes and features.  In recent years Lizzie Borden has become a fixture at many of these horror attractions.  She is usually portrayed in black and red clothing with a large bloody axe swinging wildly, and covered in gore.  Poor Lizzie. You can imagine what she would think of this portrayal. The Taunton Gazette, the publication from the city of her 10 month incarceration has published an article on Lakeville’s entry for Halloween 2010. http://www.tauntongazette.com/lifestyle/lifestyle_calendar/x861574152/Lakeville-Haunted-House-preparations-underway

    Here are a few options available this year, this one titled a Lizzie Borden Wedding Dress from Amazon.com-and with a KNIFE.

    Here’s a better -looking version available at http://www.retroscopefashions.com/lolita1.html

    And here are a couple of Halloween Lizzies from 2009 (sorry the credits are unavailable)

    To see this live-action Halloween prop, visit Dave and Tracy’s photobucket video of this tombstone’s “special feature”. http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v630/DaveNTracy/Lizzie%20Borden%20Tombstone/?action=view&current=012-1.flv

    There will be more.

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  • Lizzie Borden Perfume?

    August 28, 2010 /

     

    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

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  • Mississippi’s Lizzie Borden

    August 24, 2010 /

    The Legs Murder Scandal

     

    Apparently the practice of chopping up bodies with sharp instruments can be found outside the city of Fall River.  A new book on another grisly murder is out, this time the ladykiller, Ouida Keeton could say, unlike Lizzie,  “She is not my stepmother- she is my mother!”

    Here is a blurb from the dustjacket:

    The Legs Murder Scandal
    by Hunter Cole
    Jackson: University Press of Mississippi (2010).
    First Edition. Signed. $30.00
    “In Laurel, Mississippi, in 1935, one daughter of a wealthy and troubled family stood accused of murdering her mother. On her testimony, authorities suspected an equally prominent and well-to-do businessman, her reputed lover, of assisting. Ouida Keeton apparently shot her mother, chopped her up, and disposed of most of her body parts down the toilet and in the fireplace, burning all but the pelvic region, the thighs, and the legs. Attempting to dispose of these remains on a narrow, one-lane, isolated road, Ouida left a trail of evidence that ended in her arrest. People had seen her driving to the road. Within hours, a hunter and his dogs found the cloth in which she had wrapped her mother’s legs.Touted as the most sensational crime in Mississippi history at the time, the Legs Murder of 1935 is almost entirely forgotten today. The controversial outcome, decided by an unsophisticated jury, has been left muddled by ambiguity. With “The Legs Murder Scandal, ” Hunter Cole presents an intricately detailed description of the separate trials of Ouida Keeton and W.M. Carter. Having researched trial transcripts, courthouse records, medical files, and vast newspaper coverage, the author reveals new facts previously distorted by hearsay, hushed reports, and misinformation. Cole pursues many unanswered questions such as what, really, did Ouida Keeton do with the rest of her mother? “The Legs Murder Scandal” attempts to provide the reader with clarity in this story, which is outlandish, harrowing, and intriguing, all at once.”

    Preview at http://www.amazon.com/Legs-Murder-Scandal-Hunter-Cole/dp/1604737220#reader_1604737220

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  • Lizzie Borden & The Marion Connection

    August 18, 2010 /

    As posted earlier:  The public is cordially invited to attend a presentation of “Lizzie Borden: The Mystery Continues,” sponsored by the Sippican Historical Society Thursday, Aug. 19 at 7 p.m. at Marion’s Music Hall.

    The speaker will be Mr. Christopher Daley in a one hour retelling of the famous double homicide. Mr. Daley is a history teacher in the Silver Lake Regional School System in Kingston.  If you get to Marion earlier, there are many things to enjoy, not the least of which is the scenery.

    The Sippican Historical Society has a treasure trove of things to see including the Mary Celeste room,

    and many beautiful paintings and sketches by Charles Dana Gibson, creator of the Gibson Girl.

    It’s no wonder Lizzie wanted to go fishing in Marion with Dr. Handy’s cottage so close to the fishing pier.  The photo below is the site of Dr. Handy’s cottage, but not the original building.  The water is a moment’s walk away.

    Borden case prosecutor, Hosea Knowlton enjoyed a summer rental in Marion, died there and had his ashes scattered over water there. The photo below is of his summer rental house, shown with the Second St. Irregulars on Front St.

    Knowlton had built a beautiful summer home  in 1900, but sadly died before he could enjoy many summers in it, He died in 1902. It is now a dormitory for Tabor Academy.

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  • Where was all the blood?

    August 12, 2010 /

    The Fall River Spirit just published a very interesting article about the current exhibit of Bordenalia at the Fall River Historical Society.  If you have not seen this- hurry on down as the special exhibit has an expiration date of October 15th! 

    Assistant curator Dennis Binnette has commented in the article on the surprising amount of blood on the shams and coverlet which were in the guest room of the Borden house on Second St.  For the article follow this link http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100812/PUB03/8120358

    (photo credit: Dave Souza, Fall River Herald)

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  • Getting #92 ready for her close-up

    August 9, 2010 /

    This year the house outside was pristine, having just had a new coat of paint. The tent was up for visitors to wait under , shielded from the hot sun, and lemonade and hatchet cookies were ready for refreshment.  Thanks go out this year to Debbie, Anna and Walter for keeping everyone cool and refreshed!

    Naturally any photographs on the wall inside which were not family photos were taken down.  Several crime scene photos were shown to visitors as “just having been developed and sent over by Mr. Walsh who was hired by the police department to shoot the crime scenes.”

    For the first time this year, inasmuch as “CSI” was in the title of this year’s adaptation, blood spatter was applied to the wall and doors in the sitting room. After trying several concoctions, cherry preserves was found to give the best effect.  John Morse mentions about 60 drops on the door into the parlor.  Emma Borden would wash these off later in the evening on the 4th.  Spatter was also applied to the framed engraving over the black sofa.  Most visitors made a note of this on their exit polls. (photos courtesy of Lee Ann Wilbur)

    This year the bed in the guest room where Abby Borden was killed was moved in order to reproduce the photo of Abby taken from the door way.  A blood-spattered coverlet and shams were on the bed as well as a tuft of hair.  More blood was used than on the genuine article which was on display down at the historical society in a special Bordenalia exhibit.

    It is remarkable that the crime scene still exists after so many years, so everyone who visits is very forgiving of modern conveniences such as electric sockets, lamps, refrigerators, etc, and turns a blind eye to these minor things which distract from time travel to 1892.

    The dress worn by Elizabeth Montgomery in The Legend of Lizzie Borden, and other clothing items usually on display were put in the upstairs bathroom, which at one time was actually a dress closet.  Down in the cellar, the search for hatchets and other possible weapons, conducted by Detective Seaver, gave a glimpse to visitors of just where these items were found, and offers a visit to the Borden cellar, always a place guests wish to see.

    Using a detailed sketch of the rooms done by Kiernan in 1892 as reference, Lizzie’s fainting couch was placed where it had been, between the two windows. Lizzie lounged with her pink and white wrapper with cherry ribbons which Officer Harrington would later describe in such detail that it brought a smile from Lizzie in court.

    With so many period antiques in place in the house, dressing the house for a performance is easy.  The two crime scenes are particularly accurate in furnishings, and most guests take note of this as they examine the 1892 photographs.  With just a little imagination, it is not hard to go back in time and visualize how the rooms must have looked.  At 9:30 and 11 a.m., a hush always falls on the house as cast and guests recall what was happening so many years ago.

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  • August 6th Funeral of Abby & Andrew Borden

    August 6, 2010 /

    The Funeral Service of Abby and Andrew Borden

     

     Private funeral services for the deceased victims began at the house on Second Street at 11 a.m. on Saturday morning.  The streets surrounding the house were packed with over 2500 people anxious to get a glimpse of the proceedings.  Services were conducted by the Rev. A. Buck, William Adams, D.D. gave the invocation and read passages from the Bible.  The bodies were each placed in a cedar coffin covered with black broadcloth and bore three silver handles on each side. The names of the deceased were engraved on a plate on the lid.  On the casket of Andrew Borden was an ivy wreath, on Abby Borden’s a wreath of white roses, fern and sweet peas tied up with white satin ribbon.  The bodies were exposed for viewing.

    Family and neighbors attending the home service included Abby’s half-sister Sarah Whitehead, Mrs. Gray (Abby’s stepmother), Hiram Harrington (brother-in-law of Andrew Borden), Mrs. J. L. Fish (sister of Abby Borden), Dr. and Mrs. Bowen, Southard Miller and son, Mrs. Addie Churchill, Mrs. Thomas Cheetham, several cousins,  neighbor Mrs. James Burt,  Mrs. Rescomb Case, and Mrs. John Durfee. Over seventy-five in all were received at the home. 

     Miss Lizzie Borden was attired in a black lace dress with jet bead trimmings and wore a bonnet of dark material with small, high flowers. The funeral procession traveled north on Second Street, to Borden Street, on to South Main, and passed by the Andrew J. Borden Building.  It continued north to Cherry Street, to Rock Street, and turned East on Prospect Street to the entry of Oak Grove Cemetery.   The cortege arrived at the burial site at 12: 20 where several hundred people were assembled for the graveside services.  The crowd was contained by a dozen policemen.  None of the funeral party descended from their carriages except John Morse, Lizzie’s uncle, the bearers and the clergy.  The tops of the graves were covered with branches of fir and the sides lined with cloth.

     Pallbearers included John H. Boone, businessman, Andrew J. Borden, Merchant Manufacturing Co. (same name as the deceased), Jerome Cook Borden, cousin, Richard A. Borden, prominent businessman, George W. Dean, businessman, Abraham Hart, treasurer of Union Savings Bank, and James Osborn, a member of the Central Congregational Church. For Abby Borden:  Frank Almy, John Boone, Henry Buffinton, Simeon Chace, James Eddy and Henry Wells.  The bodies were not buried until after a cemetery autopsy on August 11th when both skulls were removed and a complete autopsy took place.

     

    • information above courtesy of Leonard Rebello, Lizzie Borden Past and Present and the Fall River Daily Herald
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