Lizzie Borden By Daylight: Unveiling the Secrets of a Grisly Murder

It was an eerie morning in Fall River, Massachusetts, on August 4, 1892, when the gruesome murders of Andrew and Abby Borden shocked the nation. The prime suspect? Their own daughter, Lizzie Borden. Today, more than a century later, the mystery surrounding the Borden murders continues to captivate true crime enthusiasts and historians alike.

Some may have heard the infamous nursery rhyme that immortalizes Lizzie's alleged crime:

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

A Private Disgrace: Lizzie Borden by Daylight: (A True Crime Fact Account of the Lizzie Borden Ax Murders)

by Victoria Lincoln (Kindle Edition)

4.3 out of 5

Language	:	English
File size	:	5726 KB
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But what really happened on that fateful day? What led Lizzie Borden, a seemingly ordinary and respectable woman, to commit such a horrific act? This article will delve into the events leading up to the murders, the trial that followed, and the enduring legacy of the Borden case.

The Borden Household

Andrew Borden, a wealthy businessman, lived with his second wife Abby and his two adult daughters, Lizzie and Emma, in a well-to-do neighborhood. Despite their privileged lifestyle, tension and animosity simmered within the Borden household.

Lizzie and Emma harbored resentment towards their stepmother Abby, whom they felt was after their father's fortune. Relations between the three women were strained, and Lizzie's behavior had become increasingly erratic in the weeks leading up to the murders.

The Morning of the Murders

On that sweltering summer morning, the Borden family had a modest breakfast together, seemingly unremarkable. Andrew went out for his usual walk, while Abby remained home. Around 11 a.m., Lizzie discovered her father's lifeless body on the sofa. Shocked and terrified, she ran to alert the household staff and neighbor.

The neighbor found Abby's body upstairs, brutally bludgeoned. Both victims had been struck repeatedly with a hatchet-like weapon. The crime scene was a bloodbath, leaving no doubt that a savage act had occurred.

The Investigation and Trial

As the primary suspect, Lizzie Borden underwent intense scrutiny during the investigation. The evidence, however, was circumstantial, and an intense media circus painted conflicting images of the accused.

Throughout the trial, the defense argued that Lizzie was innocent, citing a lack of motive and insufficient physical evidence. The jury ultimately acquitted her, and Lizzie walked free.

The Aftermath: Lizzie's Legacy

While Lizzie may have been acquitted in court, public opinion remained divided. The Borden murders have since become an enduring part of American folklore. Numerous theories and speculation have arisen, ranging from accusations of an unknown assailant to claims of Lizzie's repressed rage.

Following her acquittal, Lizzie and her sister Emma purchased a new home and lived out the remainder of their lives in relative obscurity. Lizzie passed away in 1927 without ever publicly admitting or explaining her role in the murders. The case remains officially unsolved.

The Borden House: A Haunted Destination

Today, the house where the Borden murders took place serves as a popular tourist attraction. The Borden house is believed to be haunted, with visitors reporting eerie experiences and encounters with spirits. Ghost tours and paranormal investigations offer thrill-seekers a chance to step back in time and explore the dark history of the infamous murders.

Whether you believe Lizzie Borden was guilty or innocent, there's no denying the lasting impact of this chilling true crime tale. The mystery surrounding the Borden murders continues to captivate and intrigue, making Lizzie Borden by daylight a story that will forever haunt our imaginations.

A Private Disgrace: Lizzie Borden by Daylight: (A True Crime Fact Account of the Lizzie Borden Ax Murders)

by Victoria Lincoln (Kindle Edition)

4.3 out of 5

Language	:	English
File size	:	5726 KB
Text-to-Speech	:	Enabled
Screen Reader	:	Supported
Enhanced typesetting	:	Enabled
X-Ray	:	Enabled
Word Wise	:	Enabled
Print length	:	330 pages
Lending	:	Enabled

FREE

~Winner of the Mystery Writers of America Edgar Award for Best Fact True Crime Novel of the Year, 1967~

A Private Disgrace is the single best account of the ghastly murders which took place in Fall River, Massachusetts on August 14, 1892.

Lizzie Andrew Borden (b.1860 – d.1927) was tried and acquitted in the 1892 axe murders of her father and stepmother in Fall River, Massachusetts. Media coverage of the case created a furor throughout the United States reminiscent of the Rosenberg, Claus von Bulow and O.J. Simpson trials. No other suspect was ever charged with the double homicide, and speculation on the case continues to this day.

The case is curious because there was no physical evidence linking Lizzie to the murder. The broken axe the police found in the basement was clean of blood and the police refused to use forensic testing for fingerprints (a science then in its infancy). The defense raised evidence that Andrew Borden was a hard businessman who had made many enemies. On the other hand, the atmosphere in the Borden household was tense, Lizzie resented her stepmother, she was prone to mental instability, and she had purchased poison a few days before the murders which police suspected was the cause of food poisoning. There was a financial motive: Lizzie was upset her father had transferred property she was due to inherit to other family members. And then there was the 'paint stained' dress Lizzie burned three days after the murder…

In March 2012, the handwritten journals of one of Lizzie's defense attorneys, Andrew Jennings, finally came to light. The journals, which contain newspaper clippings and notes Jennings made at the time of trial indicate he felt Lizzie was innocent. However, in later years there was tension between Lizzie and Jennings. Once the trial was over, Jennings cut off any mention of it with a firm statement that he preferred not to discuss it. The sudden disappearance of the Borden maid back to Ireland always cast a shadow over the characters of Lizzie’s three attorneys, and Lizzie resented their whopping $25,000 legal bill (an ungodly sum of money back in 1893). Attorney's get paid to believe their clients are innocent, and Lizzie's three lawyers got paid better than most.

Lizzie’s three lawyers got paid better than most...

Although there are many books written on the double homicide and subsequent murder trial, A Private Disgrace is far and above the most readable and also the only book written by someone who both lived in the same neighborhood, and knew, the aging Lizzie Borden. Victoria Lincoln was a professional writer who grew up in Fall River, near Lizzie Borden. As the daughter of a family that produced machinery for the cotton mills that were the foundation of Fall River’s economy, Miss Lincoln grew up acutely aware of the social distinctions, manners and mores of the society to which the Bordens belonged and in which Lizzie's trial took place. This first-hand knowledge, combined with her painstaking research, make her unique among writers about the case.

Lincoln’s hypothesis in 1967 that Lizzie suffered from a form of temporal lobe epilepsy is widely disregarded today, and recently uncovered documents may indicate that some of the “facts” on which Miss Lincoln relied were, in fact, gossip. Even so, she makes a convincing – and entertaining – argument for Lizzie’s guilt, one which would likely cause Lizzie to be labeled a 'sociopath' using today's modern psychological definitions.