Lizzie Borden took an axe and gave her mother forty whacks,
and when she saw what she had done,
she gave her father forty-one.
An absolutely chilling children's nursery rhyme that alludes to an even more chilling occurrence. On August 4th, 1892, Andrew Borden and his wife Abby were found murdered in their home. Although Abby Borden did in fact not receive forty "whacks" as the above rhyme states, she did get 18. Her husband Andrew, likewise, did not receive forty-one but only 11.
Abby Borden died two hours before her husband came home. She had multiple blows on the back of her skull and the blow that killed her was the one she received on her spinal column, right in between her shoulder blades.
Andrew Borden's injuries were all on his face. It was noted by the local doctor that examined him that one of Andrew's eyes had been split in half and was dangling on his cheek and half his nose was gone. In a nutshell, his face had been mutilated beyond recognition.
Who could do such a gruesome thing? And why?
Many people point their finger to Andrew's youngest daughter, Lizzie.
It was well-known to the citizens of Fall River Massachusetts that Lizzie and her stepmother Abby, did not get along. The two were so put off by one another that they had hardly spoken a word to each other in the few years before the murders. As far as her father is concerned, she got along with him better, but he was disliked by most of Fall River's citizens. Mr. Borden was a businessman known for his cold personality and dislike for wasting money.
The day before the murders, Lizzie had reportedly told a close friend (Alice Russell) that she feared someone who disliked her father would do away with him. Which brings forth the question: If Lizzie was so worried about someone else killing or injuring her father, why was she blamed?
Well, it all boils down to circumstantial evidence. On the day of the murders, Lizzie was home alone with the family maid Bridget Sullivan. She was also the one who discovered her father's body. When inquired about her stepmother, Lizzie didn't have a clue where she was. She simply stated that "I thought she was out." The most condemning piece of evidence, however, actually happened at Lizzie Borden's inquisition. She gave multiple, different versions of what happened that day her parents were killed. Her answers were always contradicting one another and nothing she said ever matched up. Because of this, Lizzie Borden was legally accused (and arrested) for hacking both of her parents to death.
While there are many theories about why Lizzie would do such a thing, two of the most popular theories are 1) Mr. Borden was forcing Lizzie to have sex with him or 2) It was actually Lizzie's uncle John Morse that killed Mr. Borden. While there have been some records that could indicate some truth behind both theories, I believe in a different theory altogether.
The theory that I am about to explain involves Mr. John Morse and a William Borden.
William Borden was the illegitimate son of Mr. Andrew Borden. William wanted recompense (money) from his rich father for not legally recognizing him as his son. Lizzie and her sister Emma had a conversation with John Morse (their uncle) about their father's will. The will stated that his properties and fortunes would go to his wife, Abby Borden. His two daughters and other relatives were getting financially cut out. Mr. Morse came up with the idea to kill Andrew Borden and dispose of the will so he, Emma, and Lizzie would all get a fair share of the inheritance. The two daughters (who both greatly disliked their stepmother) asked if something could be done as well about Abby. Mr. Morse, supposedly, went upstairs after Mr. Borden had left, and killed Mrs. Borden while she was putting away towels and sheets in the guest bedroom. After, he left the house on an "errand." Two hours later, Mr. Borden returns home to find that his illegitimate son, William, had come (once again) to speak with him. William wanted financial recompense for Mr. Borden not legally recognizing him as his son. When the argument the two had over this boiled over, William hacked his father to death, in a fit of blind rage.
This is the theory that I support. Even though Lizzie loved her father, she would have been put into a bad position if the will was left alone. She was thirty-two, not married, and not looking for work. If her father died, with the will intact, she would have been financially ruined. So, she, her sister, and their uncle wrote to William about their plan and offered him a share of the money if he came to dispose of Mr. Borden. This theory would also suggest why everyone who dwelled in the Borden home "didn't know" about the existence of William Borden and why no one had heard, or seen, anything out of the ordinary on the day of the murders.
Of course, these theories are just speculation. There's not enough evidence to factually support any of these theories. So whether the murders were a desperate attempt for money or just the result of a woman's psychotic breakdown, no one will ever truly know what happened that day.
It seems that a one-hundred-year-old cold case will still remain a mystery.
