Lizzie Borden: Did she do it?

Image via Wikipedia

The Jury of the Lizzie Borden trial

There are very few paranormal investigators that are on television that have not visited the infamous Lizzie Borden house. Some do discover evidence, albeit questionable as all paranormal evidence is to some, and others find little.

TPB's question to our readers is, did she do it?
If we take a modern look at the murder, knowing far more about human nature today as opposed to then, what conclusions can we draw? Today we have many tools to help us narrow down the possibilities. Psychological profiling alone can sometimes solve a murder.

Let's look at some specifics:

1. We know that the manner of death of Mr. Andrew Borden and his wife were of extreme violence. Many profilers suggest this type of rage killing is personal. (The murderer knew the Bordens)

2. Both murders took time and effort, suggesting the killer was not uncomfortable in their surroundings. (Good indication the murderer had either been there before many times, or lived in the home)

3. If the murderer's motive was a vendetta against Andrew Borden, why did the killer ascend the stairs and kill Abby, who was in the midst of cleaning at the time? (Murderer had no real reason to kill Abby Borden)

4. Lizzie and maid unharmed. If there was an intruder, bent on slaugtering everyone in the household, even to go so far as to kill Mrs. Borden upstairs, why did they neglect to kill Lizzie, or the maid that was present at the time? (This suggests the murder was either the maid or Lizzie, or both)

5. Lizzie and her sister had the most to gain from the deaths of Mr. and Mrs. Borden. Had Mrs. Borden been spared, Mr. Borden's huge estate would have gone to Mrs. Borden as the surviving spouse. (Motive money therefore it is logical to assume that Lizzie was the killer)

More will be added to this article as research continues, for now, we are left to mull over that which we do know. So readers, did she do it?

Related articles

• Rumors of Grant Wilson's departure from Ghost Hunters run rampant 
• TPB'S new favorite: Psychic Detectives 
• For the record: Real vs. Fake 
• Grant Wilson replaced by Jerry Seinfeld? 

Lizzie Borden Bed and Breakfast vacation

Image via WikipediaGoing on vacation? How about a novel haunted honeymoon? Are you planning on a trip to Massachusetts? If you are, you may want to make a stop along the way, to the address 92 Second Street, Fall River, MA 02721. However for those who are relying on their GPS, you will need to put the house number as 230 Second Street. Could this new number be due to the 9-1-1 implementation? Too bad that system wasn't in play  back in August of 1892. At any rate, this stop is the Lizzie Borden home.





The Borden home was erected in 1845, which made it less than fifty years old at the time of the  Borden murders. Originally the home was built to house two families. This changed when Mr. Borden purchased the home to be closer to his bank. Once buying the home, Mr. Borden had it converted into a single family living space. Little did he know it would also be the scene of his murder, and the topic of great mystery and wonder many years into the future.

Image via WikipediaFor those wishing to add this Bed and Breakfast to their vacation roster, or to their honeymoon adventure , the Lizzie Borden Bed and Breakfast offers two, two bedroom suites. They are formerly the bedrooms of the sisters Lizzie and  Emma Borden, as well as Andrew and Abby Borden's room. Andrew and Abby's room has a private bath. There is also other rooms to stay in including the John Morse guest room, the maid's room and two additional attic bedrooms as well.  All rooms are decorated in Victorian stylings, which were not uncommon in that time.
Breakfast for guests include a similar menu that the Borden's at on the morning of the murders. Johnny cakes, bananas, sugar cookies and coffee. However the Inn does offer other breakfast staples as well.

Image via WikipediaIf you can't hack out a night in the Lizzie Borden Bed and Breakfast, they do have tours which are reasonably priced at 12.50 for adults, and 10.00 for Senior Citizens and college students that  have ID. Children under 6 are admitted free, and  children up to the age of 15 are admitted for 5.00. Extra wonderful bonuses are the fact they do allow photos to be taken of the interior of the home for your scrap book. Tours begin at 11 a.m. till 3 p.m. If you are a member of the Red Hat Tea Party, please contact the Lizzie Borden Bed and Breakfast at
1-508-675-7333,  Lizzie is waiting to take tea with you.

Related articles

• Hot mulled wine for the holidays 
• Best Christmas party beverages 
• A few recipes for the novice cook

Lizzie Borden, why we still can’t bury the hatchet

Image via Wikipedia

There are few stories in American history, that still haunt and mystify us like the story of Lizzie Borden. We are all familiar with the gruesome images of Mr. Borden strewn across his sofa in the home's parlor, while wife  Abby Borden's body is lying face down in a pool of her own blood in an upstairs bedroom. Do we have a fascination with the macabre? Or is it  the mystery that surrounds the murders that keeps us searching?
It has been over one hundred years since that day in August of 1892 in Fall River, Massachusetts , and we find ourselves unable to resist the urge to watch any and every documentary that presents itself on television. What is it about the 32 year old bible study teacher, that captivates us still? Is it that mischievous glare that we can't pull away from in her photographs? Or is it those  eyes that seem to have a secret hiding deep within them?  Why does she still captivate us long after the fact? More than likely, it is  because it is still a horrific unsolved mystery, perhaps one of the first so well publicized. The lack of experience of those investigating the case at the time, made for a botched case from the start, but does it mean they got it wrong? According to modern age analysis, not necessarily.

Image via Wikipedia
Murders of this caliber were certainly not prevalent in late 1800's. Let alone committed by a woman.  Today, we have at our disposal advances in  modern technology and psychology  that allows man to analyse murders of this type on a multitude of levels. Such advances  can tell us a lot about the mindset of the killer that the investigators of the day were not aware of. The way the weapon was used alone, suggests that the purpose of the attack was not merely to just terminate a life, but to cause great bodily harm.  A hatchet was  sought out to  mutilate the vessel it made contact with. It was also a weapon of convenience. Pistols of the time, were clumsy and not easily acquired in those days without drawing attention to oneself. Most homes of that era, had a hatchet in them. The level of passion the murderer executed is evident as well. Though the old nursery rhyme exaggerated the number of "whacks" actually wielded, it was still more than enough to bring about certain death to the victims. The killer of the Borden's, was not afraid of discovery, they were angry. There was a personal connection to both Abby and Andrew Borden, otherwise Abby would have been spared.

Image via Wikipedia

The Jury of the Lizzie Borden trial

Did Lizzie do it? More than likely she did. It is not likely that a  stranger or enemy of Mr. Borden  would  kill Mrs. Borden, and then wait around for over an hour and to kill Mr. Borden. An enemy of Mr. Borden would have ample opportunity to kill him in any  number of localities. Mr. Borden was not hard to find, and he was by all accounts a creature of habit.  Fear of discovery within the Borden home alone would make this a risky and hard to believe scenario. The fact that two living witnesses remained  on the day of the murders also suggest this was no random killing. Why wasn't Lizzie and the maid slain? They were as much a threat to the killer as Abby Borden would have been. Not only did Lizzie have motive, but it has also been suggested she was mentally ill.  Was Lizzie well and of sound mind? It has been suggested that she was bi-polar. This may well be true.

Image by dbking via FlickrToday the infamous Borden home, is a Bed and Breakfast Inn. The current  owners have gone to great pains to restore and maintain the original character and decor of the home. The  owners claim that it is indeed haunted to this day by Mr. and Mrs. Borden, Lizzie and some unknown children spirits as well. It would not be beyond the realm of possibility to assume that a home that witnessed such  gruesome events would  be anything less than haunted, would it? They remain, and their home is still very much their own. Lizzie died in 1927 and lived only a short distance from the Borden home. Even though she was found not guilty, she was never again accepted into the community.

Continue reading on Examiner.com: Lizzie Borden, why we still can't bury the hatchet

Related articles by this author:

The Amityville Horror questions persist...

Image by joanneteh_32(busy and away!!) via FlickrTHE AMITYVILLE HOME THEN^  THE AMITYVILLE HOME NOW  Image via Wikipedia
We all have seen the movies and we have all heard the story. In December 1975, George and Kathleen Lutz and their three children moved into 112 Ocean Avenue home in Amityville NY. Amityville is a suburban area located on Long Island. However, to this day there is much controversy and doubt as to the validity of the story.
 The release of  the book (The Amityville Horror, A True Story) written by Jay Anson, came out and later resulted in the movie "The Amityville Horror"  detailing the paranormal experiences of the Lutz family. The Lutz's endured much criticism over their story of their personal experiences in the home. Some facts that can not be disputed are that the home did in fact belong to the Defeo's previously and in fact the eldest son did in fact murder his family members. New evidence suggests that the Defeo eldest son did not however, kill all the family members  alone, as was once believed. There is some question now, as to the oldest Defeo daughter and her participation in the murders as well. It also bears repeating that George and Kathleen Lutz did take and pass a polygraph test about their experiences while in the 112 Ocean Avenue Home.
While we may never know all of the true details, one thing we can be sure of, murders of a most gruesome kind did take place in the home. That being said, many believe that sort of negative energy lasts forever, and as such it is more likely than not, something extraordinary and paranormal probably did occur in this home. 

Read on here for interesting info :
The Amityville Horror Website: Hosted By George Lutz

Related articles

• 42 reviews of Amityville Horror (rateitall.com)
• Amityville Horror Home for Sale (homeownersinsurance.org)
• Amityville Horror Moving Sale Planned (blippitt.com)
• Infamous cases of "real life possession" in the modern age [Paranormal] (io9.com)

Lizzie Borden Bed & Breakfast Haunted History

Image by dbking via FlickrErected in 1845, the home was originally a two family and was later made into a single family by Andrew J. Borden.

Andrew J. Borden bought the house at 92 Second Street to be close to his bank and various downtown businesses. The Bed & Breakfast is named after Andrew J. Borden’s youngest daughter, Lizzie. Although she was tried and acquitted of the crimes she was ostracized by the community of Fall River.

Since the murders on August 4, 1892 the house has been a private residence. Now for the first time the public is allowed not only to view the murder scene, but is given an opportunity to spend a night (if you dare) in the actual house where the murders took place.
Read more about this famous haunted Bed and Breakfast Inn here:
Lizzie Borden Bed & Breakfast History

Related articles

•