The Fall River Tragedy: A History of the Borden Murders

by Edwin H. Porter

Mr. Knowlton—“Did Lizzie say anything about hearing her mother groan?”

Bridget—“She said she heard her father groan.”

Mr. Knowlton—“Did you at any time that day see Lizzie crying?”

Bridget—“No, not in all the day.”

Mr. Adams conducted the cross-examination, and commenced by politely asking the witness if she would be seated. She declined a chair, and questions commenced rapidly. The counsel required her to review the history of her life and then commenced questioning her regarding her movements on the fatal day. She said—“I always carry a night key and lock the doors, as I pass in and out. The night before the murders I was out, but came home alone. Never had a man call on me at that house. When some one came it was not a Fall River man. Was out in the yard Wednesday morning and Lizzie told me she had been sick. That day had pork steak, ‘johnny cakes’ and coffee for breakfast. Had soup and mutton for dinner. Soup, bread, cake and tea for supper.

“Tuesday night, when they were taken sick, we had swordfish warmed over for dinner. Had baker’s bread, too. Got the bread myself. Went of my own notion to get the bread, and when I got back Mrs. Borden gave me five cents. I didn’t eat any of that bread. I was taken sick that night. Didn’t see Lizzie Wednesday after breakfast.

They were all sick. Wednesday morning I went down stairs after coal and kindlings. Then opened the blinds in the dining room. I never rang a bell for breakfast. They all got up without calling. Didn’t have anything particular to do in the dining room till breakfast. Mrs. Borden came down stairs and told me Mr. Morse was in the house. I asked her if he slept in the attic, and she said no, in the spare chamber. That Thursday morning Mr. Borden had brought in a basket of pears from the tree. He had brought in some a day or two before. They got rotten and he had dumped them under the barn. The only rooms I had been in Thursday morning up to breakfast time were the kitchen and dining room. Mrs. Borden often asked after breakfast what I had to do that day. The ice chest was in a closet opening from the entry. We went upstairs out of that entry-way. Never saw any clothes but my own on the nails in the entry. There was a shawl sometimes hanging there. It belonged to the house. Didn’t see a felt hat that morning. In the closet were kept the bonnets and shawl of Mrs. Borden, that she would come and get and go out with any time. Sure I didn’t go into any room except the dining room and kitchen the day of the murder. Think it was before 9 o’clock when Mrs. Borden said, ‘What have you got to do to-day, Maggie?’ She told me that I had better wash the windows outside and in. Lizzie took her breakfast in the kitchen. She took coffee. Am sure of that. Lizzie was in the dining room, I think, when her mother asked me what I had to do. Lizzie said, coming out into the kitchen, that she was going to have a cookie and coffee for breakfast. She sat down by the kitchen table. There were old magazines in the closet. Had seen Lizzie sit down in the kitchen sometimes and read the old magazines. When I went out into the back yard she was eating her breakfast. Didn’t mean to say the first time I saw Lizzie was when I saw her at the screen door. First saw her coming out of the dining room door to the kitchen when I was at the sink. It was about an hour after she came down that she came to the screen door. During that hour I was washing up the dishes. I was out in the yard when she was at her breakfast. I felt sick that morning getting up. I drank some of the milk, but I didn’t eat any of the bread. I don’t know whether they drank milk before being taken sick or not. I had eaten some mutton soup and some of my own bread before being taken sick. I had not eaten any of the pears, for I’m no great lover of them. I came back in again and Lizzie had had her breakfast. I went to work washing windows, I didn’t know where Lizzie was then, but she wasn’t in the kitchen. Mr. Morse

went away while I was washing the dishes, but I don’t know whether this was before or after Lizzie had had her breakfast. When I was taken sick to my stomach and came back Mr. Morse had gone out. I went down stairs into the laundry, got a pail and brush and then went out into the barn to get a handle for the brush. I got it in one of the stalls. As I went out I spoke to Lizzie at one of the screen doors. Lizzie asked me if I was going to wash the windows, and I said yes. She followed me into the entry. Didn’t say yesterday that I came back from the barn and then spoke to Lizzie at the screen door. When I told her she needn’t fasten the screen door, she didn’t do it. Must have got six or seven pails of water from the barn to wash the windows. The dipper I went in and got was an ordinary tin dipper. Got it in the kitchen. Mr. Borden was in the habit of going out the back door, but I didn’t see him. Didn’t see Mr. Borden go out before I washed the windows. Raised the sitting room windows to wash them from the inside. The window nearest the hall was open when I heard Mr. Borden at the front door. Can’t say if the bell rang. Made a coal fire that morning. Didn’t finish the dishes in the house. They always put the ironing board on the dining room table. Washed Monday, hanging out the clothes Tuesday and ironed Wednesday. Finished ironing that evening. Then I laid the clothes ironed out in piles and Mrs. Borden and the girls took them up stairs. I mean Lizzie took hers up instead of the girls took them up. They took the piles of clothes up Thursday morning, I separated the clothes before breakfast. The little ironing board was not quite as big as a large board. Sometimes in hot weather the girls ironed in the kitchen, but usually it was in the dining room. Can’t say if Lizzie was in the dining room when I came in for the dipper.” The court then adjourned until next morning, when the hearing was resumed.

Mrs. Adelaide B. Churchill, a neighbor and friend of the Bordens, was called to the witness stand as soon as Judge Blaisdell announced that he was ready. She said: “The first that I knew about the tragedy was when I saw Bridget Sullivan going to Dr. Bowen’s house. I was on Second street, coming from the City Hall. She was going in the direction of Dr. Bowen’s house and appeared frightened. I went to my house, into the kitchen. The back door of my house is opposite the back door of the dining room. I looked out to the Borden house and saw Lizzie Borden standing inside the screen door. She looked distressed. She had her hand to her head. I asked her what was the matter. She said: ‘Somebody has killed

father, come over.’ I went over and went into the house. Lizzie was sitting on the second stair inside the screen door. The stairway is at the right as you come in. I put my hand on her arm and said, ‘O, Lizzie, where is your father?’ She said, ‘In the sitting room.’ I said, ‘Where were you?’ She said, ‘I went out to the barn to get a piece of iron. I heard a distressing noise and came back and found the screen door open.’ I asked Lizzie where her mother was. She said she had a note, inviting her to go visit some one who was sick. She didn’t know but she was killed, too, and wished we’d try and find her, for she thought she had heard her come in. She said, ‘Father must have an enemy, for we have all been sick.’ She thought they must have been poisoned. Then she said she must have a doctor. I said I would get one, and went to find somebody. There was no one in the sitting room I thought. I saw no one else in the house or coming to it. I went down Second street to Hall’s stable to get a young man I thought I could find there. I went back again, and in a few moments Dr. Bowen came. Lizzie told him to go into the sitting room. We went, Bridget, Lizzie and I, to the dining room door. Pretty soon Dr. Bowen came out and asked for a sheet. Bridget did not want to go up stairs alone, so I went up with her. Bridget got the sheets and gave one to Dr. Bowen. I think Dr. Bowen went out then. Soon after Miss Russell came in Lizzie said she wished somebody would hunt for her mother. Bridget would not go up alone and I went with her. I went up the stairs and saw on the far or north side of the bed the prostrate form. I didn’t go any further. I was half way up the stairs, and my eyes were about on a level with the floor. I went right down. Miss Russell asked if I made the noise, and asked me if I had found another. Dr. Bowen was not there then. A gentleman named Allen came in next, and then Charles Sawyer. I saw Mr. Borden in the yard about 9 o’clock, before he went down street. He stood by the screen door. Afterwards saw him headed down street.” In the cross-examination concluded by Mr. Jennings the witness said that she saw one of the windows open. It was opposite the screen door.