Lizzie Borden took an ax
And gave her mother forty whacks.
When she saw what she had done,
She gave her father forty-one.
Lizzie’s
Father
He was 70 years old
when he died. He
was a miser and a
slumlord. His miserly
reputation dated back
to his undertaking
days when, it was
whispered, he bought
abbreviated coffins at
abbreviated prices
and chopped off the
feet off the corpses to
assure a good fit.

Andrew Borden

1822-1892
Abby Borden
1828-1892
Andrew’s second
wife; Lizzie’s
stepmother. A
friendless, grossly
overweight frump
whom Andrew
had married when
Lizzie was four
and her older
sister, Emma, was
fourteen.
Emma Borden
1849-1927
Emma was fortytwo when her
parents were
killed. She was
timid, straightlaced, and
extremely single.
Bridget Sullivan
An Irish maid,
who in 1892 was
in her third year
of service with
the Bordens.
John Morse
Uncle John was
the brother of
Andrew’s first
wife. He had
arrived on very
short notice the
day before the
murders and had
spent the night in
the Borden home.
Lizzie Borden
1860 - 1927
Lizzie was much
more outgoing than
her sister. She was
very active in
church and
charitable
organizations, and
had made the
grand tour of
Europe with a circle
of spinsters who
called themselves
“the girls”.
Ground Floor
Second Floor
ANDREW BORDEN
ABBY BORDEN
Skull of
Andrew Borden
Andrew’s face had
been cut by
eleven blows.
One eye had been
cut in half and
was protruding
from his face; his
nose had been
severed.
Hatchet’s handle had been recently broken. Hatchet
was also covered in ashes.
Fall River District
Attorney Hosea
M. Knowlton
Hosea Knowlton was
a reluctant
prosecutor, forced
into the role by the
politically timid
Arthur Pillsbury,
Attorney General of
Massachusetts. As
Lizzie’s trial date
approached, Pillsbury
felt the pressure
building from Lizzie’s
supporters,
particularly women’s
groups and religious
organizations.
NEW BEDFORD
COURTROOM
THE BORDEN JURY
Assistant District
Attorney
William Moody
William Moody made the
opening statement for the
prosecution. He presented
three arguments:
1.
2.
3.
Lizzie was predisposed
to murder her parents
and she planned the
murders.
Lizzie did in fact commit
the murders.
Lizzie’s behavior and
contradictory testimony
was not consistent with
innocence.
ANDREW J. JENNINGS
MELVIN ADAMS
Lizzie died on
June 1, 1927
Five weeks after the
trial, Lizzie and Emma
purchased a large
Victorian house on
French Street, located
on “The Hill”, the
fashionable area of Fall
River. It was at this
time that Lizzie began
to refer to herself as
“Lizbeth”. She died at
the age of 67 from
complications following
gall bladder surgery.
Nine days later, Emma
died when she fell down
the back stairs of her
home in Newmarket,
NH.
GROUND FLOOR
SECOND FLOOR