Tragedy struck Fall River, Mass. on August 4, 1892, between the hours of 9 a.m. and 11:10 a.m. Death appeared on the Borden’s doorstep, taking the lives of the unexpecting Andrew and Abby Borden through the brutal swing of an ax. The Borden family became known as a tragic incident filled with loss and despair. The home that was once filled with cheer and laughter became a place filled with bloodshed and violence. One of the only things remaining from the Borden’s name is the suspect in question, the beloved 32-year-old daughter, Lizzie. This unfortunate incident became the basis of the popular and yet inaccurate poem:
Lizzie Borden took an ax
And gave her mother forty whacks,
And when she saw what she had done,
She gave her father forty-one.
Nobody knows when they are going to die, nor how they’re going to die. We walk through life, making plans and promises to ourselves. We believe we have time to live, a time to breathe, and a time to love. We never truly realize when our story will end, or even think about the last time we will go to sleep or wake up. We never realize when our last conversation will be, or the last time we will laugh with our friends and family. When we are not expecting it, death takes us by surprise. It crushes our dreams, not giving us a chance for tomorrow. Death cuts our story short, and gives us the ending we never expect. Some see it coming, counting the moments before their time runs out. For others, death is selfish. It arrives in an instant, showing no mercy. Death claims our lives for itself, and forbids us from even getting the chance for an actual goodbye.
Like many of us, Andrew and Abby Borden lived a happy life full of memories, believing they had time. They lived life as though they had forever, unaware that with each breath, each step, each waking moment would bring them closer to their own cruel ends. They believed their story was far from over, when in reality, death had other plans. It came within an instant, leaving them with no final words, no last goodbyes. Death left them with the terror of realizing that their lives were over. It delivered them from the world, ending them in what they thought was the safety of their own home.
Despite the belief that Lizzie Borden did commit the double homicide of her father and stepmother, she was acquitted of her crimes. Today, her trial remains investigated, leaving people to question her innocence: Did Lizzie Borden actually murder her stepmother and father?
People believe the surrounding events to the murder are self-evident. On August 3, Eli Bence, a local drug clerk at the time, accused Lizzie of attempting to buy a highly dangerous poison, called prussic acid the morning before the murders occurred. Lizzie’s reasoning for this was that she needed to clean a sealskin cape, however, Bence refused to sell her the acid. This was later dismissed by public officials, and was found unrelated. The night of August 3, Lizzie visited her neighbor, Alice Russel. She explained that she feared an unidentified enemy of her father, Andrew, would soon attempt to kill him. On August 4 after the murders took place, police showed up to inspect the Borden house. They did not search Lizzie’s room as well as they could have, because of her claiming to not be “Feeling well.” This was most likely due to food poisoning The Borden’s suffered from two nights before.
On the August 6, the police thoroughly inspected the home once more. Shortly after, they informed Lizzie that she had now become a suspect for the case. August 7 came, which was when Lizzie was discovered burning a dress. Her claim was that she was burning it because of old paint stains. That’s because she didn’t have the acid to do so. During August 9, the beginning of her three-day interrogation, the police observed Lizzie and found her portraying very strange behavior. She was found avoiding questions regarding the case several times. These questions would be beneficial to answer not only for the police, but also for herself. Following her trial, she was arrested on August 11, the final day of her three-day inquest.
The inquest’s findings were inadmissible at Lizzie’s trial, but the evidence presented consisted of the head of a hatchet, which was discovered in the Borden’s basement. This appeared dusty, and looked as if it was intentionally placed to make it appear irregularly used. Some more of the findings included Abby and Andrew’s skulls. What was interesting, however, was that Lizzie showed a sense of surprise, and she was reported to be fainting upon viewing the victims’ skulls. On top of all that, there was a lot of circumstantial evidence that went along with the case.
On June 20, 1893, Lizzie Borden was acquitted by jury after an hour and a half of deliberation had passed. This was mainly due to the majority of the case being composed of circumstantial evidence. After she was released, she remained in Fall River for the rest of her life up until her death on June 1, 1927. Ever since the murders of the Bordens took place, investigators everywhere have attempted to connect the dots on what actually transpired on the tragic morning of August 4.
Many investigators and writers have proposed several theories surrounding the events of August 4, but most revolve around the dysfunctionality within the Borden house. The most common theory is that the murderer was most likely Lizzie herself. This is because of the allegations of sexual abuse and a homosexual relationship between Lizzie and Bridget Sullivan, the family maid. Among these claims, there is one known explanation for the violence that previously occurred. That is, the way Lizzie acted around certain family members and the instability of her mental state. It is even believed that Lizzie was suffering from dissociative fugue, or amnesia, which is one of the possible struggles that was causing her to act up the way she did.
The Borden case has become infamous, and has inspired many different documentaries, TV shows, and short stories even after years following up after the deaths of the Bordens. One thing does survive in the history of the dark case. Whether innocent or not, Lizzie Borden will forever be remembered as an ax murderer. Andrew and Abby Borden never expected they would meet their ends the way they did.
The loss of Abby and Andrew Borden was a tragedy never meant to happen. When they left the world, they not only left behind questions about everything, but also an empty space in the lives of those who knew them; a space that was once filled with their presence and their influence. In the end, they were reduced to whispers in a courtroom, to rumors in the street. They just became tragic echoes of a crime that erased them from the world forever.
We cannot retell all that has happened through a poem, nor can we make sense of the unknown. Instead, we can acknowledge that life, no matter how it ends, is reflected by the impact it leaves. Whether innocent or not, Lizzie Borden will forever be remembered as an ax murderer, and Andrew and Abby Borden will be remembered as two happy and unexpecting people who tried to make a happy life for themselves. They will be remembered as souls who simply and tragically left the world too soon, not expecting they would meet their ends the way they did. Even though their time ran out, and the rest of their story was left filled with blank, unwritten pages, their names, their history, and the lives they impacted will never fade away.
Let their deaths be a reminder that we need to live life to the fullest, and to know that nothing lasts forever, not even ourselves. One day, we, too, will depart from this world, and continue onto the next. We need to understand that no matter what, our lives will have a lasting impact on everyone after and around us. Let us speak the names of Abby and Andrew Borden not only in whispers of tragedy but in the recognition of all lives, no matter how short or simple.
If life can teach us anything, it’s that, “What we do for ourselves dies with us. What we do for others and the world remains and is immortal.” — Albert Pike.
