[Americana] [Borden, Lizzie] The Fall River Directory, 1892, 1893, 1894

"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"

Fall River, (Massachusetts): Geo. E. Bamford and Robert Adams, 1892, 1893, and 1894. In three volumes. Thick 8vo. 1893 volume illustrated with a folding map of Fall River (now loose). Original quarter brown cloth over printed paper-covered boards, worn and rubbed, spines worn and lifted or starting, wear along extremities, 1892 issue encased in plastic; all edges trimmed, printed ad along fore-edge of each volume; hinges variously worn; lacking maps in 1892 and 1894 issues; scattered splitting in gutters; text variously toned; scattered soiling and wear; some sheets loose or starting.

A rare snapshot of Fall River, Massachusetts at the time of the infamous Lizzie Borden murder case.

Encompassing the three-years that shook the community and caught the attention of the nation, these city directories list a slew of the major characters related to the early morning August 4, 1892 ax murders of Andrew J. Borden and his wife Abby Borden. Lizzie Borden, Andrew's daughter, was the prime suspect, and was indicted and acquitted of the murder in a highly publicized trial. She is listed in the 1894 issue (the year following the trial) as "Lizzie A. Miss". Her residence is listed as "house 7 French", the Fall River home Lizzie and her older sister Emma moved into following her acquittal (Emma is listed in all three volumes; in the first at the Borden home, and in the others, at the above address). The residence was later renamed Maplecroft by Lizzie. Lizzie's father Andrew, a successful businessman and prominent member of Fall River's high society, is printed in the 1892 issue on p. 84: "Andrew J. pres. Union Savings Bank, house 92 Second". Notably, the 1893 issue lists him as deceased, with the date of his murder printed: "Andrew J. sen. died Aug. 4, 1892".

Other figures related to the case are printed within, including: Mrs. Charles H. Churchill, who discovered the body of Lizzie Borden's stepmother Abby, and who provided considerable testimony throughout the inquest and trial (printed on p. 135: "Churchill Charles H. Mrs. house 90 Second"). They are again listed in the 1894 issue as living at the same address. Dr. Seabury Warren Bowen, neighbor and family doctor who was the first to arrive on the scene to pronounce the victims dead, and who testified on Lizzie's behalf, is listed in each volume ("Seabury W. physician, 91 second"). Andrew Jennings, the Borden family, and then Lizzie's, defense attorney who remained her lawyer throughout the trial and who delivered the opening statement for the defense, is listed in each volume.

Others listed include Marshal Rufus B. Hilliard (all three volumes), who led the initial investigation and was responsible for Lizzie's arrest; John Fleet, arresting officer of Lizzie, testified at trial; Judge Josiah C. Blaisdell (all three volumes) who presided over Lizzie's preliminary hearing; Stephen C. Manchester (all three volumes), father of Bertha Manchester who was similarly murdered in Fall River with an ax six days before Lizzie's trial (her convicted murdered Jose Correa de Mello is listed in the 1894 issue); Fall River Mayor John W. Coughlin (all three volumes); Hyman Lubinsky (all three volumes), who testified against Lizzie at her trial; Eli Bence, drugstore clerk who testified that Lizzie attempted to purchase prussic acid before the murders. Supporters of Lizzie are also listed, including Edwin A. Buck of the Central Congregational Church, Pastor William Walker Jubb, and Charles Jarvis Holmes.

The Lizzie Borden case stands as one of the most notorious unsolved murder mysteries in American history, still gripping the nation's attention 134 years after the grisly events unfolded. On the morning of August 4, 1892, Andrew J. Borden and his wife Abby were discovered slain inside their home at 92 Second Street in Fall River, Massachusetts. Abby's body was found in an upstairs guest bedroom, having endured 19 hatchet blows, while Andrew was discovered in the downstairs sitting room, having suffered 11 strikes to the head. After being questioned by police investigators, Lizzie, Andrew's daughter and Abby's stepdaughter, was taken into custody on August 11. Family lawyer Andrew Jennings assumed her defense and was later joined by George Dexter Robinson, among the most distinguished attorneys in Boston. The trial that followed became a spectacle of national proportions. Support for Lizzie poured in from women's organizations such as the Women's Christian Temperance Union, and her standing in affluent society, coupled with the circumstantial nature of the evidence against her, bolstered her defense. Though ultimately acquitted, she remained broadly suspected of the crime, and no additional suspects were ever apprehended or charged. After the proceedings concluded, Lizzie and her sister Emma chose to remain in Fall River, settling into a new home at 7 French Street.

This lot is located in Philadelphia.

[Americana] [Borden, Lizzie] The Fall River Directory, 1892, 1893, 1894

[Americana] [Borden, Lizzie] The Fall River Directory, 1892, 1893, 1894