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Biography: The Life Of Lizzie Borden

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The Life Of Lizzie Borden

November 25, 2016 6th Autumn Bentley

“Born on July 19, 1860, in Fall River, Massachusetts, Lizzie Borden and her sister, Emma, lived with their father, Andrew Borden, and stepmother, Abby (Durfee Gray) Borden, into adulthood. On August 4, 1892, Andrew and Abby Borden were found murdered in their home. Lizzie was arrested and tried for the axe murders. She was acquitted in 1893 and continued to live in Fall River until her death, on June 1, 1927. The case was never solved.

The relationship between the Borden sisters and their stepmother, Abby Borden, was not close. They greeted her as "Mrs. Borden" and worried that Abby Borden's family sought to gain access to their father's money. Emma was protective of her younger …show more content…

Like her husband, Abby Borden was the victim of a brutal hatchet attack.

Policemen called to the scene suspected Lizzie immediately, although she was not taken into custody at that time. Her sister, Emma, was out of town at the time and was never a suspect. During the week between the murders and her arrest, Lizzie burned a dress that she claimed was stained with paint. Prosecutors would later allege that the dress was stained with blood, and that Lizzie had burned the dress in order to cover up her crime.

Lizzie Borden was indicted on December 2, 1892. Her widely publicized trial began the following June in New Bedford. Borden did not take the stand in her own defense and her inquest testimony was not admitted into evidence. The testimony provided by others proved inconclusive. On June 20, 1893, Lizzie Borden was acquitted of the murders. No one else was ever charged with the crimes.

Lizzie and Emma Borden inherited a significant portion of their father's estate, which allowed them to purchase a new home together. The Borden sisters lived together for the following decade. Although free, Lizzie was considered guilty by many of her neighbors, and thusly never enjoyed acceptance in

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