Lizzie Borden on Trial: Murder, Ethnicity, and Gender

Landmark Law Cases and American Society

by Joseph A. Conforti

Most people could probably tell you that Lizzie Borden "took an axe and gave her mother forty whacks," but few could say that, when tried, Lizzie Borden was acquitted, and fewer still, why. In Joseph A. Conforti's engrossing retelling, the case of Lizzie Borden, sensational in itself, also opens a window on a time and place in American history and culture. Surprising for how much it reveals about a legend so ostensibly familiar, Conforti's account is also fascinating for what it tells us about the world that Lizzie Borden inhabited. As Conforti—himself a native of Fall River, the site of the infamous murders—introduces us to Lizzie and her father and step-mother, he shows us why who they were matters almost as much to the trial's outcome as the actual events of August 4, 1892. Lizzie, for instance, was an unmarried woman of some privilege, a prominent religious woman who fit the profile of what some characterized as a "Protestant nun." She was also part of a class of moneyed women emerging in the late 19th century who had the means but did not marry, choosing instead to pursue good works and at times careers in the helping professions. Many of her contemporaries, we learn, particularly those of her class, found it impossible to believe that a woman of her background could commit such a gruesome murder. As he relates the details, known and presumed, of the murder and the subsequent trial, Conforti also fills in that background. His vividly written account creates a complete picture of the Fall River of the time, as Yankee families like the Bordens, made wealthy by textile factories, began to feel the economic and cultural pressures of the teeming population of native and foreign-born who worked at the spindles and bobbins. Conforti situates Lizzie's austere household, uneasily balanced between the well-to-do and the poor, within this social and cultural milieu—laying the groundwork for the murder and the trial, as well as the outsize reaction that reverberates to our day. As Peter C. Hoffer remarks in his preface, there are many popular and fictional accounts of this still-controversial case, "but none so readable or so well-balanced as this."

Genres: Nonfiction, History, True Crime, Biography, Cultural

261 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 4, 2015

Reviews

[☕Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

As one who has read many of the books available on the Borden murder case, it was refreshing to read an account by an academic; one that was generally well-written and appeared to be adequately researched and founded on historical fact and documentation. Many of the books out there are riddled with errors, both factual and grammatical, and do not always appear to be grounded on anything substantive. That being said, this author does present, as most do, a definitive opinion as to Lizzie's guilt or innocence, and I was hoping for something a bit more objective. The author's frequent use of exclamation points seemed oddly out of place in an academic work. Also, I found this to be less an analysis of the effects of class and gender than simply an account of the murder and subsequent trial. As my interest is in the case itself, that was fine with me, but I think that anyone looking for an in-depth analysis of the sociological context may be disappointed. This book did provide some information I had not read elsewhere, such as the history of the Borden family and the town of Fall River, which helped to round out my understanding of the murder case. For that and for helping to sort out fact from fiction, this book was worth the read.

[Ella Majeski · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read for a class. Heavy legal writing, i wish there was more storytelling

[Eve · Rating 3 out of 5]

i have basically the same thoughts i did as i posted in my updates, even after discussing in class, so i'll just summarize here more concisely:

Unlike many that cover the Lizzie Borden case, as the author points out in the preface, this book offers no definitive opinion on whether she committed the murders, but rather takes a more socially critical lens to explore the socioeconomic and broader cultural phenomena that were encircling Fall River at the time of the murders, and how those trends affected public perceptions of the trial, the trial itself, and ultimately the verdict.

The main and most glaring problem I had with this book was the repetition. The points he brought up regarding the social climate were interesting, but again, they kept being repeated. Even before the trial or even any of the investigation started, when Lizzie found her "parents" dead (excepting her step mother) she called not for two closer Catholic doctors, but the family doctor who was of the ruling protestant class. This is a small yet incisive detail that really gets to the heart of the social hierarchy in Fall River at the time, and the prejudices that shaped that hierarchy. It was interesting the first time around, but you're literally beat over the head with it so that you don't forget.

The same goes for many other details that I mentioned in my update- like the fact of the maid, "Maggie," being an Irish Catholic, the police being mostly Irish Catholic as well which led to a strange reversion of power during the investigation, and the fact that Lizzie used her womanhood to her advantage to appear sympathetic at trial. Again, all interesting the first time, but maybe not the fourth, fifth, sixth... tenth time? I wish I was exaggerating.

This all stemmed from the structure that Conforti chose to set up. He wrote this chronologically, first giving broad overview of Fall River's economics, then the events of the day in question, then the investigation, indictment, trial, etc. I get that this is supposed to be a legal history, so going through chronologically makes sense in that way, but the very nature of each phase is that they reviewed the exact same evidence every time, so every time he brought up the exact same points with the exact same facts to back them up like we hadn't heard them before, when in fact, they had been pounded into the reader's skull. Perhaps organizing this by argument- ex class, then gender, etc- would have been more fruitful because it would allow for a more concise telling.

I will say- one thing I didn't mention in the update because I think I hadn't gotten to it yet- was I cannot believe they did not include the prussic acid testimony! In the days before the murders, Lizzie had gone to an apothecary and wanted to buy this acid, which was lethal in the dosage she requested, so lethal in fact that the storeowner refused her. Why was this testimony not allowed in when it so clearly went towards intent? It only further goes to show how the whole system, at all sides, the public, the supposedly impartial judges, even the prosecution, wanted to believe in Lizzie's innocence, so they did everything they could to protect that innocence. Because to conceptualize that a lady of her standing would be capable with such a thing is so incompatible with their world view that to let a potential murderer go free was better than challenging societal conventions. At least, that was my reading of it.

And also, please take these criticisms with a grain of salt. As I mentioned, this is supposed to be a legal academic book so maybe it did what it needed to do, and I'm just so used to fast paced fiction that this just felt really dry and dull to me. There were some really luminary moments, but they were beaten into dullness by repetition.

Once I started reading this book I got ads everywhere for a new Lizzie Borden musical they're doing... creepy is it not? Our computers know everything about us. Apparently it's supposed to be a new feminist take on the whole thing. I think it would be fun to go see now that I know so much about the case, but really, what's so feminist about killing your parents, especially when there's no evidence of abuse?

But anyway, that was a side track. Maybe I have the same problem as the author. I don't know if I actually managed to cut this down for clarity, but there are a few points I still agree with that I left in the updates. Overall, it was compelling enough that I was able to finish it, so points for that I guess.

[Susan Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book tells the story of the murder of Abby and Andrew Borden in Fall River, Massachusetts in 1892. The book provides detailed information regarding the position of young women and their relationship to society which ultimately, I believe, led to the acquittal of Lizzie Borden. The book is well researched and provides excellent details of the trial.

I have read several more sensationalized versions of the murder, as well as fictional stories with many different theories about how the murder was accomplished. However, this is by far the most detailed and unbiased telling of the facts.

I donated this book to a Little Free Library in Savannah, GA>

[Will Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Had to read this for a class. While not my first choice for a read, I found this book to be relatively good. I find it interesting that the author chooses to leave the choice up to the audience on whether or not she did it. Instead, it opts for a timeline of the case from the very beginning that assess it more on a socio-cultural background than anything else. If you want an overview of this case that contains no bias and presents everything from family history to post-trial outcomes, this is the one.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got up to about page 180 and couldn't read any more. The beginning was interesting but after a while it got tedious, tedious, tedious. I suppose someone who's a scholar and can stand this sort of thing would do well to read it. I couldn't. I'm so happy I didn't buy it but got it as an ebook through my library. No point in torturing myself.
I read it because I grew up in north-eastern Massachusetts and had heard about Lizzie Borden, of course. I'm done. Bye bye.

[Conrad · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel like most people know the "Lizzie Borden took an axe" rhyme. The two things that surprised me most reading this, less than half the "wacks" from the rhyme happened, 19 and 10 opposed to 40 and 41, and she was acquitted. After reading the case, it's true there was no hard evidence against her, but from her fumbling alibi and the destruction of possible evidence, the circumstantial evidence has me believing she was guilty.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a thorough and objective exploration of both the life of Lizzie Borden and the indefensible murders of her parents and the subsequent corrupt trial that lead to her acquittal.

A great read for anyone interested in the cases and 19tj century true crime.

[J Eseltine · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this because I have family members who lived in Fall River and worked in the mills during and after the time period covered in the book.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another excellent resource on the Lizzie Borden case.

[Bonsai · Rating 2 out of 5]

If I hadn't already invested $15.99 and read 159 pages, I might just stop. Misquotes (mostly minor, but still — get it together!) and assumptions (clearly anti-Lizzie) abound.

[Katherine · Rating 2 out of 5]

My interest in Lizzie Borden goes back to my childhood, when one of the little girls at my school was Lizzie Borden Wicks - so called by her father because she descended on her mother's side (I think) from those famous Bordens. It gave her an exotic hue on the playground, which I hope stuck with her through life. But back to this book, which I saw on a friend's shelf. Conforti is clearly a solid academic and comes at this story from a background in New England studies. As such, it is useful for putting the murders and the trial in the societal context. But that makes a fairly dry read. I found I skimmed through it nicely, picking up bits about the case that interested me. I had no idea that in Victorian times a woman could refer to menstruation as 'fleabites' or 'fleas', which makes you wonder what language they used when they genuinely wanted to talk about fleas. Such bloodstains were an important part of the trial, which is how this reference crept in. I think he could have chosen a better structure if he wanted to make it more readable, but that wasn't his aim. For a general reader, there are probably easier versions of the story out there.