1. "Ellan Eagan - Henry Hawthorne Testimony"
Posted by rays on Feb-14th-02 at 4:40 PM

A R Brown says that HH was telling his story in the 1930s (?), when Pearson's book was published. Does anyone from Fall River know something about this from the local press?
Could it have been revived in the 1960s after E Radin's book?

I believe A R Brown's book is the "final chapter" in the solution to the crime. Its parallax view illuminates and answers questions.

Like "why did Bridget get that payoff?"
To get her away from FR before she discovered the facts later uncovered by Eagan-Hawthorne. Bridget's testimony was not otherwise favorable to Lizzie; she was working for the sheriff!

*Testimony*
Sorry, Ray, but when that word is used it means "a declaration or statement made Under OATH."
I think we should seperate the Hawthorne stuff from that implication, and downgrade it to the memories of an 8 year old boy,* recalled* when he was 89?   Like the Abby Potter stuff?
What do you think of HEr *memories*?

Rebello, pg.380, Note:

"Young Henry lived in FALL RIVER until he was 8, (1889-1897),  and spent  6 years (1898-1903) in East Taunton, and 1 year (1904) in Raynham, Mass.  Henry would have known or come into contact with William Borden between the ages of 9 & 12 (1898-1901) assuming the Hawthornes were in East Taunton in 1898.  William Borden was dead by 1901.  How young Henry came to live and work on William S. Borden's farm between 1898 and 1901 is unknown.  Perhaps Henry worked after school, weekends or during school vacations when he was in East Taunton."
-"...the 1900 Fereral Census ...listed Henry's father as a Weaver and not a tenant farmer..."

I wasn't there to witness it. When asked for my occupation, I tell what I did for forty years, not my present status. Is it different for others?

Don't we all know enought not to totally trust written words that may be inaccurate? Maybe being a "weaver" (mill worker?) was a higher status than being a "farmhand"? Do people answer the truth when asked about household income?

I'll not quibble over "testimony" its meaning was clear from the context. If you read the book, Henry Hawthorne mentions that he had been saying that since the 1940s (as I remember it from the book).
He wasn't believed then, Brown says. Sometimes people can't accept new ideas that contradict the old?

The best part of the site www.LizzieAndrewBorden.com is the testimony of A R Brown's letters to the editor. I suspected that his 320 page was originally larger (implicit in how it jumps across topics, IMO).

Best of all is his New Evidence (censored or ignored in others) that Uncle John went to Uncle Hiram's place AFTER he visited the Post Office. To clean up and cover up this mess? This fact again supports AR Brown's solution (from the Eagan-Hawthorne memoirs).

Too bad we can't read the unprinted pages.

One of the speakers at the 1992 conference (whose presentation is included in "Proceedings") mentioned that the "illegitimate" William Borden story had been gossip in Fall River's Irish community since the time of the murders. That might be the seed from which Arnold Brown's book grew.  I'm sure Ellan Eagan was a member in good standing of that community.  My only problem is that this presentation was rather jocular in tone, and I wonder if there's any truth in the story.