129 years ago today Lizzie Borden

[Beowulf]

Lizzie's in a tizzy. The acid she wanted to buy couldn't be bought. Doggone that seal skin cape with it's spot. Not able to be cleaned this day.

Hey! Did anyone check to see if the seal skin cape had a spot or two to be removed? Or if she HAD a seal skin cape? Or did anyone use prussic acid to actually clean seal skin capes with because Lizzie seems awfully preoccupied with the fact that the 'cleaner' could not be obtained.

Good thing capes aren't needed for months from then, anyway. It's summer out!!!

How did she ever learn of prussic acid anyway? What were it's uses? Did the 1800s use it to clean stains? I can't find anything on that. Anyone?

https://www.infobloom.com/what-is-prussic-acid.htm

Gee, better head to the cellar and look for something else to use...

[camgarsky4]

Beowulf, thanks for the remainder....for some reason it hadn't dawned on me what the date is tomorrow!!

You might have already done this, but if you search this forum for 'prussic acid' you will get dozens of threads on the topic and you will find answers to all or most of your questions about it.

About now, Lizzie has made it over to Alice's and maybe is starting to mention all her concerns!

[camgarsky4]

Beowulf, thanks for the remainder....for some reason it hadn't dawned on me what the date is tomorrow!!

You might have already done this, but if you search this forum for 'prussic acid' you will get dozens of threads on the topic and you will find answers to all or most of your questions about it.

About now, Lizzie has made it over to Alice's and maybe is starting to mention all her concerns!

[Steve88778]

Victoria Lincoln's book tells a tale that when Mr. Knowlton went into the house he noticed a book of household hints on a table in the sitting room that had a broken spine - when he picked up the book the section on poisons more specifically Prussic acid appeared. But I can clearly see the need to charge her for murder. Go iron your hankies Lizzie !

[Beowulf]

Really! So one can clean with Prussic acid. Wow. Well, maybe on that one it's possible to give Lizzie a pass...

Btw, it is also known as Hydrogen cyanide.

I wonder how many coats Jim Jones used it for?

[Steve88778]

I don't think it said you can use it as a cleaner - it was a household hints book and the section that had the broken spine was turned to poisons more specifically Prussic Acid. This is the first time I have ever heard of this incident. I am not sure if it was in the trial or in any of the newspapers. But Victoria Lincoln got it from somewhere.
It does sound like something the Fall River police / DA would come up with. They were desperate for anything. And nothing ever panned out for them. Sloppy police work - and people wonder why Lizzie was aquitted.
I mean think about it. The sitting room - kind of a formal room - and the coffee table book was a book on household hints ? Thats suspicious. Too bad it never panned out for Mr. Knowlton. Educated man as he was - was bested by a Sunday school teacher. - Thats funny. - Actually that's sad.

[Beowulf]

Actually I do not know anything about Mr. Knowton. I've never even heard of him, or if I have I have forgotten, or the Sunday school teacher that bested him. Who are they?

[Steve88778]

Knowlton was the DA - I suppose.

[Beowulf]

Oh god, I just reread my comment based on your comment. Knowlton was just some guy who read the household hints book and I guess I was having a blonde moment

[Steve88778]

Household hints - lol

[Albanyguy]

I mean think about it. The sitting room - kind of a formal room - and the coffee table book was a book on household hints ? Thats suspicious. Too bad it never panned out for Mr. Knowlton. Educated man as he was - was bested by a Sunday school teacher. - Thats funny. - Actually that's sad.

I don't think it's very suspicious. The sitting room wasn't a formal space. The parlor was the house's formal room, where the piano stood and which was kept closed off except for special occasions (and I don't think there were many "special occasions" in the Borden house). The sitting room was a more casual place, what we would call a "family room" today. It was where Andrew and Abby sat to read, knit or relax (and we know it was where Andrew stretched out on the sofa for a nap). I think that Lizzie and Emma, who avoided Andrew and Abby as much as they could, did their "relaxing" upstairs. Abby laying her book of household hints down on a table in the sitting room was probably nothing out of the ordinary.