High-handed Hiram
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Angel
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High-handed Hiram
I'm sure someone on here has at sometime talked about Hiram Harrington, and, if he has, let me know where, because I was reading the Lizzie Sourcebook and it raised my curiosity. Most people described Lizzie more benevolently, but he rather blasted her, calling her sullen, contentious, haughty, domineering, stubborn, etc. He seemed pretty hostile towards her. Is there a story to that? Did he have some reason to be so antagonistic towards her? Could he have had some role in all this?
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snokkums
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Isn't he the husband of abbeys sister or something? Everything i have ever read about the situation was that Lizzie wasn't to fond of him either. Lizzie just didnt seem to like any of abbeys family. Maybe it was because she slated by her fathers attention to her stepmothers family.
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Susan
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Actually, Hiram Harrington was married to Andrew Borden's sister, Lurana. Why there was so much antagonism between Lizzie and Hiram is a good question, it may have been covered in the past, but, is still a good topic worth discussing.
Could it be because when Andrew Borden cut his acquaintance with Hiram, Lizzie followed suit? Hiram apparently visited the Borden house on occasion, didn't go in, but, called at the door for his nieces. I believe Emma continued to visit Lurana and Hiram, but, Lizzie didn't. The reason given was that she was busy with things. Hiram is the only person that Lizzie actually named as a possible suspect, why? And was that before Hiram's interview or after?
Could it be because when Andrew Borden cut his acquaintance with Hiram, Lizzie followed suit? Hiram apparently visited the Borden house on occasion, didn't go in, but, called at the door for his nieces. I believe Emma continued to visit Lurana and Hiram, but, Lizzie didn't. The reason given was that she was busy with things. Hiram is the only person that Lizzie actually named as a possible suspect, why? And was that before Hiram's interview or after?
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Harry
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This is from Lincoln, so you raise at least one eye-brow when reading it:
"Mrs. Harrington was Andrew's sister. Her husband, Hiram, was a loud, powerfully built man who began as a blacksmith and ended up owning a large smithy---which, translated from an era of horse-drawn vehicles, places him as a garage owner specializing in repairs. They had both been good to the girls when their mother died, though Hiram and Andrew, the loud extrovert and the total introvert, could never get along. When the final row between the two men came, Lizzie, who had refused to leave Central Congregational at her father's wish, dropped the Harringtons at once; Emma went right on seeing them.
Hiram Harrington, who did not stand high on the Fall River social scale, gave all this his own interpretation. As he said in a nasty interview after the murders, "Lizzie is a Congregationalist, moving in the best social circles." He was unjust; he had never liked Lizzie much, nor she him."
Hiram's interview of his alleged talk with Lizzie was conducted on August 5th.
Kent has this to say:
"Hiram was Andrew's brother-in-law, married to his sister, Laurana. The root of their dislike for each other was not surely known, only that it had begun years before and had festered like the Hatfield-McCoy feud.
With their diverse personalities and ambitions, it is easy to imagine they would be as immiscible as oil and water. Harrington was a blacksmith, with no aspiration to be anything but a blacksmith. He had saved nothing and invested nothing because he earned little more than what was needed for absolute necessities. As Andrew saw it, he was not worthy of Laurana.
At some point years before, there had been "hard words" between them, and from that day, Hiram was not welcome in the Borden house, nor was Andrew ever known to visit his sister unless he knew Hiram was not at home."
I think its significant that Uncle Hiram was never called upon to testify at any of the hearings.
"Mrs. Harrington was Andrew's sister. Her husband, Hiram, was a loud, powerfully built man who began as a blacksmith and ended up owning a large smithy---which, translated from an era of horse-drawn vehicles, places him as a garage owner specializing in repairs. They had both been good to the girls when their mother died, though Hiram and Andrew, the loud extrovert and the total introvert, could never get along. When the final row between the two men came, Lizzie, who had refused to leave Central Congregational at her father's wish, dropped the Harringtons at once; Emma went right on seeing them.
Hiram Harrington, who did not stand high on the Fall River social scale, gave all this his own interpretation. As he said in a nasty interview after the murders, "Lizzie is a Congregationalist, moving in the best social circles." He was unjust; he had never liked Lizzie much, nor she him."
Hiram's interview of his alleged talk with Lizzie was conducted on August 5th.
Kent has this to say:
"Hiram was Andrew's brother-in-law, married to his sister, Laurana. The root of their dislike for each other was not surely known, only that it had begun years before and had festered like the Hatfield-McCoy feud.
With their diverse personalities and ambitions, it is easy to imagine they would be as immiscible as oil and water. Harrington was a blacksmith, with no aspiration to be anything but a blacksmith. He had saved nothing and invested nothing because he earned little more than what was needed for absolute necessities. As Andrew saw it, he was not worthy of Laurana.
At some point years before, there had been "hard words" between them, and from that day, Hiram was not welcome in the Borden house, nor was Andrew ever known to visit his sister unless he knew Hiram was not at home."
I think its significant that Uncle Hiram was never called upon to testify at any of the hearings.
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doug65oh
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The alleged "interview" that Hiram had with Lizzie on the 5th in which he claims to have said all these things, or gotten the ideas he expressed in the newspapers - isn't that the same one that according to a witness who saw him come and go, lasted somewhere between three and five minutes? (The source for the time span I think is Porter, but I do not recollect exactly; Porter or Pearson, maybe.)
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Harry
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The only author that has Hiram involved is Arnold Brown. He has the infamous, illegitimate son of Andrew, Billy Borden, stopping at Hiram's blacksmith shop during his escape.
I think Brown has half the town involved in some way.
I think Brown has half the town involved in some way.
I know I ask perfection of a quite imperfect world
And fool enough to think that's what I'll find
And fool enough to think that's what I'll find
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Kat
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It was a reporter who apparently *reported* that Hiram was inside the Borden home for this talk with Lizzie for just a few minutes.
Lurana apparently was sick during this time, as Hiram said he wanted to hire a horse to go tell her himself of Andrew's death, and the shame. A deposition was taken from Lurana, it seems for the inquest, but we don't have it.
She died in 1898, age 72, Abraham's last survivor of his line. According to Rebello, pg.3, she was a Baptist.
Lurana apparently was sick during this time, as Hiram said he wanted to hire a horse to go tell her himself of Andrew's death, and the shame. A deposition was taken from Lurana, it seems for the inquest, but we don't have it.
She died in 1898, age 72, Abraham's last survivor of his line. According to Rebello, pg.3, she was a Baptist.