Jennings Papers

[jamfaws]

on page 137 of Rebello it says that Mr Edward Waring, the grandson of Lizzie's lawyer Andrew.J.Jennings has his grandfathers notebooks etc (this was in 1992), does anyone know who has Jennings papers from the Borden case now? and is it likely that these documents will ever be published like the Knowleton papers were? if this is possible, what new light would this information shed?

[Jimmy S. Windeskog]

I dont know, but sene Brown also has read the orginal papers in his work one have to asume that ther are public in one way or a nother.

[Kat]

Agnes de Mille, A Dance of Death 91+:

"In due course, Andrew J. Jennings, Lizzie's defense attorney, dies, followed some years later by his wife. The large family residence is put up for sale by Mrs. Dwight Waring, the married daughter. There is a general cleaning out and throwing away, and to this end the junk dealers are called in. 'Take the lot away from the attic,' she bids them, including in her order a child's tin bathtub full of summer shutters and awnings. The man lifts off the awnings and, visibly excited, summons the owner. Maybe the contents are worth looking over before burning, he suggests. The tub is full, but not of awnings. On the top lie scrapbooks, the entire Borden trial in newspaper clippings, carefully collected and annotated. Beneath are the defense attorney's notebooks with his comments and memoranda on every phase of the inquest and grand jury hearings, and beneath this, all the trial exhibits, all those, that is, that could be preserved, and lastly a small hatchet with the broken-off haft in the head. Here intact is Lizzie's considerate gift of souvenirs."
.....
109+
"The actual relics awaited us in the home of Mrs. Dwight Waring, the daughter of Andrew Jennings, the defense attorney. Mrs.. Kelly's daughter had arranged for me to visit there also.

Mr. Welch had known Andrew Jennings. Mrs. Waring and her husband were cordial, but at the same time, it seemed to us, definitely wary. We were offered fruit juice and cookies. We could see the boxes and papers lying on the dining room table, and although we were devoured with impatience, we dared not press. Finally Mrs. Waring rose and, without further words, brought the portentous boxes.

First there were the pictures---large police photographs. Some have been reproduced---most could not be. They were sickening."
..............

"Next there were the tags of all the exhibits not preserved. 'Mr. Borden's stomach,' said one tag. 'Mrs. Borden's stomach,' said another.

There were bits of plaster from the ceiling showing blood marks and bits of wood from the door with similar spots.

There was, most pathetically, the switch of Mrs. Borden's hair, a dirty brown color (few gray hairs) with the straight, old-fashioned hairpins still in place---'what my mother would have called a rat,' said Mr. Welch. This was matted and soiled with dried blood. It had been loosened from her head by the blows and lay on the floor beside her. There was the kerchief, stiff with blood, that she had been wearing over her hair.

And then there was the white bedspread and pillow sham Mrs. Borden had been spreading on Uncle Vinnicum's bed when she was attacked. It was a nice bedspread with heavy white fringe, and clean as the day she spread it, except for the blood stains, faded light brown. The pillow sham was hand-hemmed and starched stiff with fluted fills. Bridget did fine ironing.

We were shown the defense notebooks, but only those that pertained to nothing in particular. As Mr. Welch began to search out pertinent testimony and comments, the books were taken away politely but firmly.

'Could I study these at more leisure?' he asked.

'Maybe,' they said vaguely. 'Maybe -later.'

'These are not the pertinent books,' he murmured softly, but was stopped by the next exhibit.

There it was, the very weapon, the hatchet of legend....

...'Has this never been tested for blood since?' Mr. Welch asked.

'It has never left our house,' said Mrs. Waring.

'But aren't you curious?'

'We'll do all this in time. My son may---,' she answered vaguely. 'But I could not let these out of my home. I could not let these go away from me.' She patted the photos and rat. Her tone was downright aggrieved and protective.

...'But you do realize they have a certain historic interest. They should be placed in your city museum or in your library. They must never be in danger of just
being thrown out. '

'There's not much risk of that,' said Mr. Waring, 'and when the time comes we'll see about the museum. '"
_______

These items which were donated to the FRHS apparently included more privledged material and supposedly the Waring family recalled some items- probably sensitive things like the grand jury proceedings notes mentioned above. Those are secret. Also returned probably were Jennings private notes to himself on the case and/or his impressions?
However, apparently it is a legend that Lizzie gave these things as a "souvenir" to Moody, not to Jennings, so the author mixes that up- and according to Knowlton Jr. that never happened either- the legend of the souvenirs as a gift of Lizzie of "an interesting occasion."

The Preliminary Hearing came from this collection. It included the first testimony of Bridget Sullivan because her Inquest testimony is missing.

Also see The Hip-bathCollection:
viewtopic.php?t=37

[jamfaws]

Thanks Kat, Phew at least the hip bath collection was saved and not burnt, I wanted to get the Proceedings book but the FRHS have sold out.

RE: The Photo of Andrew lying naked on the floor, is this the autopsy photo? or one that has never been seen before? and do you know if ALL the known photos from the case (House/People etc) have been available to the public, in some printed form since they were found, or are some still missing? Cheers Aaron

[Kat]

I think the photos generated by the case have been made available thru now. There is a list at:
http://www.lizzieandrewborden.com/Crime ... ceList.htm

However, there are a couple of outdoor little-seen pictures, which one might find in old newspapers, yet not ever seen published in a book or web site.
The FRHS puts Lizzie away at this time of year- so any inquiries probably should wait until Easter- just my experience.

[irina]

Better description of how the handkerchief, etc. was found, preserved, shared...

[Curryong]

Yes, thank you, very interesting. Wish I could get to Fall River Historical museum when they exhibit some of the rarer items. Agnes de Mille describes a 'kerchief' worn over Abby's head. While I can well imagine the silk scarf as a kerchief over Abby's head while she was dusting it certainly isn't stiff with blood today, nor, as I mentioned before, does it resemble the white object of the photograph. I've PMd Kat, tried to e-mail the FRHS but it came up as error for some reason. I'll try again later.

Incidentally, interesting that they took plaster from the sitting room ceiling which presumably contained blood spots. Yet Emma lived in that 'house of horrors' for months with mutilated carpet, pieces taken from walls and ceiling, smashed in upstairs chimney etc.
Admittedly, repairs would have been done eventually, but she engaged new maids and settled there. You couldn't have paid me to live in a house where the brutal murders of my parents occurred and I've never been able to understand why Emma didn't lock the place up and go and live in a boarding house near Taunton prison or in New Bedford where the trial was later held. Friends would have understood, in the circumstances. Indeed, it's a wonder there wasn't talk in Fall River about Emma remaining at no 92.

[irina]

There was mention somewhere, of a blood spot on the ceiling in the sitting room. As I recall it was only one or two. I need to look at the blood evidence better.