Why was Abby cleaning the guest room?

snokkums · Post by **snokkums** » Tue Nov 10, 2009 5:27 am

I was reding a post in the archives and it got me to thinking. The post was titled: "Those guest room chores." posted by Harry on Aprirl 9 2004 It states:

"Emmas testimony at the inquest raises a questionas to why Abby doing the straightening in the quest room in the first place. Page 108-- Ema being questioned by Knowlton:

Q: did you , yourself, any particular duty in connection with the house?

A: Somethings I always did.

Q: What were they?

A: I always took charge of the parlor, my sister and I, we always took charge of guest room and and our rooms.

Q: That is, you and your sister did that?

A: Yes sir.

Q: Not your separate duty, yours and hers?

A: I did most of it, sometimes she assisted.

Q: Did your mother ever have charge of the guest chamber?

A: I did not know that she ever did when I was at home. I don't think she ever did.

Q: YOu don't know how it happened that she was having to work the guest chamber on this morning she died?

A: No sir.

In Emmas absence I would assume that Lizzie would have inheirted the duty not Abby.

There was some talk that Abby was expecting company and that was the reasoning on that chore."

There a few things with this with me. Even if she was expecting guests, if Emma and Lizzie usually took care of the anyway, wouldn't Lizzie be taking care of the room? I am thinking on the lines too that if Lizzie hated her step mom so bad and knew Abby was expecting guest she might have had the attitude of let her clean the room. And on the lines of pre meditation on Lizzie's part: I don't like my stepmother, I know she going to be in there, I'll get her then.

But, at any rate, why was Abby cleaning the guest room when Lizzie and Emma did it? IF she was expecting guests, and Lizzie wasn't going to clean the room, why not get the maid?

Yooper · Post by **Yooper** » Tue Nov 10, 2009 7:59 am

I get the idea from the exchange that it was Emma's job to clean the guest room. She begins responding with "I", then changes to "we", including Lizzie. Part of the response is "I did most of it, sometimes she assisted" which implies that other times Lizzie did not assist if she only assisted "sometimes". Lizzie was never the primary caretaker if she "assisted" from time to time. Emma qualifies the response to the question about Abby ever cleaning the guest room with "when I was home", making the "no" response conditional rather than absolute. Apparently neither Emma nor Abby expected Lizzie to take charge of cleaning the guest room.

patsy · Post by **patsy** » Tue Nov 10, 2009 1:32 pm

We won't ever know but it is an interesting question. I would have liked to have seen Emma's face when she was answering this question.

What if Abby was lured up there.

So many possibilities. I wonder if Abby was kind of a control freak who although may have delegated chores would still check after someone or do some particular things herself especially when guests were to be there.

Maybe because John Morse was there she was doing a few extra touches to the room. Maybe just looking around to see if he left anything laying around. Or maybe she heard a noise and went up to investigate. Or did that room have a window with a good view to check up on the comings and goings of the neighborhood? I go on and on.

Kat · Post by **Kat** » Wed Nov 11, 2009 1:03 am

Trial
Bridget
Q. Do you know who took charge of the room in the front part of the house?
A. Well, when Miss Emma was home she done it. When Mr. Morse was there and when Mrs. Borden had any of her friends there, I guess she done it or helped do it, that is, as far as I can remember.

Q. That is the front chamber you are talking about?
A. Yes, sir.

Q. Now, do you know who took care of the rooms, belonging to the daughters or occupied by the daughters?
A. Themselves took care of them, as far as I know.

Q. And did that care include sweeping and dusting as well as making the beds?
A. Yes, sir. I didn't have anything to do with the rooms.

Q. You had nothing of any kind to do with any bedroom?
A. No, sir.

augusta · Post by **augusta** » Wed Nov 11, 2009 8:59 am

Kat gives part of the answer in her quote from the trial, that when Morse was there Abby did the guest room.

However, Abby was expecting guests on Monday (August 8). I think this is in the inquest - maybe Lizzie's testimony.

To date, nobody knows who that company was. Maybe the new 'Parallel Lives' will unveil it. My guess is her sister, Priscilla Fish, of Hartford, Connecticut - or both Priscilla and her husband.

I guess it was not expected that Morse would stay a second night. I wouldn't think Abby would fuss about the guest room if he was.

Funny there's never been a word unearthed regarding any note Lizzie or Emma wrote to the "company" that was expected Monday. "Don't come. She's dead." Or maybe that "company" was alerted about the Bordens' death and were at the funeral (?).

augusta · Post by **augusta** » Wed Nov 11, 2009 9:14 am

Here is Lizzie's testimony regarding Abby's company on Monday. It comes from the Inquest, on this web site, page 63 (20). I think one page number refers to the new page number of it when it was typed up for this site, and the other I think is the old page number.

(Lizzie)

A: She said she had been up and made the bed fresh, and had dusted the room and left it all in order. She was going to put some fresh pillow slips at the foot of the bed, and was going to close the room, because she was going to have company Monday and she wanted everything in order.

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SummerCodSuz · Post by **SummerCodSuz** » Mon Nov 16, 2009 12:48 am

I've always wondered exactly what that meant about putting the pillow slips at the foot of the bed. The pillows did have fresh slips that Abby had just put on them, didn't they? Because otherwise it just sounds like to me that maybe she took the used pillowslips off to let the pillows air out, just laying the fresh ones at the bottom of the bed.

Kat · Post by **Kat** » Tue Nov 17, 2009 12:11 am

In the Inquest of Lizzie Borden, page 63/20 it is transcribed as:

Q. Did she say anything about making the bed?
A. She said she had been up and made the bed up fresh, and had dusted the room and left it all in order. She was going to put some fresh pillow slips on the small pillows at the foot of the bed, and was going to close the room, because she was going to have company Monday and she wanted everything in order.
Q. How long would it take to put on the pillow slips?
A. About two minutes.
Q. How long to do the rest of the things?
A. She had done that when I came down.
Q. All that was left was what?
A. To put on the pillow slips.

--Note, I increased the font size by 1 degree on the pertinent parts missing from the other, earlier, offer.

augusta · Post by **augusta** » Tue Nov 17, 2009 10:41 am

Thanks for posting that, Kat.

If I got my post from this website, where did you get yours from?

What a difference, those words "small pillows". I take it those were decorative pillows?

Why didn't the killer strike when Abby was up there making up the room, which would have taken longer? Did the killer arrive during that time, or was he/she not ready at that time? He/she must have gotten short notice, if he got her when she was in there just to do the pillow slips.

Was Andrew still home when Abby went up there the first time, when she did the bulk of the work in the guestroom?

If the killer had not have gotten Abby in that short time she was supposed to be in the guest room, I wonder where he/she would have gotten her instead? And if it would have made a difference in the scheme of things?

Kat · Post by **Kat** » Sat Nov 21, 2009 11:14 pm

Page 63/20, Lizzie's Inquest, Download at lizzieandrewborden.com
this page:
http://lizzieandrewborden.com/CrimeLibr ... nquest.htm

I just downloaded it again, and checked it and the phrases I corrected are in there: "small pillows at the foot of the bed"

--Did you check your transcription?

Yes, Andrew was still home when Abbie did the "bulk" of the work in the guest room. Morse last saw her as she entered the front foyer and then he believed he heard her upstairs there before he left, as well.

nbcatlover · Post by **nbcatlover** » Sun Dec 06, 2009 2:02 pm

This is an interesting tidbit posted on The Morse Society "Anthony Line" on December 4 under the heading Re: Sarah Anthony Morse, mother of Lizzie Borden.

Hi, I have been researching the family tie to Lizzy for years. I live in Georgia now but lived RI most of my life. My great great grandmother was Rebecca Austin Gray. My great uncle was able to remember her and tell me stories about the day that the murders happened a cousing (daughter of Rebecca) was at Lizzies home and made a choice to leave and go with other family members to the RI coast to a park called Rocky Point. Rebecca (b 17 Feb 1843 d. 16 Mar 1935) is buried in E.Prov, I can get you the correct cemetery. She married George F. Jaseph (b 12 Feb 1846 d.7 Mar 1892) they had 10 children one of which was named Abby Borden Jaseph. My information is on Ancestry.com under Hollie Morse Workman. I have Mary Jaseph's bible. I hope my info helped if I can supply any more let me know.

Hollie Morse Workman

The BOLD is mine. Was this the mysterious person for whom Abby was preparing the guest room on the day of the murders?

SallyG · Post by **SallyG** » Sun Dec 06, 2009 5:15 pm

There was never any evidence that there were any visitors at the house on the day of the murders other than John Morse, was there? If so, why didn't these people come forward at the time of the investigation?

nbcatlover · Post by **nbcatlover** » Sun Dec 06, 2009 5:20 pm

Don't know. I was always curious why Abby's relatives went to Rocky Point for the Policemen's outing.

As always, I feel a lot was covered up and left unsaid.