Dr. Bowen's Preliminary Testimony

[Yooper]

From Shelley's "Warps and Wefts" website, Knowlton questioning Dr. Bowen:

Q. Who suggested your going up into the front room?

A. Mrs. Churchill.

Q. Did you have any talk with Lizzie about going up in the front room?

A. No Sir.

Q. Did you hear Lizzie say she thought her mother had come back?

A. No Sir.

Q. Did you hear her say she thought her mother had gone out then before you went away?

A. I am very sure she said that her mother had had a note that morning, and had gone out, or she thought she had gone out. The question was raised where is Mrs. Borden; and as nobody could account for her, I left and went down street on that evidence. I did not have time, I did not think it was necessary for me to look.

Q. It was when you came back the second time, you found Mrs. Borden?

A. Yes Sir.

Q. You did not go up stairs the first time you came in?

A. No Sir.


If I'm reading this correctly, Lizzie was saying that she believed Abby to be away from the house at the time Dr. Bowen first arrived, and before he left to send the telegram to Emma. Someone asked where Abby was, Lizzie said she had a note and was still out, so Dr. Bowen had no cause to search for her in the house and left to send the telegram. When he returned, Mrs. Churchill told him Abby was upstairs in the guest room. Does that sound correct?

[DJ]

To read this testimony cynically, Dr. Bowen's account of the events portrays an effort by Lizzie to tie the murders together in time, as both occurring while she was allegedly out in the barn. Abby had slipped in from her sick call and gone upstairs to the guest bedroom, neither disturbing Bridget from her repose, nor Lizzie from her quest for lead, nor her snoozing spouse.

Lizzie-- with her lackluster knowledge of forensics-- evidently hoped this story would "play." (Although why a pressed-for-time hatchet wielder would render so many blows instead of the requisite one or two, does give one pause-- also, why isn't there a blood trail of some sort between the guest bedroom and the sitting room?)

Lizzie's objective also appears to be to underplay Abby's death-- collateral damage, if you will, at the hand of one of "Father's enemies," about whom she had expounded at Alice Russell's the evening before.

The grand irony is that Abby was probably the (Lizzie's) principal victim, while Andrew's death was the result of the necessary "collateral damage."

In giving Abby's death decidedly "second billing," Lizzie appears to be downplaying it as much as possible.

After all, how much did she care that Abby was dead? "She is not my mother."

One thing Lizzie forgot: If one is going to play high drama, one must learn to cry on cue.

[kssunflower]

Have to agree with DJ that Andrew's death was just collateral damage and the blows he received had to match what Abby suffered.

Something interesting I've read is that Dr. Bowen originally thought Abby had witnessed Andrew's death and ran upstairs and fainted. The police reports stated he wrongly assumed she died of fright and he had to deny this at the trial. I've always wondered what Lizzie told him as he was giving her the bromo caffeine in her room.

[xyjw]

Dr. Bowen has always intrigued me more than other witnesses in this case, I want to know what was on the scraps of paper he was dropping into the stove that he thought were addressed to Emma.(pg. 6 of Harrington & Doherty inquest testimony).

[Yooper]

Bowen's daughter was due to arrive in Fall River that morning. My take on the message burned by Bowen is that it was a telegram from his daughter to the effect that she was delayed for some reason, and he received it when he went to the telegraph office. He then wrote the message he wanted to send to Emma on the back of it, which he gave to the telegrapher to send. He had it in his pocket when he returned to the Borden house, possibly to let Lizzie read it, and he simply burned it in the stove because it was no longer needed.

[xyjw]

Thanks Yooper. I did not know the Bowen's daughter was arriving. I am still most curious about Dr. Bowen though. It's one of those things, I can't say exactly why. He could've just tucked the note back into his pocket and thrown it away when he returned home for the evening, but instead he burns it in the neighbors stove. Did he kind of suspect Lizzie and want to see if there was anything in the stove and the telegram was an excuse to look in the stove? It could just be an innocent action, or he could have had another reason. I would also like to hear the conversation as Dr. Bowen was giving Lizzie the bromo-caffeine.

[Yooper]

Please understand that the telegram hypothesis is pure conjecture on my part, I have no support for the contention, it's just speculation. Bowen may have wanted his wife to read one side of the telegram if there was indeed news from their daughter, or he may have wanted Lizzie to read the wording of his message to Emma, or both. I agree, burning it in the stove was perhaps an odd choice, but if the message had anything to do with the murder, it would have been a long chance taken by burning it in front of the police. If it was something he wanted to hide, he certainly would have been more likely to retain it and dispose of it at home.

[BedfordCord]

Before Bowen burned the note with Emma's name on it in the stove he had been up in Lizzie's room alone with her. I think that if he thought she had done it, he checked to make sure nothing in her room could be used as evidence against her (pawing through that wonderful metaphorical writing desk pushed up against the door adjoining her bedroom to the parents')- including letters Lizzie may have written to Emma but never mailed, or letters from Emma to Lizzie that may contain disgruntled talk against Abby and Andrew. Bowen may have believed Lizzie innocent, but I think he knew she would be suspected and was in danger of having her room searched. I am sure he gathered up any incriminating letters and chucked them into the stove before the police could search her room. He may have inadvertently made himself an accomplice - or perhaps he was sympathetic to her situation and helped her cover her tracks.

[Yooper]

I think Bowen was completely stymied that day. Abby had been to see him the previous day saying she feared they were being poisoned. The next day, both Abby and Andrew turn up dead. My best guess is that Bowen was afraid he may have misdiagnosed the illness, or he was too quick to dismiss the fear, or both. Bowen was reportedly "greatly relieved" to find out there was no poison present in the Bordens' stomachs. He may have been too shaken to be of much use as an accomplice, he might have been in damage control mode where his reputation was concerned.

[shakiboo]

It would be real interesting to know why Abby thought they were being poisoned, that's not something someone would say for no reason. She had to have had a reason for it other then most of the family being sick.....and that includes Lizzie. Too bad she didn't tell him who she thought was trying to poison them. She was afraid of some one for some reason. Dr. Bowen did follow up on it and go over to check on Andrew. And was practically thrown out by Andrew.

[Yooper]

If Abby told Bowen of a fear of being poisoned, there was no way to know who else she might tell. Any further attempts to poison the Bordens would be impractical because the cat was out of the bag, more or less. The possibility of Abby telling others of her fear might compel a quick solution to the problem. Abby hadn't left the house Wednesday, but the possibility she might go visiting increased as time went on and she began to feel better.

[shakiboo]

If Abby told Bowen of a fear of being poisoned, there was no way to know who else she might tell. Any further attempts to poison the Bordens would be impractical because the cat was out of the bag, more or less. The possibility of Abby telling others of her fear might compel a quick solution to the problem. Abby hadn't left the house Wednesday, but the possibility she might go visiting increased as time went on and she began to feel better.

That does make sense, and Lizzie knew about it, because she was there when Dr. Bowen came over to the house. HMMM That might very well be why it happend the way it did......the urgency behind it. Could also explain the anger and hatred behind Abby's attack. That kinda put's a piece in the puzzle, doesn't it?

[Yooper]

That always seemed to fit better than other possibilities, to me. Lizzie went to Alice with the fear that WE were afraid WE were being poisoned that same evening. It also tends to explain Bowen's comment on the 4th that he was satisfied something was wrong because they were sick the previous day. It's a major leap of logic from food poisoning to hatchet murder without the intermediate step of Abby's fear being expressed to him.

[shakiboo]

Sooooo, he in effect put 2 and 2 together and come up with Abby actually having a reason to be afraid, someone was trying to kill them and now in his mind , had. Mayb
That does indeed make sense, but still wish there was a way to know WHO, she was referring to. There had to be a "some one" in that equation, why on earth didn't she tell him who it was she was afraid of, I wonder. Or at the very least, WHY she thought someone was trying to kill them. Good Grief! You'd think Dr. Bowen would have asked "now Abby, why would you think someone would want to poison you all?" or "My dear, who on earth would want to Poison you all?" Maybe she meant Andrew, he was the one making them eat that nasty mutton!! lol

[Yooper]

Lizzie said something to Alice about Bowen laughing off Abby's complaint, so maybe there is something there. While it is third or fourth hand information coming from Alice, it could be true. If Abby began to explain herself and was met with resistance, she could have realized the futility of continuing, Bowen just wasn't listening. So, Abby might have backed up a bit with the original complaint without specifying anyone and Bowen wasn't taking her seriously enough to ask for names. It came to roost on the 4th when he was called across the street, Abby really wasn't kidding. I'll bet Bowen was wondering how many people Abby had discussed her visit with!

[Yooper]

Come to think of it, all that was needed was the fear of being poisoned, not the fact. Bowen correctly diagnosed food poisoning, prescribed accordingly, and no poison was found in the stomachs. However, if someone was aware that Bowen had been told of a fear that some outside source might be responsible for poisoning the Bordens, it might represent an opportunity to kill them. It would focus attention on outside sources rather than on the household, especially when it happened the very next day. Bowen wasn't aware on the 4th that there was no poison present, so he may have thought he had misdiagnosed Abby's complaint. Lizzie might have been trying to initiate or perpetuate a rumor of poisoning when she went to see Alice, Abby hadn't had much of a chance to start it, other than the visit to Bowen.

[Yooper]

The trial testimony of Alice Russell, p.375+, relates the conversation Alice had with Lizzie the night before the murders. There were some minor exchanges about Lizzie deciding to go to Marion and Lizzie being out of sorts or depressed. The main focus was a fear of being poisoned, with justification for that premise. Andrew and his discourtesy seemed to be the scapegoat, arguments between Andrew and others, seeing prowlers around the house, and the opportunity for someone to poison the milk were all discussed. The robbery occurring the previous summer was mentioned as precedent. The fear of an outside source burning down the house was mentioned, along with the unspecified fear of someone doing something. This was apparently the first Alice had heard any of this, so neither Emma nor Lizzie had mentioned it until then. I certainly get the idea that the stage is being set!

[shakiboo]

Let's say for an instant that Lizzie was innocent, what would she have said to Alice if she'd have heard Abby talking to Andrew about the possibility of them being poisoned. She'd also been sick and so was Bridget, Would she have thought of all the things that had happend and tell Alice about them? Would she have been afraid?

[Yooper]

Why tell Alice Russell about all that? Why not the police? She might have mentioned it to John Morse, he could have remained with the Bordens if it made Lizzie feel safer. These are people who could do something about it immediately, Alice was not. The police and Morse never crossed Lizzie's mind, before or after the murders.

[shakiboo]

Yes, that's true, but it didn't cross Abby's mind to talk to the police either, she chose to mention it to a Doctor. Lizzie chose to talk to her friend.

[Yooper]

Abby's fear was quelled to some degree by Bowen and maybe Abby thought the police would react the same way Bowen had. Abby went to the doctor first, which makes perfect sense if she feared poisoning. She might not live long enough to file a complaint if she had been poisoned for all she knew. Lizzie never saw the doctor for some reason, maybe she wasn't ill. Bowen testified that Lizzie was going upstairs as he entered the house on the 3rd, so she was aware he was there. In any case, if Abby had modified her position about the poisoning, Lizzie was still pressing it as of the evening of the 3rd. Apparently Lizzie was still afraid of an overt attempt to poison them in spite of Bowen having laughed off Abby's complaint, as she related it to Alice. So, if Lizzie was still afraid of poisoning at that point, why go to Alice instead of the police? By this time it really has nothing to do with Abby. Come to think of it, if Abby had said something to Lizzie about going to the police on the morning of the 4th, it might have started the ball rolling.

[shakiboo]

Yep, sure could have, because Andrew wasn't very nice to Dr. Bowen, he darn near threw him out. That could have been what sealed his fate. The tight fisted rudeness of the man came out pretty loud and clear! And if Lizzie said anything to Andrew about it after Bowen left, there could have been alot more said.

[Yooper]

I think Lizzie said something to Alice about Andrew's discourtesy to Dr. Bowen, so she evidently thought he was discourteous in his treatment of Bowen. Trying to consider the whole scenario, we have Andrew feeling as though he's been dragged through a knothole, and here comes Bowen after Andrew supposedly told Abby he wasn't in favor of visiting the doctor. Andrew was not a very happy camper at that point! Any attempt to criticize him at that moment would very likely have led to a verbal barrage! Still, I imagine Andrew's attitude toward unsolicited house calls might not have been much different on a good day, but he may have been more likely to hold his tongue a bit. Part of the problem in analyzing the information about the case is that we're necessarily limited to words on paper or on a screen. We're lacking the body language and mannerisms which accompany the words. If Andrew had been naturally short or abrupt in his manner of conversation, he might have been taken as rude or discourteous very easily. I seem to remember John Morse testifying that he had read of Gould's yacht being put up for sale, and he asked Andrew if he had any plans to buy it. It seems Andrew might not have been above a little ribbing or a joke now and then.

[shakiboo]

Yes that's true, we really are put on a short string, when it comes to the actual personalities of the people involved. There's just no way to know. Like Emma for instance, we know hardly anything about her, she's a gray area, and there's so many colors missing!

[Yooper]

I somehow get the idea when reading Emma's testimony that her replies are rather terse at times, I can envision her as almost resentful and answering with her teeth clenched. Her trial testimony comes across as somewhat made up or rehearsed in places and it takes some fortitude to accomplish that. I don't get the idea that she was shy and retiring or mousy at all. I think she had the gumption to deal with things in whatever way she thought she had to. Emma may have been a private person, avoiding the spotlight and certainly not the social butterfly type, but that was probably more out of choice than necessity. I don't think Emma should be underestimated by any means, she was a very capable person.

[twinsrwe]

... I don't think Emma should be underestimated by any means, she was a very capable person.

I agree Jeff. I think Emma had a lot more involvement in the deaths of Andrew and Abby, then we will ever know.

[Yooper]

I wonder if Emma blamed herself to some degree for the murders? I keep coming back to Lizzie's comment after hearing that Alice told Hanscomb about the dress burning, "how could you let me do it?" That's a rather immature reaction from Lizzie, almost as though she's used to other people telling her what to do, or having others take responsibility for her actions. If Emma was used to taking responsibility for Lizzie, even into adulthood, maybe she thought she was partly responsible for the murders. If that was true, then I could see where Emma might ignore or deny Lizzie being the culprit because it meant that Emma was also responsible to some degree. I could also see where Emma might never ask Lizzie about it, she might not want to know for sure. In fact, if Lizzie had finally admitted responsibility for the murders to Emma and told Emma that she was also to blame, it might prompt Emma to leave Maplecroft and never return.

[shakiboo]

Had I been Emma I'd have a million question's for Lizzie, and that many for Bridget too. ie Where were you? Did you hear anything? See anything? How was father when he got home? Where was Abby? What was the last thing father said to you? How was he acting? The list just goes on and on, and those question's would have been asked even if Lizzie and Bridgett had been together the whole time and weren't cons8dered suspect's. It's just normal to want to know everything, about something like that, especsially if it's someone you love or knew who were the victoms. Where the dress burning issues arise for me is why didn't they pull the dress back out? It didn't burn up in seconds, it would have taken time to completely burn, wouldn't it? I mean, how big a blaze did they have going? I still have trouble with her burning a dress with evidence on it when she knew anyone could walk in on her, she'd been so careful and hid things so completely, why do something that stupid? Surely, Alice would be out of the house at some point, why not wait till then?

[Yooper]

Emma may indeed have had a million questions and gotten a million answers, but the real question was who did the deed.

I think the dress was probably completely gone by the time Alice talked to Hanscomb. If I remember correctly, Alice left the house very shortly after breaking the news to Lizzie about the dress burning. The dress burning was a pivotal point for Alice, she had to choose sides. There was absolutely no logical reason to have to burn the dress at that time unless it would incriminate Lizzie. If it was free of incriminating evidence it should have been stored away, and especially if Lizzie had worn the dress the morning of the murders because Lizzie didn't know at that point who could identify what she was wearing that morning. Alice cautioned Lizzie to not let anyone see her doing it, which implies Alice knew it was wrong to do it, but she was still on Lizzie's side at the moment because she didn't want Lizzie to get caught doing something Alice clearly knew was wrong. At some point Hanscomb had asked Alice whether Lizzie's wardrobe was still intact, and Alice told him it was, but I don't know how long before the dress was burned the conversation took place. When she went back to Hanscomb and told him about the dress burning, Alice had decided she wasn't necessarily on Lizzie's side any more, she wasn't going to lie for Lizzie in any case. Shortly after that Alice left the house and I don't know if she had much to do with the Borden sisters after that.

Burning the dress was taking a very long chance, but it was necessary to do it if the dress contained incriminating evidence, no matter how big the risk at the time, and the sooner, the better. The alternative was to let the authorities find blood on the dress, and then her goose would be cooked. If anyone could identify the Bedford cord as the dress she wore the morning of the murders, the cops would have asked for it specifically, and Lizzie didn't know who could or couldn't identify the dress she was wearing, or if they saw any blood on it at the time she burned it. It was better to do the "OOPS, what a ding-dong am I" routine rather than let the authorities find blood on the dress.

[Angel]

It may not have been as simple as Alice being on Lizzie's side until she saw the dress burning, and then her changing her mind. Maybe she was picking up subtle things before the she saw the dress being burned, such as Lizzie's demeanor, something she or Emma may have said, subtle looks between the sisters, etc., which would have made Alice start wondering about Lizzie's innocence. She may have pushed those things to the back of her mind because she didn't want to believe them, but the dress may have caused her to think she couldn't deny her suspicions any longer. Who knows?

[Yooper]

The dress burning and the previous conversation with Hanscomb about Lizzie's wardrobe forced Alice to make a choice of whether to keep it to herself or to tell others. I agree, Alice probably noticed other subtleties in the time between the murders and the dress burning as well as having listened to Lizzie's predictions the night before the murders. Hanscomb had been hired to look out for the interests of the Borden sisters rather than to investigate the murders specifically, which strikes me as a bit odd, exactly what interests would they have which required a hired detective? He left when police objected to his interfering with their investigation of the case, whatever that may mean. Was he hired before Lizzie knew she was suspected? Telling Hanscomb about the dress wasn't the same thing as telling the Fall River police about it, Hanscomb was working for the Bordens, but the point is that the information about the dress was no longer kept between the three women any longer. Alice had demonstrated that she wouldn't knowingly lie to cover for anyone. As it was, it took her until the grand jury hearing to come forward publicly about the dress incident and I wonder what might have prompted that disclosure.

[Yooper]

Come to think of it, Alice saw Lizzie burning the dress and cautioned Lizzie to not let anyone see her doing that. That certainly implies that Alice knew it was wrong to burn the dress, but it also implies that Alice was willing to go along with it because Alice didn't tell Lizzie to stop burning the dress. Lizzie's reaction to Alice was to move a bit more away from where she might be seen without asking why that was necessary. This certainly implies that Lizzie knew it was wrong to burn the dress and was simply unaware that she might be more easily seen from her previous position. This is supported by Lizzie moving to a more concealed position to avoid detection, she knew she needed to hide while doing it. Emma was also present and the same applies to her, she never asked Alice why. An innocent person committing an innocent act would have likely been taken by surprise by Alice's comment about not being seen and would certainly have questioned it, or simply would have ceased burning the dress.