Lizzie killing because of a Lisbain affiar

[snokkums]

Read this on this website Straight dope

Dated March 13, 2001,

"Recently a TV show about Lizzie Borden gave possible theories as to who the "real killer" was (an illegitmate son was mentioned and it said that in a letter he confessed to the crime) as well as why Lizzie might have done it. One of Lizzie-ologists said it was almost certain Lizzie was having an affair with the maid Bridget and the stepmother walked in on them in bed and that's what prompted the first murder. The Lizzieologist goes on to say that Lizzie tried the excuse "I'm sleeping with the Irish maid " excuse on her father and he wasn't buying, so she had to kill him.


Apparently, Lizzie was even named as an offending party in a divorce case where the husband was filing for divorce on the grounds of adultary"

I couldn't find anything to verify any thing of the sort. That doesn't mean it didn't happen, but has anyone else heard of this ?

[LizbethTurner]

I know no one is perfect and we all have typos, but "Lisabin Affair"?????

[snokkums]

Sorry about that I thin I corrected the spelling. What I meant or trying to ask is that maybe she was caught in the act of being in bed with the maid by Abby and killed her for that reason. Like I said, sorry for the typo.

[LizbethTurner]

And Abby's reaction was to tell Bridget to wash windows?

We might as well speculate that extraterrestrials came down and committed the murders.

[snokkums]

I think Bridget was upset with that because it was a hot day and she wasn't feeling good.

[Yooper]

Bridget was outside talking with the Kelley's maid at about the time it is speculated Abby was killed.

[snokkums]

I was trying too ask about a lesbian affair, not about washing windows and spelling. Just what everyone thought on what may Lizzie "do it". Sorry

[Yooper]

Who was the individual making the allegation of an "almost certain" lesbian affair and what evidence was referred to? That person must know something the rest of us aren't aware of and I wonder what that is.

[LizbethTurner]

There seem to be a lot of theories. The problem for me is that so many of them simply do not take the established facts into account, and they also create extra characters to explain these theories and make things up out of thin air. Usually they've written a book. I've read that the maid did it, that Andrew's illegitimate son did it, that a passing stranger did it. I've read that Lizzie was borderline schizophrenic, that she was having an affair with either her father or her uncle or both, that she had been raped as a child and gave birth to a baby in Europe, etc. If all of these were true Lizzie would have had a much more exciting life than she actually did!

[Harry]

The theory that Lizzie and Bridget had a lesbian affair was put forth by the late Evan Hunter in his book Lizzie: A Novel.

There is an interview with Mr. Evans, conducted by Stefani, in the library.

See http://lizzieandrewborden.com/WritersCo ... Hunter.htm

For those who don't want to read the entire interview, here's the crux of it:

"LBVML: Your theory of the case, namely that Lizzie killed her stepmother Abby after having been unexpectedly discovered in bed with Bridget Sullivan, is a unique one and has inspired much discussion. Do you still subscribe to this scenario or have you developed another theory?

Frankly, I haven't given another thought to Lizzie Borden since I finished the book, and I have no reason to revise my original premise. My theory was based on news articles about Lizzie's sister leaving the house, never to return, never to see Lizzie again, after an argument following the "midnight entertainment of Lizzie's close friend, the actress Nance O'Neill." Her sister said in a later interview, "The happenings at the French Street house that caused me to leave, I must refuse to talk about." And the Reverend A. E. Buck advised her that "it was imperative" that she should "make her home elsewhere." Emma remarked, "I do not expect ever to set foot on the place while she lives." I don't know what all of that may suggest to anyone else, but I do know what it suggested to me.

LBVML: You are among an ever-growing group of Borden scholars who believe Lizzie Borden to have been a lesbian. Did you use this idea of her purely as a devise of fiction, or do you believe that Lizzie's murderous rage stems from her shame?

Not shame. I would certainly never suggest that any lesbian should be ashamed of her sexual preference. This is something quite else. Her stepmother calls her "Monster! Unnatural thing." If I may quote from the novel: "She immediately rejected this deformed image of herself, blind anger rising to dispel it, suffocating rage surfacing to encompass and engulf the hopelessness of her secret passion, the chance discovery by this woman who stood quaking now against the closed door to the guest room, the fearsome threat of revelation to her father, the unfairness and stupidity of not being allowed to live her own life as she CHOSE to live it!" Aside from that being some damn fine writing (he said modestly,) it certainly doesn't speak of shame. If anything, it's a cry for understanding. It's a woman pleading for the freedom to be herself."

[Yooper]

So, the only reason Emma would have left Maplecroft is if Lizzie was a lesbian. That is also the only reason Reverend Buck would have advised Emma to leave. Bridget was also irrefutably a lesbian who was necessarily attracted to Lizzie. They were discovered together by Abby during a time when Bridget, who wasn't feeling well, was seen outside the house washing windows. Lizzie was in the habit of bringing a hatchet along on these occasions. Sounds like horse exhaust to me!

[snokkums]

There seem to be a lot of theories. The problem for me is that so many of them simply do not take the established facts into account, and they also create extra characters to explain these theories and make things up out of thin air. Usually they've written a book. I've read that the maid did it, that Andrew's illegitimate son did it, that a passing stranger did it. I've read that Lizzie was borderline schizophrenic, that she was having an affair with either her father or her uncle or both, that she had been raped as a child and gave birth to a baby in Europe, etc. If all of these were true Lizzie would have had a much more exciting life than she actually did!

Lizbeth,
You came up with one theory that I've never hear of: she was raped as a child and gave birth to a baby in Europe! I know that one isn't true, but I like that one! You are right though, if all those theories were true she was having an awfully exciting life. Although I did hear of her being molested by her father, but there is no proof of that.

As for Emma leaving Maplecroft because of a Lesbian affair, I thought she left because she was entertaining the actors and those kinds of people. Guess we'll never know.