Lizzie Wed pm walk

[camgarsky4]

Pondering on the possibility of Lizzie sneaking someone in the house when she got home Wednesday night from her visit to Alice's house. If one believed in the 'Lizzie +1' theory, Wed evening w/ Lizzie appears to be a potential entry time for this person.

Based on Morse testimony and Lizzie's comments, she got home after 9pm and avoided seeing anyone in the house. Sunset August 4 2020 was 8:16pm. So pretty dark by the time Lizzie got to her front door over an hour later.

Question for the River Falls historians (MB?), were the streets lit back then? In particular 2nd St.? Would walking in the dark alone have been a standard practice in 1892?

If very dark, it makes it a bit more plausible that Lizzie could sneak someone in front door without being seen by neighbors or passers by.

[camgarsky4]

Just googled sunset time in 1892.....hour earlier. 7:16pm.

[mbhenty]

Yes, fall river certainly had street lighting in 1890. Lighting would be gas. Electric lighting started evolving in the late 1990s. And in 1892 some towns had what was known as Electric Arc Lighting. They were placed very high and made to light a good portion of the neighborhood. Don't think Fall River every had it. In 1892 it would be gas. Gas lighting was all over the city. But lights were not that close together and many were on street corners where they did most good.

You can find photos of Rock street in 1890 with gas lighting. Probably two or three lights every block or so. Off course this was where all the people with money lived. And if I have money and I want lighting, I'm going to get lighting.

Don't think Second street had much lighting. Probably on street corners. At least certainly none in front of the Borden house. Also there are no photos of any street lighting near the Borden house in 1892.

Example: Below is one of the best photos showing a good portion of Second street. I don't see any lighting near number 92, or close beyond.

Second street was an old neighborhood and there were few improvements. Most of the construction was in the North end where you find lighting all over the Highland area. Or along main business thoroughfares.

[mbhenty]

Now this is an illustration of Lizzie's neighborhood.

It was taken by the Boston Globe in August of 1892 and made it's first appearance in 1935 in Pearson's book, Trail of Lizzie Borden (I believe)

It shows a street light close to the corner of Borden Street and 2nd Street, across the street from the borden house and at least two properties away.

Now:

Whether it was really there or not we don't know. It could have just been drawn in for effect since they did not include the tree in front of the house or the other tree which was across the street a ways up 2nd.

Interesting no less.

[mbhenty]

If one follows this crime, especially close attention to the time line, they should discover, which many do not, that Lizzie just didn't have the time to wash blood splatter or get rid of the axe.

I have been back and forth on Lizzie's guilt for almost 45 years—while doing casual reading in the 1970s to serious study in the 1990s.

I for one have concluded that she could not have done it. Not without the help of Bridget, if one follows the time line....with the big stumbling block being what happened to the axe?

I believe.....for all it's worth.... that Lizzie let someone in. And that she did go to or near the barn. When it came to her father being killed she did not want to be in the house to see or hear him die. Or possibly she went outside to make certain the coast was clear, which would be quite the hat trick in that neighborhood. That's what makes this case so intriguing.

Ultimately, I believe if the killer was ever uncovered it would probably be a stranger to any Lizzie aficionado today. That's my 2 cents. (which in Lizzie's time would be worth about 26 cents

[camgarsky4]

If she let someone in, are you thinking Wednesday night when she got home from Alice's? Or sometime Thursday a.m.?

[mbhenty]

Though I believe that she let someone in to commit the murders it is hard to believe that they would get inside the house and able to leave without being seen.

It was a main-side-street parallel to Main street and well traveled as it is today.

Then there is Mrs. Churchill. Her house was very, very close to the Borden back door. And Mrs. Churchill had boarders and a son living in her house. And I believe that there was a side entrance on the Borden side of the Churchill property. There was certainly a good size porch that overlooked the Borden property. And on a hot summer's day windows would be open. Serendipity would need to be in overdrive to pull it off. But it could be done.

I would think that entry and exit would be best via the back door or better yet the basement bulkhead and escape over the back fence into the Doctor Chagnon's yard where there were plenty of trees. But to enter and leave that house at that time and not be seen would be very challenging.

I imagine that if she had to help someone leave in broad daylight that she probably would have let him/her in at the same time of day.

[camgarsky4]

Thanks....great point that this was NOT a traditional low traffic residential area.

I'm trying to restrain myself and not send a bunch of one-off questions, but as I'm reading & researching, certain intangible feedback from this forum help in processing all the info.

Assuming the killer had roughly 15-20 minutes (10:50/55-11:10), between when Lizzie walked out the back screen door and when she returned to the house thru that same backdoor (and watching that door via the barn window). How is there really any plausible scenario where it wasn't Lizzie or someone Lizzie cooperated with that did the killing? Even if the killer was hiding on the first floor (necessary to even know that Lizzie left the house and Andrew could be approached without being seen), how did they know Lizzie wasn't going out to grab a pear and come right back in? How did they know Bridget wasn't just going upstairs to grab an apron and come back down quickly? If the intruder was hiding on 2nd floor, how did they even know Bridget and Lizzie had left the kitchen/sitting room area? Again, we're talking a very brief time window.

I guess in a nutshell, I'm trying to get my head around how Lizzie wasn't involved directly as the doer or the enabler? MB, I know you are in the 'Lizzie was an enabler" camp, but in your POV is there a rational scenario that an independent killer could have know when to strike and escape in that tiny, unforeseen 15-20 minute window?