Lizzie Borden Society Forum

It turns out the Lizzie Borden Case was not the first or only sensational murder trial of 1892, involving a young Society Girl. In January of 1892, the New York Times carried the headline:

"A Most Shocking Crime: A Memphis Society Girl Cuts A Former Friend."

From New York to San Francisco people read about nineteen-year old Alice Mitchell, the daughter of a wealthy retired merchant, and how she slit the throat of seventeen-year old Freda Ward with her father's razor. Alice told the police that she was in love with Freda and that the two planned to runaway and get married. In their new life Alice would pose as a man. However, Freda changed her mind and was about to leave town. Alice followed her in a buggy. With Alice was her friend, named oddly enough, Lizzie Johnston. The murder occured right in front of Freda's sister. Alice was soon arrested and put on trial. She pleaded insanity. Alice was soon sent to an insane asylum.

I don't have all of the details of this case. I do know that Alice died about 9-10 years after the trial. I don't know if she was still in the asylum.

Just like Lizzie, Alice had a doggeral about her. Here's part of it:

You have heard of Freda Ward

Who lived many miles from town

As she went down the stone-paved walk,

Alice Mitchell cut her down

They won't do anything to her,

She has two of the best lawyers in town


Thought that last line reminded me again of Lizzie

That's such an interesting story. Thanks for sharing it!

That's such an interesting story. Thanks for sharing it!

I think I've read this story in an anthology of murder.
Thanks for the story.

I was really interested to try and learn some more about this case, thanks for sharing it DWilly. I looked around on the internet to see if I could find anything about it. One of the hits I got from doing a search was a thread started here in the forum:

http://lizzieandrewborden.com/Archive04 ... Murder.htm


She Loved And Killed Her

http://asylumeclectica.com/garretdom/de ... /loved.htm


http://www.homeremodelingtoday.com/tool ... 0822326175



You-all have heard of Freddy Ward,
Who lived many miles from town.
While walking down the stone pavement,
Alice Mitchell cut her down.

She says she killed her because she loved her,
But love was not the thing,
For Alice and Freddy both loved the same man,
And she taken her life for him.

They put her on an eastbound train,
With arms strong tightly bound down.
And every town that she would pass through,
You could hear those people say:

"There goes that Alice Mitchell,
With arms strong tightly bound down,
For the crime she did in Memphis,
She's bound for Bolivar now.

"And they won't do anything to her--
She has two of the best lawyers in town--
But if they served Alice Mitchell right,
They would simply cut her down."

http://www.lyon.edu/wolfcollection/song ... e1245.html

Lizzie Borden is briefly mentioned in Lisa Duggan's book Sapphic Slashers I haven't read the book but I did glance at the Lizzie parts. Basically Duggan feels that the Borden case and the Mitchell case made headlines because here you have two young white women who came from the upper classes of society who seem to turn on it. In other words they revolted against the patriarchy.


I find it interesting that in the song it is added that Freda and Alice loved "the same man" Where they got that I don't know. Alice was pretty clear on the fact she loved Freda and that's why she cut her down.

What's also interesting is how two of the things said about Alice were later said about Lizzie. First, that Alice had spells. Kind of along the Victoria Lincoln lines about Lizzie. Second, both Lizzie and Alice are pictured as being some what masculine.

I read that topic Susan started- thanks for the link.
That rays could surely stop a thread to a screeching halt!

Did they think a woman who loved a woman was insane, anyway, back then?