Lizzie Borden Society Forum

We will see how close she is when Parallel Lives comes out.

http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbc ... /106230359

If any other analyses of Lizzie's handwriting might be found, it would be interesting to see if there's a consensus.

I don't know much about handwriting analysis or its use as a forensic tool. I've considered it in the same light as astrology, more a source for entertainment than science. However, that may be wrong if there is a positive correlation between personality and handwriting. There may be some value as an indicator of tendencies toward certain traits rather than an absolute manifestation of those traits.

Thanks for sharing, Harry!

I enjoy such retro-analyses almost as much as psychic readings.

The graphologist's assessment doesn't seem off, either. I seriously doubt Lizzie was shy and retiring.

You're quite welcome, DJ.

The first question I always ask myself on these kind of things is whether this person doing the reading knew in advance the person's identity and history. Makes a huge difference even in so secret a person as Lizzie.

I agree, knowledge of the individual whose handwriting is being analyzed might well tend to color the results. There may be methods to determine validity for the claims, by comparison to other handwriting samples from other people. If several people known to possess certain similar or identical traits were compared based upon random samples of their handwriting, and the handwriting was likewise similar, then there might be something to it. Or, if several people exhibiting strikingly similar handwriting were compared and assessed for personality traits, it might shed some light on validity. However, if we find someone along the lines of Adolph Hitler comparing favorably with someone like Mother Theresa, then we have a big problem. I expect it might be a reality to make such comparisons if a suitable computer program could be conjured up.

It strikes me as a field in which a scam artist might thrive. I could probably gain the confidence of about 75% of the male population by glancing at a sample of a man's handwriting and making an off the cuff remark like "Boy, I can see you don't take any BS from anybody!". If I was analyzing pro football players, it would be more like 100%, and a much safer bet to boot! It would be a matter of telling people what they want to hear, which goes along with Harry's point about awareness of the person's identity.

Janice Warren wrote in the article: "She was vain, proud, resentful, rigid, combative, and impulsive, all stirred into a cauldron of emotion."Boy, she could tell alot of stuff from Lizzies' handwriting!

After what I've read here and from having watched "The Legend of Lizzie Borden" (1975) I would say that she probably wasn't too far off the mark with that description at all.

Keep in mind that "The Legend of Lizzie Borden" took the premise that Lizzie was guilty, so they tended to support that contention with anything which called for conjecture. Scenes depicting domestic relations within the Borden family are an example. However, given the known row over the Whitehead residence, Hiram Harrington's description of Lizzie's personality has the ring of truth about it.

The manifestation of character traits gives one pause, as regards Lizzie vis a vis Emma.

Was Emma perceived as a more shy, withdrawing, "mousy" type? I'm talking about perception, not reality, as she was right in there swinging with Lizzie for what she thought was fair.

Did people in FR have a different opinion of her-- that is, those who were familiar with both sisters?

I wonder whether Emma would have faired better on the Fourth, had Lizzie been the one off somewhere else, and Emma been in the thick of it all.

Uncle Hiram has been mentioned. Would he have, say, made a similar remark about Emma?

(Of course, Emma would have ultimately come under some scrutiny, but would she have been as readily suspicioned as LIzzie, given prevailing perceptions?)

I would like to see HER handwriting analysis!

Uncle Hiram implied Emma was more apt to be intimidated by Andrew, she was less likely to argue with him. She may have been overtly mousy, but she may well have been capable of "playing" Lizzie, thereby getting Lizzie to do her arguing for her.