Lizzie Borden Society Forum

The case:
A man screams for over an hour and wakes up the majority of people who live in his neighborhood. Rather than complain about the noise or tell the man to stop, his neighbors give him an enthusiastic response.

They Mystery:
Who is the man and what four words was he yelling?

Solution?

Was it Abraham Lincoln saying "The War is Over" ?

I don't know!
That's a good guess , Mark.

I was thinking "Fire"

Or "Ho Ho Ho Ho" Santa Claus...

I should be able to get this...

Stefani, please tell the answer. I was up all night trying to figure out what it could be. My wife suggested Paul Revere's " The British are coming"

I'd almost bet the farm your wife got it right, Mark.

Getting highly technical, Paul Revere was already up and out. From that famous poem:

One if by land and two if by sea,
And I on the opposite shore will be,

He was off and running the minute he saw the lamps. And he also would have probably shouted "The redcoats are coming" as the populace considered themselves British as well.

Just pokin' at cha!

I like Mark's Lincoln one. Nice colorization of that photo as well.

I'm gunna throw my nickel in, with a slightly different answer:

The rider was Paul Revere - But - most probably the shouted phrase was "The Regulars are coming!"

I've heard some speculation (which makes some good sense) that "The British" are coming was a later phrase invented or supposed by the first chroniclers of Revolutionary War history.

"The British are coming" ... well, let's put it this way - rather than cause alarm, it might cause ye farmer domiciled at yon Middlesex farm to shake the wife awake and ask sleepily: "Mary, what is that fool yelling about?? Who'd bloody come to tea at this hour??!! I'm going back to bed!"

Whereas the phrase "The Regulars are coming!" would have instantly told yon slumbering Middlesex farmer that something far more serious than a "Johnny come to midnight tea" was in the works.

Speculation? Sure it is...but how many colonists regarded themselves as "American" before the Declaration??

King George's troops were commonly known as "regulars" ...

OT: You could probably go with either "regulars" or "redcoats" as both were used.

I have no idea what the answer is.

My first thought was MLK "I have a dream"...
or John Lennon "Give Peace a chance"...
but I have a feeling the solution is going to be
more silly, TELL US?

It is indeed Paul Revere, and the phase that pays is "The British are coming!"

Want another?

The case:
A steady stream of people enter Butch's place of business and remove its treasured belongings. The people do not pay for what they take. Butch allows them to take as much as they can carry as long as they keep it quiet.

The Mystery:
What type of business employes Butch and what are the people taking?

Butch works in a library and they are taking books....

I adore libraries!

WOW! That is right!


Another?

The case:
In 1994, a man's dead body is found, sitting upright, in a small room with no windows. Had the year been 1989, he would not have died. Even before the authorities open the door, they know that hte man did not take his own life.

The Mystery:
How did the man die and why wouldn't he have died in 1989?

Was he sentenced to death and executed for a crime he committed later than 1989?

Carbon Monoxide poisoning- Carbon Monoxide detector

My guess:

He was executed in the electric chair. The death penalty was ruled illegal in 1989 and reinstated in 1994.

Bingo!

The case:
Against the recommendations of her friends and family, an elderly woman begins an unusual diet. Her menu includes a wide variety of foods, but ultimately she eats something that kills her.

The Mystery:
What was the first item of her diet and what was the last?

I'm thinking mushrooms. She eats a variety of them, the first non-poisonous, the last one poisonous.

Stef, can you tell us the last answer? Please.

Sorry. I was deeply into my finals week at school. My brain is sore from doing math while figuring out everyone's scores. I wish there were an easier way!!

Oh , the answer. You're gonna kick yourself.

It is the old woman who swallowed a fly.

Actually mushrooms is a better solution. I like it.

Got any more mysteries? I'm not any good at these, for some reason.

Kat @ Wed May 05, 2004 4:39 pm wrote:Actually mushrooms is a better solution. I like it.

Got any more mysteries? I'm not any good at these, for some reason.

Like Foster Brooks said: "My first wife died of mushroom poisoning. My second wife died from mushroom poisoning. My third wife also died from mushroom poisoning but my fourth wife died from a crack on the head. She wouldn't eat her mushrooms."

-1bigsteve (o: