The Reference Desk

Lizzie Borden


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In this episode, Hailee is bewitched by the Lizzie Borden. 

Lizzie Borden took an ax
and gave her mother forty whacks.
When she saw what she had done,
she gave her father forty-one.

But is that what really happened? On August 4th, 1892, Andrew and Abbie Borden were murdered in their home by an axe in broad daylight. Lizzie, Andrew's daughter, was the only suspect in the murder but she was acquitted through a trial sensationalized in the media and lived the rest of her life as a free, though publicly tormented figure. No one else was ever tried for the crime and it technically remains an unsolved murder. 

Staff picks

  • Great or Nothing by Joy McCullough, Caroline Tung Richmond, Tess Sharpe, Jessica Spotswood
  • Lessons in Chemistry  by Bonnie Garmus

Related media recommendations

  • The Lizzie Borden Chronicles (2015)
  • Lizzie Borden Took an Axe (2014)
  • Lizzie (2018)
  • The Borden Murders: Lizzie Borden and the Trial of the Century by Sarah Miller
  • The Trial of Lizzie Borden by Cara Robertson
  • The Jennings Journals 1892: The unpublished notes and documents from the files of Lizzie Borden’s Defense Attorney, Andrew Jackson Jennings.
  • See What I Have Done by Sarah Schmidt
  • Maplecroft by Cherie Priest
  • The Murderer's Maid by Erika Mailman

If you are interested in any of the books we talk about in this episode, please consider purchasing them through our affiliate link with Bookshop.org!


Sources:

Lizzie Borden.

Famous Trials: Lizzie Borden Trial.

https://lizzieandrewborden.com/

Why 19th Century Axe Murderer Lizzie Borden was Found Not Guilty 

The Long Silence of Lizzie Borden

CBS: Lizzie Borden Case Images

On the Market: Lizzie Borden House for Sale

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The Reference DeskBy The Reference Desk