Did Elizabeth Lizze Borden murder her parents - Essay Example

? [Submitted to] Did Elizabeth Lizzie Borden murder her parents? The case of Elizabeth Lizzie Borden got substantialattention in the past and even today the mystery has attracted many people due to its ambiguous state, unjustified ending and unresolved condition. Whenever it comes to Lizzie Borden the only question which arises is about the real murderer of the husband and wife i.e. father and step mother of Lizzie. This question has puzzled many critics, researchers, writers and people associated with the legal punishments since the last century. The general public has also shown great interest in the subject that what had compelled a young daughter to kill her parents? Did she really kill them or there was someone else involved in the case that did not show up to the front screen. The events of a hot summer day in 1892 remained a mystery however; history has offered us some interesting facts which can prove to be helpful in solving this case of brutal killing. On August 4, 1892 Mr. Andrew Jackson Borden with his second wife Abby Durfee Gray was found brutally murdered in their house located in Fall River, Massachusetts. It was a hot sunny day and both were killed by a sharp axe (Watson, Elizabeth E.). Lizzie Borden was at home when the incident took place and was accused of the criminal act. But she was declared innocent after the trial. The town people believed that she had murdered her parents however even after more than 100 years the mystery has remained unsolved. Nobody knows about the actual murderer. Despite of her being indicted she inherited a considerable property from her father’s wealth. THE MYSTERY Critics and writers have a strong consensus on one point of the case that it was none other than Lizzie who murdered her father and step mother using a very sharp axe. The possible reason for such a brutal act is suggested to be the family disputes going on between Mr. Andrew Borden and his daughter Lizzie Borden in relation to the distribution of property among the family members of Lizzie’s step mother, Abby Gray. Being a wealthy and renowned person of the town, Mr. Andrew was accustomed to help his wife’s siblings financially through lending them money for buying a house or any other related thing. Whereas on the other side Lizzie was extremely disturbed after the death of her mother she never accepted the new family member, Ms Abby as her mother again. She was a well respected lady among the town members but the uncertainty going on within the family was known to everyone. It was a hot morning when Mr. Andrew was found dead in his room lying on the sofa. His body was showing the marks of heavy wounds including the poor condition of his head which was struck eleven times with a sharp instrument. His eye balls were cracked which clearly represented the extremely cruel nature of the murderer. On the other hand his wife’s body was found in the guest room. She was kneeled down on the bed which showed that she had been setting the bed when someone stabbed her head from the back using the same instrument nineteen or more times. Fortunately or unfortunately Lizzie was at home when the incident took place and she was the one who informed mates and servants. As soon as the news spread out neighbors and town people also get in to see what has happened as the Borden family was considered one of the richest families in the town and that the murder was too much suspicious. Soon after the murder Lizzie was arrested as being accused of doing the criminal activity but was released after some months of trial (Kent, David). Her declared innocence put many questions in front of the critics and general public that either she was a real murderer or the court’s decision was a justified one? Argument Research shows that she had committed the crime because throughout the trial session she was continuously changing her statements, she was seen very nervous and frequently changed her answers about her position when his father came back home. First she said that she was in her room on his return while on the other side she was saying that she was in the hall room. The biggest reason of suspecting Lizzie was her presence at home on the time of incident and the dispute which was already going on between the family members on the distribution of property among the relatives of Lizzie’s step mother and the will of Mr. Andrew. It was noticed that from the day one she did not like her mother and never called her with the relationship between them rather she always used to call her Mrs. Borden. Lizzie was also very cruel and brutal with other creatures as well which was evident from her varying acts. Around four years before the incident she had killed her cat by chopping her head. She had used a hatchet for the purpose and it is noted that same sort of instrument was also found on her parent’s murder. She had a great lust for inheriting her father’s wealth after his death indeed she was successful in her greed to some extent because Mrs. Borden was killed before her husband and that her property was transferred to him and subsequently to his daughters after his death i.e. to Lizzie and Emma. She was always very jealous of her mother because she believed that her father gives her preference and therefore the overall environment of the house was very cold and harsh as she used to pass bad comments on her mother every now and then. It was found out that on the trial sessions she had shown the wrong dress hiding the one she had actually wore on the day of incident which contained blood stains on it (Rehak, David). The real instrument which was used to kill the husband and wife was found in the house which clearly infers that the murderer was none other than the residents of the house because if some outsider had committed the brutal activity then why he/she must have left the weapon on the site of crime. People those around her defined her character as being abnormal, merciless, revolting and arrogant. The blood stains present on her body were tested and the results showed that they were of some human being instead of some animal or any other thing and her dress was also in a very poor condition reasons for which are still not found. More over considering the situation of the house and the characteristics of the residents it is apparent that Lizzie was most courageous to commit such an act and that she also had the opportunity to do so while other members were not so much notorious and cruel (Rehak, David). In addition to all these facts Lizzie was also involved in a lesbian relationship which was the root cause of all her behaviors and greed for her father’s wealth. Her girlfriend was in need of financial support and Lizzie wanted her father’s money to help her out. Despite of all these facts against Lizzie, she was sentenced innocent by the Supreme Court of the Country after going through a trial for few months on the basis that sufficient evidences were not found against her and that there were no eye witnesses (Stanford, Larry). Now that one whole century has passed people believe that it was the twist of fate that she was saved from the punishment or in other case she had been successful in manipulating the whole situation. The story did not end there, the town people, authorities of the Church, Literature and film industry all believed that she was the real culprit and therefore a large number of arguments, movies, and novels are present even today. In one similar article, it is proposed that the husband and wife were killed by the step brother of Lizzie (Brown, Arnold R). Many other proposals are found but most of them consider Lizzie the murderer of her parents. Their argument is based on the fact that soon after the incident Lizzie had burned her dress she was wearing on that unfortunate day. But Lizzie’s sister Emma justifies this by saying that she was habitual of burning her unusable clothes and those who consider her innocent says that it was a frequent practice at the time of Lizzie Borden and so she cannot be accused of murder just on the basis of burning dress. People who believe in her innocence argues that she was also a generous women despite of being arrogant and that the deputes between parents and child were all normal disputes like the one every other family has and that she was not involved in a lesbian relationship, why a lady from such a respectable and rich background will have such relationships? Nobody had seen her committing the act and the court cannot sentence her to death without an eyewitness. Discussion Although the case is a century old now but the mystery should be resolved so that people who might commit the same crime in future can learn a lesson in advance. The evidences of the incident are not faded as yet. Courts and the other related authorities have a clear record of Lizzie’s case hence the case can be easily reopen to investigate once more that either Elizabeth Lizzie Borden murdered her parents or not? Apart from solutions given by the experts the case can also be resolved on the basis of psychology. It is obvious from the above argument that Lizze was not a normal person or at least she did not remain normal after her mother’s death. Her negative attitude, nature of hatred and revenge are quite apparent by the way she killed her cat. It should be noted that she murdered her mother in the same way by stabbing in her head as she had done with her cat some four years before the incident. Killing one’s pet in such a brutal way can never be justified as a normal behavior rather it closely resembles to some psychological disorder which must have been treated instead of declaring her to be innocent or in other way encouraging similar criminal acts. In addition to this, the court and judiciary system of the nineteenth and twentieth century was not good enough to solve such a mysterious case and hence they ended up in releasing the obvious criminal. But today the American Judiciary System is one of the most advanced and well organized systems of the world which can easily figure out the underlying reasons and facts of the murder. Though Lizzie is dead and she cannot be punished for her deed but still the ambiguity of the case can be removed by reopening and reinvestigating it in to the deep holes. It is a shock to see that people either support Lizzie or talk against her but nobody really bothers about reopening the case from the initial point as it is extremely necessary to do this because after being declared innocent Lizzie inherited her father’s substantial property and lived a comparatively better life. This property was to be distributed among other family members if she had been found guilty. So in a way she utilized and enjoyed something which did not belonged to her and that the rights of others were surely violated. When a criminal is released in spite of significant evidences against him/her then it establishes a bad example in the society and proves as an encouragement for all the people who have revengeful intentions and motives. In such a scenario if an old case is resolved such as Lizzie’s then it will prove to be highly worthy in relation to bring back the harmony and justice in the society ultimately ending such brutal criminal activities. Works Cited Watson, Elizabeth E. Lizzie Didn't Do It: Emma Did! Boston: Branden Books, 2011. Print. Brown, Arnold R. Lizzie Borden: The Legend, the Truth, the Final Chapter. Nashville, Tenn: Rutledge Hill Press, 1991. Print. Rehak, David. Did Lizzie Borden Axe for It?: A New Look at the Woman and the Murder Case: Lizze did not do it. Just My Best Publishing Company, 2005. Print Kent, David. Forty Whacks: New Evidence in the Life and Legend of Lizzie Borden. Emmaus, Pa: Yankee Books, 1992. Print. Stanford, Larry. Wicked Newport: Sordid Stories from the City by the Sea. The History Press, 2008. Print. Read More