Emma left town for Fairhaven to visit Helen Brownell ca 21 July 1892, two weeks to the day before the murders as she recounted in sworn testimony given at trial. In that same testimony she further stated that she last saw Lizzie at New Bedford on the 23rd of July. Emma’s stay at the Brownell abode in Fairhaven was originally intended to last another week or two at least but as we know was cut short on the 4th of August after she received Dr. Bowen’s telegram informing her of the murders.
Morse is a bit stickier perhaps, but this much we can say: His overnight stay on the 3rd was presumably by invitation of Andrew Borden, with whom Morse had sat somewhat late in the parlor (or the sitting room) discussing some sort of business matter. Mr. Borden retired to bed first and Morse followed shortly thereafter.
By his own account, he next saw Mr. & Mrs. Borden at breakfast at approximately 7 am on August 4th 1892. The 3 of them ate together, and afterward he and Andrew Borden retired from the dining room into the sitting room, where shortly thereafter they were joined by Mrs. Borden. After a time, Mrs. Borden went about dusting. Morse stated that Andrew Borden was in and out of the sitting room several times.
Morse departed No. 92 something between 20 and 15 minutes before 9:00, being shown out by Andrew Borden. Morse unhooked the screen door and Andrew hooked it again after John Morse walked out. The two exchanged a word or two, and Morse then departed the premises. He did not return to the Borden home until sometime after the murders were committed and the alarm raised.
As to his presence in Fall River being odd – probably not so much as we might think. He gave his present residence (in June, 1893) as South Dartmouth, where he resided with an elderly gentleman, Mr. Davis. Davis suffered some sort of infirmity (near blindness perhaps, something of that nature) and John Morse helped him out with chores or whatever as needed. Morse is a bit vague in his numbers now and then, but it appears that he came to Massachusetts – oh, he says under oath at trial that he returned in February or April, 1890.
Modern instruments set the distance between South Dartmouth & Fall River, Massachusetts at about 13 miles. So the question must be asked: Is it really that unusual that John Morse might have arranged (or been invited) for an overnight stay in the upstairs guestroom at 92 Second Street? Mrs. Borden herself expected a visitor or visitors, who were to be domiciled in that same room only a few days after the murders.
We do not know the precise nature of relations between Morse and Andrew Borden, but we do know that theirs was a long history – some years prior to the death of Sarah Borden at any rate. The two were by all accounts at the very least cordial – and although that does to some degree depend on a feller’s notion of cordiality, it’s likely fair to say they got along at least well enough.
Let’s take a moment now and examine the other brother-in-law Hiram Harrington, husband of Andrew Borden’s sister, Luranna. For reasons which are somewhat difficult to fathom at this late date Andrew Borden and Hiram Harrington maintained a less-than-cordial relationship despite their brotherly bond by marriage – and for this one we can pretty well toss anyone’s notion of “cordiality” into the sludge hole down cellar at 92 Second straightaway. Each appeared to regard the other as a dirty skunk, at best and maintained a distance.
Lizzie, taking her father’s view, also regarded Hiram Harrington as something of a dirty skunk – and probably a bit more than that after the interview he gave concerning the murders to one of the local papers in Fall River. Taking careful aim, he expressed his opinion that the object of the murders was unquestionably money – and that niece Lizzie was undoubtedly the doer of the deed. Nice shot, huh?
Lizzie for her part returned fire at the inquest when asked to name individuals with whom her father had exchanged harsh words. The only one she could recollect by name was Hiram Harrington, her dirty skunk of an uncle.
Interestingly, Harrington’s distaste of all things “Borden” – apart from his own wife, of course – seems not to have included Emma, to whom he is said to have spoken cordially even if it was at the door or in the yard of No. 92 Second Street.
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TotheWatersandtheWild
10 years ago
Nice, precise info and interesting read.
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Our civilization is flinging itself to pieces. Stand back from the centrifuge.
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