The Fall River, MA Murders Trivia Quiz

Answer: Thursday, August 4, 1892

On Thursday, August 4, 1892 at approximately 11:00 a.m., Lizzie found the lifeless bodies of her father, Andrew J. Borden, and her stepmother, Abby Borden.

Answer: Sitting room

Andrew J. Borden was found by Lizzie in the family's sitting room. She immediately called for Bridgette, the maid. Bridgette was told that Mr. Borden was dead. Lizzie told her not to go in the sitting room, but instead to go get the doctor. Bridgette ran across the street to their neighbor and family physician, Dr. Bowen. Finding Dr. Bowen not home, his wife told Bridgette to go to get the Borden sisters' friend, Alice Russell, who lived a few blocks away.

Answer: The guest room

Abby Borden was found in the guest room on the second floor by Bridgette and a neighbor by the name of Mrs. Churchill. Mrs. Adelaide Churchill saw something upsetting was happening at the Borden house and rushed over and asked Lizzie what was the matter. Lizzie replied, "Oh, Mrs. Churchill, please come over! Someone has killed Father!". Mrs. Churchill then sent her handyman to find a doctor and to summon the police. Mrs. Churchill then asked Lizzie where her mother (actually Lizzie's stepmother) was. Lizzie said the her mother received a note saying that a sick friend needed her. Moments later, Bridgette returned to the house with Dr. Bowen in tow.

Answer: True

Lizzie did indeed tell Mrs. Churchill this, but it was soon discovered that that wasn't the truth. Abby Borden's body was found a little while later, after Lizzie told Bridgette, "I am almost positive I heard her coming in. Go upstairs and see." Why did Lizzie tell Mrs. Churchill that Abby Borden wasn't there and then a little while later say she heard her come in? Was Lizzie hiding something that she didn't want anyone to know?

Answer: prussic acid

Eli Bence, the clerk at the store, told police that Lizzie had attempted to buy 10 cents worth of Prussic acid. Mr. Bence refused to sell it to Lizzie because she did not have a prescription for it. Lizzie said she needed it to kill insects that were on her sealskin cape. Two other witnesses besides Mr. Bence also told the police that Lizzie was seen inside the drug store between ten and eleven-thirty in the morning. Lizzie, however, first stated that she was never in the store that morning. Afterwards, Lizzie told the police that she didn't leave her house until after three in the afternoon. Why did Lizzie change her story? Could it be that she was covering up for herself or someone else?

Answer: Lizzie

Abby Borden told Bridgette to clean the windows in the house. Lizzie told her to bring the laundry in from outside. When Lizzie found her dead father, Bridgette was still doing the laundry. Why didn't Bridgette hear any screams? Why didn't Bridgette see anyone that she didn't know, enter the house?

Answer: They found Lizzie hadn't been in the barn that morning.

When the police went to the barn, specifically the hayloft, they found the floor of the loft covered in dust. Since they couldn't find any footprints in the dust, they came to the obvious conclusion that Lizzie was never in the barn like she claimed.

Answer: She may have burned it.

Despite a search of the entire house, the note that Lizzie claimed to have seen was nowhere to be found. When the police asked Lizzie what she did with it, Lizzie stated that she may have inadvertently burned it. Why would Lizzie burn a piece of evidence that would have proven that she wasn't lying? Did she do this to protect herself or someone else?

Answer: Yes

The police did indeed find a hatchet with blood and hair on it, but it was later proven to be cow's blood and hair.

Answer: dining room table

At the time of these infamous murders, autopsies were performed in the house where the murders took place. The autopsies performed on the Bordens took place on the dining room table.

Answer: She burned it.

On August 7, 1892, Lizzie was seen by Miss Russell (the Borden sisters' friend) burning a dress. Miss Russell said, "If I were you, I wouldn't let anybody see me do that, Lizzie." Lizzie said the dress was an old dress that had somehow gotten red paint on it and that it was of no use anymore.

This statement led Judge Blaisdell of the Second District Court to charge Lizzie with the murders of her father and stepmother. If Lizzie was innocent, why did she burn that dress? Did the dress really have red paint on it as Lizzie claimed? We will never know the true answer to that question.

Answer: 3

On December 1, 1892, after Miss Russell testified about the burning of the dress, the Grand Jury charged Lizzie with three counts of murder. As strange as it seems, Lizzie was charged with the murder of her father, the murder of her stepmother, and the murders of both of them. The trial of Lizzie Borden was set for June 5, 1893.

Answer: June 5, 1893

The trial was set for June 5, 1893. It lasted for fourteen days, until June 20, 1893. It took one day for the jury to be selected. The jury was made up of middle age farmers and tradesmen. The prosecution took seven days to present their case against Lizzie. Hosea Knowlton and Attorney General of Massachusetts, Arthur Pillsbury, the lead prosecutors of the case, were receiving a lot of grief from women's groups and religious organizations. William Moody, District Attorney of Essex County was assigned to the case to assist them.

Answer: 3

William Moody, District Attorney of Essex County and assistant to lead prosecutors Knowlton and Pillsbury, presented three opening statements to the jury. His first argument stated that Lizzie was predisposed to murdering her father and stepmother and that she planned this heinous act.

His second argument stated that Lizzie did indeed murder her father and stepmother. His third and final argument stated that her behavior and contradictory testimony was not consistent with innocence. The motive that the prosecution gave for Lizzie having murdered her father and stepmother was money.

It seems that Andrew J. Borden was an extremely wealty business man and was toying with the idea of making a will. This will would have left Lizzie and her sister, Emma, $25,000.00 each.

The remainder of the money would go to his wife, Abby. The prosecution contends that Lizzie's father was intending to write a new will that would leave his spinster daughters nothing.

Answer: False

On Monday, June 19, 1893, the jury was given the case. A little over an hour later the jury reached a verdict. The verdict handed down was "Not Guilty".

Answer: Theft

Lizzie was charged with the theft of two paintings, valued at less than one hundred dollars, from the Tilden-Thurber store in Fall River. The matter was resolved privately.

Answer: June 1, 1927

On June 1, 1927, Lizzie died of complications after an operation to remove her gall bladder. Her sister, Emma, died nine days later after falling down the stairs. They were buried together in the family plot. Lizzie was 67 years old when she died.

Answer: Uncle Morse

Uncle Morse has been suspected of killing Andrew J. and Abby Borden by theologians. This, however, is untrue. Uncle Morse had a solid alibi and many witnesses who testified to his whereabouts on the day of the murders. The only one who didn't have any witnesses to her whereabouts was Lizzie. Lizzie also changed her story a few times. Everyone else associated with the case had always kept to the same story. If, as the verdict states, Lizzie is innocent of the murders of her father and stepmother, why then did she change her story?

Answer: Yes

Yes, Bridgette has been suspected of killing the Bordens. As strange as it sounds, people have suspected her of killing the Bordens and that Lizzie had covered up for her. Bridgette was outside taking down laundry from the clothesline to bring inside. Neighbors saw her doing this.

She was outside when Lizzie called to her to tell her that her father had been murdered. If Bridgette killed the Bordens, why would Lizzie cover for her? Why would Lizzie put herself in jeopardy and go to jail for so many months before the trial, if Bridgette did it? It is my opinion that Bridgette did not kill the Bordens. I believe Lizzie killed them.

She was the only one with motive, availabilty, and access. It is also my opinion that no one else could have killed the Bordens.

It seems Lizzie got away with murder.

Answer: 40 whacks, 41

This nursery rhyme is cute but totally wrong. Lizzie's father was only hit with the axe 19 times and her mother (stepmother) only 15 times. As with all stories, information was twisted to make this rhyme. All information can be found in the "Lizzie Borden Crime Library" website, "Lizzie Borden: The Legend, the Truth, the Final Chapter" by A. R. Brown, and "Lizzie Borden" by Elizabeth Engstrom.