The Jail Interview That Shows a Different Side of Lizzie Borden

Over a century after the infamous Borden family case, Lizzie Borden’s story lives on in legend. The 1892 murders of wealthy businessman Andrew Borden and his second wife Abby rocked the town of Fall River, Massachusetts, and while it was never proven who committed the crimes, one person was blamed for the rest of her life.

Andrew’s youngest daughter Lizzie allegedly found the bodies at home the morning of August 4, 1892, both brutally hacked with a hatchet. Though a few other people were looked at as suspects, investigators eventually arrested and charged Lizzie after collecting circumstantial evidence. This included alleged poison she attempted to buy days before the killings and her strange behavior during the inquest (which was later all but explained by the discovery that her doctor had prescribed her morphine).

Lizzie’s trial commenced on June 5, 1893, after spending months behind bars. Outside of the courtroom, her image was being picked apart by newspapers, who were constantly publishing “endless clues and hints and theories” about the case, according to author Sarah Miller in her book The Borden Murders: Lizzie Borden and the Trial of the Century. Though many people did not believe a woman of her status could commit such a crime, newspapers described her with words like “strange, indifferent, unfeeling, and abnormal” after her arrest, shifting the public’s perception of her.

How Lizzie Borden Really Felt About the Case

While newspapers called Lizzie “unfeeling,” we know that’s not not the full truth. There’s no historical records that show she was an emotionless psychopath, despite how she’s since been depicted in the media. In The Borden Murders: Lizzie Borden and the Trial of the Century, it’s said that Lizzie actually “sobbed herself sick” and “violent[ly]” vomited after her arrest. But it wasn’t until “no one but the matron” was left in the room that she allowed herself to “shatter.” Though she may have seemed strange or aloof in the public eye, she became very vulnerable when no one was watching.

Another example of this is the rare interview she gave while in jail awaiting her trial. Conducted by a former acquaintance Kate McGuirk, the story painted Lizzie in a different light, noting things like her “eyes red from long nights of weeping.” In the interview, Lizzie explained how difficult the experience was on her health due to her lack of sleep, exercise, and outdoors time. “The hardest thing for me to stand here is the night when there is no light,” she shared. “They will not allow me to have even a candle to read by, and to sit in the dark all the evening is very hard; but I do not want any favors that are against the rules.”

When speaking on the public’s perception of her, Lizzie made it clear she knew what people were saying and she didn’t agree with it. “There is one thing that hurts me very much,” she stated. “They say I don’t show any grief. Certainly I don’t in public. I never did reveal my feelings, and I cannot change my nature now. They say I don’t cry. They should see me when I am alone, or sometimes with my friends. It hurts me to think people say so about me. I have tried to be brave and womanly about it all. I know I am innocent, and I have made up my mind that, no matter what happens, I will try to bear it bravely and make the best of it.”

As Lizzie continued on about the way that her behavior and words were twisted in the media, McGuirk made sure to note that “There was not a trace of anger in her tones, simply a pitiful expression.”

Although this interview didn’t seem to sway the general public, Miller writes that the article proved that “Lizzie had either been grossly misinterpreted by the press, or she and Mrs. McGuirk were putting a masterful spin on her personality.” As for her assessment? “Likely a measure of both was coming into play,” she says.

As for the competitor newspapers, publications such as the Fall River Globe didn’t believe Lizzie.

No matter the public’s opinions of Lizzie, however, the 12 jurors declared her not guilty, and she was officially acquitted for the crimes. Her response to the verdict? “I wanna go home,” she told her sister.

Though Lizzie was set free on June 20, 1893, she was not accepted by the people of Fall River. And even in the decades since her death on June 1, 1927, many people still believe she is the monstrous legend that has been passed down. It doesn’t help that TV shows, like the recently-released Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story on Netflix, depict her story so far from the truth.

At the end of the day, no one but Lizzie knew if she killed her father and stepmother. But the villain she was painted to be in the media may not have been the full reality.