Lizzie Borden Took An Ax
By Ashley E Chancy


“Lizzie Borden took an ax and gave her Mother forty whacks.
When she saw what she had done, She gave her Father forty-one.”

What began as a simple rhyme to skip rope to in the early 1890's has now long since left its mark on the little town of Fall River, Massachusetts. A once calm and quiet town was struck with terror on the morning of Thursday, August 4, 1982. It is said that Lizbeth Borden, Also known as Lizzie had brutally murdered both of her parents in their very own home on 92 Second Street. Downstairs in the lounge, Andrew Borden casually napped on the couch until he was discovered first with 12 quick blows to the face that not only tore apart his skull, But had left half of his eye dangling against his cheek. Abby Borden, Lizzie's Step-Mother was found second in the upstairs guest bedroom. Lying face down in a pool of blood, It was later determined that she met her untimely death with 19 forceful and violent blows to the back of the head and shoulder blades. She was murdered first sometime between 9 and 9:30 am. With such an odd tone, Lizzie called to their maid, Bridget Sullivan; “Come down quick. Father's Dead! Someone came in and killed him!” It all began with that simple and clear statement from Lizzie Borden that spun theories left and right as to what had actually occurred that morning.

Over the years after first being introduced to this case, I have heard theories ranging from Lizzie committing the murders to her big sister and even to their Uncle, John whom had actually stayed at the Borden residence the prior evening to the crimes. Almost all of them though circled around Lizzie playing the biggest part in them all. She did it. In the 1800's though, For a woman to commit something so atrocious was simply unthinkable. A woman could never partake in such a horrifying act of violence. Women were nurturing, Caring individuals with hearts of gold. They were not cold-blooded murderers. One of my favorite motives though is due to the fact that Andrew had removed Lizzie from his will shortly after learning that Lizzie had been having affairs with women rather than your traditionally man and woman relationship. It seemed to make sense to me. To no surprise though, Lizzie was arrested on August 9th and spent ten months in jail until her crimes were acquitted on June 21st, 1893. Imagine if this crime were to happen today? With all of today's laws, forensics, and media.. Do you think Lizzie would have walked as a free woman?

The narrow house on 92 Second Street or now known as 230 Second Street has remained as active today as it was the day of the murders. After my introduction to this house of horror late one evening on the Travel Channel, I became absolutely submerged in the stories within its walls. However, The following summer My Mom and I took our usual summer trip up North to Jersey where my Mom was originally from. We always had so much fun hanging by the shore and hitting up Six Flags and We had always taken one big trip within our trip to a variety of different places. I mean, We've been to New York City, Washington DC, and Pennsylvania. That year though, My Mom and cousin, Anita planned something a little different for me. You see, For the past year I had been infatuated with The Borden Bed and Breakfast. Yeah.. This house where those murders had taken place, They literally turned into a Bed and Breakfast. You could stop by for tours and even spend the night in one of the rooms. I thought it was the greatest thing in the World but my Mom was never really into that type of stuff, Or so I thought when I was a kid.

So one morning, My Mom, Anita and my cousin, Ryan who is the same age as I am, Woke up early and piled into the car on a journey to this house in Fall River. The ride was long, but man, Was it worth it. We began the tour by entering the front of the house and one of my favorite facts about the house is that all of the door knobs were actually the original ones. I don't know.. Something about touching the same items that Lizzie had just sent my mind into such excitement. I had found different things to take an interest in, but nothing that quite captured me like Lizzie Borden. This experience though was quite different then anything that I had ever known before. I have always believed in the paranormal and that there is something much greater than us here. My tour at the Borden house though was just, It was the beginning of it all for me. My family and I stepped into the main entrance of the Bed and Breakfast and the atmosphere felt calm. Steady. Nothing quite out of the norm, but shortly into our tour though as we made our way into the dining room, I came to feel pressure against both of my shoulder blades. It wasn't too hard, Not to the point where I needed to sit down or leave, but just enough to know the difference that something was near me. It was almost as if someone was holding onto my shoulders. That was my first encounter. We continued on through the bed and breakfast, Discovering the sitting room where Lizzie's Father, Andrew had been murdered. The host that we had was so knowledgeable and fun, Even laying down on the couch in the same position that Andrew's body had been found it.

The tour then proceeded upstairs where we were introduced to the John V. Morse room. It was typically the room that their Uncle would stay the night in when he would come to town to visit with his brother and his family. It was also the room in which Mrs. Borden was struck down in, And of course, It seemed like the perfect photo opportunity between Ryan and I. Guess you could say that we were “creepy kids” and come to think about it, We definitely still are.

Now, As any tourist would have it, My camera was going off left and right, Capturing anything and everything I possibly could. These were all memories that I never wanted to forget. Aside from another incredible family vacation, This was one of the coolest experiences that I had ever had at that point in my life and even to this day. Looking back, Especially now that my Mom has passed away, These pictures were just.. Still framed stories waiting to be wrote about. After finishing the tour, We left the house and instantly, The pressure against my shoulder blades seemed to seize almost as quickly as it had began. I brushed it off as we left the premises and went on to visit a few other places in Fall River including the Fall River Historical Society. The FRHS is now home to the actual murder weapon, A lock of Abby Borden's hair that was matted with her own blood as well as many other items pertaining to the home, the family, and the trial itself. Now, Going into this house I wasn't really expecting anything other than a great time with my Family. It wasn't until I had the pictures developed that I discovered a photo that would forever change my life, Really.

A small orb towards the left side of a couch almost where a person would sit. Could it have been dirt on my camera lenses? Maybe. But then why didn't the same piece of dirt appear on all of my other photos? “Ashley, It was probably just dust” and you're right, It may have been, but with it being a bed and breakfast, Wouldn't the entire house be kept clean and spotless? There are multiple reasons as to what it could be that appeared in my photo that day so I leave that explanation up to you, The readers. For me though, I wasn't alone that day. For me, It was the beginning of a World that I had no idea truly existed. Not for regular, ordinary people like me anyway. This photo was the gateway into a world that people shy from, That people dismiss.

This photo is why I am part of the Phantoms Keep.

For information on reservations and tours, Please visit:
The Lizzie Borden Bed and Breakfast.
Fall River Historical Society.

This post is dedicated to my Mom, Layna 9/23/66-2/28/10
Thanks for all of the wonderful memories, Mom. You're the best.♥