On August 4, 1892, the axe-mutilated body of prosperous businessman Andrew J. Borden was discovered in the parlor of his home at 92 Second Street in Fall River, Massachusetts. Mr. Borden’s body had been found by his thirty-two-year-old daughter, Lizzie (1860–1927); soon after others arrived on the scene, the similarly brutalized corpse of Andrew’s wife (and Lizzie’s stepmother), Abby, was discovered in an upstairs bedroom. Thus began a sordid saga that would ultimately become one of the most celebrated unsolved cases in the history of American crime. Within days, the strange circumstances pointed to a prime suspect: Lizzie. When she was tried for the crime in the following summer, the evidence, though some of it circumstantial, appeared to be damning. Both Lizzie and her sister, Emma, harbored an intense dislike of their stepmother that only intensified when their father placed property—at one time, presumably, destined for them—in her name. On the day before the murders, Lizzie had attempted to purchase prussic acid—a deadly poison—from a nearby druggist. Nothing of value had been taken from the house, and Mr. and Mrs. Borden had been killed an hour and a half apart, making it extremely unlikely that an intruder was responsible. And, a few days after the murders and in the midst of the investigation, Lizzie was seen burning a “paint-stained” dress in the Borden backyard. At the conclusion of the two-week trial, which included the dramatic display of the slain Borden’s skulls, Lizzie was acquitted. Despite her public exoneration, she was largely shunned by Fall River society for the remainder of her life, and the truth behind the events of that August day remains one of the most enduring mysteries in the annals of American folklore. Lizzie’s notoriety would ultimately blossom into full-fledged legend, perhaps best personified in the grisly (if historically inaccurate) children’s rhyme in which she dispatches her mother with forty-one whacks—”and when she saw what she had done, gave her father forty-one.” Very scarce manuscript DS, signed “Lizzie A. Borden” and “Emma L. Borden,” one lined page both sides, 11.25 x 15.5, 1891. A ledger leaf headed “Dividend, April 6, 1891, $2.50 per share,” listing some sixty-five persons, each of whom has acknowledged receipt by signing in the column at far right. Lizzie and Emma, each of whom owned two shares and earned a dividend of $5.00, signed on May 5. Of additional interest are the signatures of seven other Fall River Bordens (and one from Boston), at least some of whom were likely relatives of the Andrew J. Borden family. Though the precise origin of the original ledger is unknown, the well-to-do Andrew is known to have made a number of investments on behalf of his daughters, and the present document is presumably related to one of these. The undying fascination with the Borden case more than a century after the grim events has led to a vigorous demand for Lizzie’s autograph material that far outstrips the exceedingly limited supply. In fine, crisp condition, with mild, even toning. COA John Reznikoff/PSA/DNA and R&R COA.
