Friday, January 28, 2011

Review: Any True Crime Lovers Out There?

Lizzie BordenImage via Wikipedia
Lizzie Borden has always been the Accused...
Lizzie Didn't Do It;
Emma Did!


By E. Elaine Watson














I don't read True Crime much, but anybody who has lived during some part of the last 100 years has at least one time heard the old rhyme that children would scream out “gave her mother 40 whacks’’ and “when she saw what she had done, she gave her father 41.’’ And, by the way, according to the official records, that old poem was incorrect!


NOT SO, according to E. Elaine Watson, in her new book (also in Kindle) Lizzie Didn't Do It; Emma Did! Hard copy has just been released by Branden Books. Click the title of this article to go to Amazon...


Watson, with a degree in Criminal Justice, and like a former well-known sleuth,  does an excellent job of her well-researched material in putting the story into a clear, clean chronology, including interesting complementary pictures from the Fall River Historical Society. In fact, it is done so well, in my opinion, that it seems strange that this alternative solution to the crime has not been considered and applied before. Or perhaps it takes a woman to see past the face of Lizzie to the older daughter who had much more to gain from the crime?



Lizzie Borden, of course, was not convicted of the murders of her father and step-mother. There had from the start been problems when their father remarried. Neither of the young girls would ever come to refer to the new Mrs. Borden with any terms of endearment. But then, both Lizzie and Emma began to see that the Borden money was often being designated for the family of the second wife, including giving a house to his wife's sister!


There were other suspects although the police quickly eliminated them. They took Emma's word that she had been out of town at the time, although neighbors had reported a coach in front of the house earlier. Those that been involved in embezzlement at his company were considered as was John Morse, their uncle who was visiting in the home.


Death Scene of Andrew Borden
Even in those early years of crime investigation, it was clear to the experts that there was a lengthy time period between the murder of Mrs. Borden and her husband. I am sure if you are interested in forensics investigation at all, you will quickly see the relevance of this to motive. 


Yet, no blood nor weapon was ever found to link anybody to the murders.


If I had been on the jury and E. Elaine Watson had presented her case, Emma Borden would have been convicted for the murders...but, in a way, she was! Read about the end of Emma's Life and judge for yourself...


A must-read for true crime lovers... By the way, do you believe that a death-bed promise must be fulfilled? You decide whether you would have followed that path to its logical end. I thoroughly enjoyed this in one sitting! 


Book Received Via
Branden Books


GABixlerReviews


Note: 2 errors on characters involved were identified by readers and have been corrected on this blog since first written: step-mother and Morse, uncle...




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