Previously unpublished letters & documents from the files of Hosea Morrill Knowlton, the attorney appointed to prosecute Miss Lizzie A. Borden in 1893 for the brutal murders of her father & stepmother. Though she was acquitted, the mystery surrounding this world-famous case still fascinates. From the archives of the Fall River Historical Society, these unabridged papers have not seen the light of day in over a century. Materials in the collection include personal correspondence, advice from professionals & citizens across the country, indictments, summonses, & autopsies. This book presents the reader with an unbiased look at the case in the first collection of original documents published concerning it. Also in the text are the transcribed notebooks of Attorney Knowlton, featuring notes taken as he reviewed preliminary testimony in preparation of his prosecution. Thirty photographs & illustrations, many previously unpublished, include rare autopsy photographs. Two extensive glossaries provide supplemental biographical information. A must for those long interested in Lizzie Borden as well as those intrigued by the inner workings of the prosecution of a nineteenth-century murder trial. Fully indexed. For information, write or call the Fall River Historical Society, 451 Rock Street, Fall River, MA 02720, (508) 679-1071.

"On June 20, 1893, a verdict of "Not guilty" brought the case of Commonwealth of Massachusetts vs. Lizzie A Borden to a close, thus ending a trial which had thrust its participants into worldwide media attention. In 1892, Miss Lizzie Andrew Borden was accused of the brutal August 4 murders of her father, Andrew Jackson Borden, and her step mother, Abby Durfee (Gray) Borden. Vindicated by due process of the charges brought against her, Miss Borden returned to Fall River, Massachusetts, only to face the life sentence inflicted upon her by her contemporaries, that of being ostracized. Prosecuting attorney Hosea Morrill Knowlton gladly relinquished his position in the public eye, proceeding with a career which was to bring him numerous successes in the final decade of his life. It is interesting to note that, with the plethora of paperwork which can accumulate in a lifetime, the only file retained by Attorney Knowlton was that of his most famous case, a case which was not ruled in his favor.Presented here is a volume comprised of original documents pertaining to the Borden case. It is hoped that this collection, the legacy of Attorney Hosea Morrill Knowlton, will intrigue and fascinate the reader."

"Shed[s] new light on the life of Lizzie Andrew Borden and, at the same time, provide a unique, and previously neglected, look at the social history of Fall River during the nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries." [from publisher website]

WINNER OF THE NEW ENGLAND SOCIETY BOOK AWARD In Cara Robertson’s “enthralling new book,” The Trial of Lizzie Borden, “the reader is to serve as judge and jury” (The New York Times). Based on twenty years of research and recently unearthed evidence, this true crime and legal history is the “definitive account to date of one of America’s most notorious and enduring murder mysteries” (Publishers Weekly, starred review). When Andrew and Abby Borden were brutally hacked to death in Fall River, Massachusetts, in August 1892, the arrest of the couple’s younger daughter Lizzie turned the case into international news and her murder trial into a spectacle unparalleled in American history. Reporters flocked to the scene. Well-known columnists took up conspicuous seats in the courtroom. The defendant was relentlessly scrutinized for signs of guilt or innocence. Everyone—rich and poor, suffragists and social conservatives, legal scholars, and laypeople—had an opinion about Lizzie Borden’s guilt or innocence. Was she a cold-blooded murderess or an unjustly persecuted lady? Did she or didn’t she? An essential piece of American mythology, the popular fascination with the Borden murders has endured for more than one hundred years. Told and retold in every conceivable genre, the murders have secured a place in the American pantheon of mythic horror. In contrast, “Cara Robertson presents the story with the thoroughness one expects from an attorney…Fans of crime novels will love it” (Kirkus Reviews). Based on transcripts of the Borden legal proceedings, contemporary newspaper accounts, unpublished local accounts, and recently unearthed letters from Lizzie herself, The Trial of Lizzie Borden is “a fast-paced, page-turning read” (Booklist, starred review) that offers a window into America in the Gilded Age. This “remarkable” (Bustle) book “should be at the top of your reading list” (PopSugar).

The full title of this near-contemporaneous account of the infamous Borden ax murders, written by journalist Edwin H. Porter, is The Fall River tragedy : a history of the Borden murders : A plain statement of the material facts pertaining to the most famous crime of the century, including the story of the arrest and preliminary trial of Miss Lizzie A. Borden and a full report of the Superior Court trial, with a hitherto unpublished account of the renowned Trickey-McHenry affair: Compiled from official sources and profusely illustrated with original engravings.

The Preliminary Hearing phase of the Commonwealth vs. Lizzie A. Borden began on August 25 and lasted until September 1, 1892. The copy given to Lizzie's lawyer, Andrew Jennings, is the only one known to have survived. It has recently been discovered that this copy is, in fact, both incomplete and inaccurate, having been altered and edited for some long-forgotten reason.This new edition of the Preliminary Hearing combines a number of transcriptions from various sources in an effort to reproduce, as accurately and authentically as possible, the day-by-day proceedings of this all-important legal event in the history of the Borden murders of 1892. This new edition, for the first time, reads in the order in which the witnesses were called, includes the closing statements of the defense and prosecution and the judge's summation and verdict, and contains the entirety of Lizzie's own Inquest testimony which was read into the official record but not reproduced in the original transcription.

With murder, court battles, and sensational newspaper headlines, the story of Lizzie Borden is compulsively readable and perfect for the Common Core. Lizzie Borden took an axe, gave her mother forty whacks. When she saw what she had done, she gave her father forty-one. In a compelling, linear narrative, Miller takes readers along as she investigates a brutal crime: the August 4, 1892, murders of wealthy and prominent Andrew and Abby Borden. The accused? Mild-mannered and highly respected Lizzie Borden, daughter of Andrew and stepdaughter of Abby. Most of what is known about Lizzie’s arrest and subsequent trial (and acquittal) comes from sensationalized newspaper reports; as Miller sorts fact from fiction, and as a legal battle gets under way, a gripping portrait of a woman and a town emerges. With inserts featuring period photos and newspaper clippings—and, yes, images from the murder scene—readers will devour this nonfiction book that reads like fiction. A School Library Journal Best Best Book of the Year "Sure to be a hit with true crime fans everywhere." —School Library Journal, Starred