August 4

Fall River is a charming village in Massachusetts, at least it was in 1892. On the 4th Lizzie Borden, a 32 year-old woman, arrived back at her home and discovered that her father, Andrew Jackson Borden, had been murdered in an extraordinarily brutal manner. Her mother was nowhere to be found. After absorbing the shock of her gruesome discovery, the young lady did what anyone in her position would do: she called for the maid. Lizzie’s mother, Sarah Morse Borden, was discovered in the house, in a condition quite similar to her father. Lizzie Borden, at the age of 32, had become an orphan. I think that everyone is familiar with that cute little song about Lizzie. Actually, however, her mother was whacked 18 times, not 40 and her father only 10 times, not 41. Contrary to popular belief, Lizzie was tried for the murders but was acquitted on June 20, 1893, after the jury had deliberated for only 68 minutes.