Forty Whacks: New Evidence in the Life and Legend of Lizzie Borden
On Aug. 3, 1892, wealthy businessman Andrew Borden and his second wife, Abby, of Fall River, Mass., were hacked to death on a hot summer morning. Presumably Borden's younger daughter Lizzie and an Irish servant woman were the only other people in the house. Lizzie was tried for the murders and acquitted, supposedly closing the case. But speculations about the Fall River murders have refused to subside, prompting dozens of books, short stories, plays, an opera and even a ballet, many of these offering alternative conjectures about the killer. This carefully researched book is one of the best ever done on the case. The late Kent, an actor and fiction writer, lays out the flimsy evidence and comments impartially on the court testimony, making it clear that the verdict of not guilty was justified. And, perhaps uniquely among the writers about the case, Kent presents no theory about mysterious strangers, disgruntled former employees or estranged relatives. He simply confesses, convincingly, that he has no idea who committed the crime--except that it was not Lizzie Borden. Photos.Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.