Handwritten Journals of Lizzie Borden's Lawyer Reveal New Details About Infamous Murder Trial
A grandson of one of the lawyers who helped Lizzie Borden win an acquittal in an infamous ax-murder trial nearly 120 years ago has donated the attorney’s trial journals to the local historical society in Fall River, Mass.
Found in a hip bath in the attic of the home of attorney Andrew Jackson Jennings after he died, the journals had been kept private by other family members since then. They reveal details about the case that had been lost to history, including information provided to defense counsel by witnesses, the Herald News reports.
“It’s so rare to have evidence show up in a case 120 years after the fact” curator Michael Martins of the Fall River Historical Society told the newspaper.
A ledger lists, among other things, witnesses Jennings had interviewed or wanted to interview. A scrapbook focused on newspaper clippings about the case. “He cross-referenced everything, and he used a lettering and numbering system,” Martins said.
Hat tip: Associated Press.
Related coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “Neuroscientist Learns He Has the Genetic Makings of a ‘Born Killer’”
ABAJournal.com: “Research Is Murder for Lucky Scientist with Lizzie Borden in Family Tree”
