Original subtitles

[Church bell tolling]

[Birds chirping]

[Distant dog barking]

[Knocking on door frantically]

WOMAN: Dr. Bowen, please!

[Screen door closes]

SECOND WOMAN, INSIDE: Is he coming?

FIRST WOMAN: There was no one home. I knocked and knocked.

Then go fetch Miss Russell. Hurry!

[Screen door slams shut]

Good mornin‘, Lizzie.

I--I just finished shoppin‘.

Stores are like ovens.

Lizzie, what is it?

Oh, Mrs. Churchill.

Do come in.

Someone has killed Father.

Where?

In the sitting room.

[Gasps]

[Whimpers]

[Theme music playing]

CHILDREN: ♪ La la la ♪

♪ La la la ♪

♪ La la la ♪

♪ La ♪

♪ La la la ♪

♪ La la la ♪

♪ La la la ♪

♪ La ♪

♪ La la la ♪

♪ La la la ♪

♪ La la la ♪

♪ La ♪

[People murmuring]

WOMAN: Horrible, horrible.

MAN: A lot of blood.

Horrible.

[Whispering indistinctly]

MRS. CHURCHILL: Yes, but why is he attempting--

WOMAN: Don‘t think.

I think if we put a little cool water--

Lizzie?

I‘m--I‘m glad you‘re here, Alice.

I came as soon as Bridget told me.

Oh. [Sighs]

It‘s going to be all right.

Everything‘s going to be all right.

[Door opens]

ALICE: It‘ll be all right.

He‘s been dead less than half an hour.

Where‘s your sister, Lizzie?

She‘s visiting the Brownells in Fairhaven.

I‘ll go at once, ask my wife to send a telegram.

ALICE: Thank you, Dr. Bowen.

Now, Lizzie, you must try to rest.

Would you like to lie down?

Come on, let‘s go into the parlor.

[Crowd murmuring]

Almost.

There you are.

Uh, I--I haven‘t seen your stepmother, Lizzie.

Nor have I. Is Abby out?

Uh, yes, but I thought

I heard her come back.

[Lizzie sighs] She‘s probably in her room.

There‘s nobody out back, Miss Lizzie.

I looked when I fetched the sheet.

Then try up front.

She must be in the spare room.

Please, Miss Lizzie.

Oh, Maggie, do as I say.

I‘m not going up there alone!

Oh, come along, Bridget.

I‘ll go with you. Come on.

Lizzie, you must get some rest.

[Gasps]

What is it?

Oh!

[Mrs. Churchill whimpering]

MRS. CHURCHILL: Oh, no!

DR. BOWEN: My wife is sending the telegram--

[Mrs. Churchill sobs] What is it?

She--she‘s up there.

Oh, no.

ALICE: Lizzie.

[Whimpers]

[Exhales]

Oh!

Whoa.

[Horse snorting]

Thank you.

Good day, Miss Borden.

Miss Emma.

[Door opens]

[Gasps] My God.

[Coughing]

I‘m sorry, Emma, but I must.

[Gasps, cries]

It‘s all right, Emma.

Oh, Alice! [Sobs]

I‘m so glad you‘re here.

I‘ll stay as long as you need me.

Thank you.

Lizzie?

She‘s in her room.

[Door opens]

Lizzie?

Did you...

kill Father?

No, Emma,

I did not.

[Sobbing]

[Crickets chirping]

[Distant dog barking]

No more, Emma, please. No more.

Shh, now, Lizzie.

Dr. Bowen says.

But I can‘t think.

I can‘t think.

What is that he‘s giving me?

It‘s just something to quieten your nerves.

But I must-- I must think. I must.

Hush, now.

Papa.

[Sighs]

Somebody killed Father.

Why?

Shh.

Why?

You must put all of that out of your mind now.

Oh.

You never should have gone away, Em.

I know.

I know, dear,

but I‘m back now.

[Kiss]

What are we going to do, Em?

I‘ve always looked after you, haven‘t I?

Just like I promised Mother?

Yes, Em.

Well, then, you see?

Everything is going to be all right.

You...

just go to sleep now.

Yes, Em.

[Kiss]

Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned.

Mary, mother of God, pray for us.

Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us.

Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us.

Oh, dear God in heaven, forgive us our sins.

Dear God in heaven, forgive us our...

[Crickets chirping]

[Grandfather clock chiming]

[Chiming ends]

[Clock ticking]

[Horse nickers]

[Horse neighs]

Excuse me.

WOMAN: Couldn‘t wear black,

at least veils.

Not even a tear.

It was a terrible ordeal.

MAN: Miss Borden?

A word with you, sir.

Who are you? Can‘t you see I‘m busy?

I‘m City Marshall Hilliard with instructions for you.

Instructions? Yes.

After the family has left the gravesite,

both bodies are to be taken to a receiving tomb,

where the heads are to be removed.

Removed?

And shipped to Dr. Edward Wood,

professor of forensic medicine at Harvard University.

On whose order, may I ask?

His Honor, the Mayor.

Naturally, the sisters are not to be told.

[Horses neighing]

LIZZIE: As you were saying, Mr. Mayor?

Uh, oh, yes. I, um...

I have a request to make of the family.

Please remain inside the house for a few days.

It would be better for all concerned.

Why? Is someone here suspected?

I want to know the truth.

EMMA: Lizzie, please, don‘t upset yourself.

I want to know the truth, Emma.

MAYOR: Well, Miss Borden, as much as I regret

to tell you, yes, you are suspected.

EMMA: We tried to keep it from her

as long as we could.

I‘m ready to go now.

Oh, that won‘t be necessary.

HILLIARD: If you‘re disturbed by the crowds out there,

just notify the officer in the yard.

Then I‘m to be a prisoner in my own home?

You shall have all the protection

the police department can afford.

Well...

we shan‘t trouble you any further.

Naturally, we want to do all we can

to help in this matter.

There will, of course, be an inquest.

Closed to the public, if you prefer.

Whatever you wish.

[Door closes]

My name is--ahem-- Bridget Sullivan.

I‘m 26 years old

and unmarried.

How were you addressed in the Borden household?

I was sometimes called Maggie,

but...only by Miss Emma

and Miss Lizzie.

How long were you in Mr. Borden‘s employ?

Uh...two years

and, uh...9 months

at the time of his death.

And did the Bordens keep any other domestic servants?

Well... sometimes

a young man came from the farm

to chop wood, but he hasn‘t been round

since...since last winter.

Then you, uh, and Miss Borden were the only persons

in the house the morning of the slayings,

aside from the victims?

Yes, sir.

DISTRICT ATTORNEY: Now, Miss Sullivan,

can you describe the events of that morning

from the time you arose?

Well...

it--it was very hot that day. I...

I--I felt a sort of a...

dull headache as I got up.

It--it must have been the mutton broth from the night before.

Mutton broth?

Yes, sir, uh...

w-we‘d had it 5 days running.

I see, and, uh,

was Miss Borden also sick that morning?

BRIDGET: Not at all.

At least she seemed fit enough to me.

[Clanging]

[Footsteps approach]

BRIDGET: Mornin‘, Mr. Borden.

[Water pumping]

There‘s johnnycakes or cookies for breakfast.

Which‘ll it be?

Hmph.

Johnnycakes, cookies.

No appetite for your indigestible Irish starch this morning.

Any more of that mutton in broth?

BRIDGET: Yes, sir,

but I suspect it‘s gone off in this heat.

Really wants to be chucked out.

It‘s not fit for human consumption.

Waste not, want not.

Serve it.

[Door closes]

Mean old skinflint!

Watch your tongue!

I‘ve heard you call him it often enough.

Still, it‘s not your place.

Hmph!

[Flies buzzing]

[Sets down lid]

[Screen door slams]

After I served themselves breakfast,

I commenced to wash up.

That‘s when Mr. Borden left for downtown.

Did you lock the door after him?

BRIDGET: Yes, sir, I locked it.

M-Mr. Borden was very strict about that.

When I‘d finished my dishes,

I took them into the dining room.

Mrs. Borden was there,

dusting.

LIZZIE: Where is Father?

ABBY: Went downtown.

He left while you were upstairs.

Oh, Bridget, fetch a pail and some water.

I want the windows washed.

Today, Mrs. Borden? It‘s awful hot.

Inside and outside, both.

They‘re intolerably dirty.

[Bridget sighs]

Please, Mrs. Borden.

Look, I‘m feelin‘ poorly today.

Couldn‘t it wait, perhaps?

[Sighs]

[WHISPERS] Bitch.

Big, fat, stinkin‘,

smelly cow!

Tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk.

I went down into the cellar

and got a pail and a brush

and went outdoors.

I started to work on the...

north side of the house.

LIZZIE: Maggie?

You going to be out there long? Yes.

But you needn‘t lock the door unless you want to.

I can get fresh water from the barn.

BRIDGET, VOICE-OVER: After a while,

Mrs. Kelly‘s girl came to the fence,

and I went over to talk to her.

[Girls giggling] But then I went back to me work.

There‘s an awful lot of windows in that house, and I had to go to the barn,

oh...3 or 4 times for fresh water. [Pigeons cooing]

During all that time, I didn‘t...

I did not see anybody come to the house

until Mr. Borden came home.

[Knock on door]

[Doorbell ringing]

[Knock on door]

[Grunting]

[Giggling] BRIDGET: Bloody, blasted thing.

[Giggling continues]

[Knock on door]

[Paper rustling]

Is there any mail?

None for you.

Where‘s Abby?

She had a note and went out.

Did she say where?

Someone in town was sick, I think.

Would you like to take a nap before dinner?

[Clock ticking]

After I‘ve read my paper.

There‘s a cheap sale of dress goods

at Sargent‘s this afternoon, 8 cents a yard.

Aye, I‘m going to have some.

[Sighs] But not today in this heat.

I feel too ill.

Yes, you do look peaked.

Why don‘t you finish those windows later?

You can rest before the noon meal.

I think I‘ll do just that.

[Water sloshing]

[Sighs]

[Footsteps ascend]

BRIDGET: Then I went upstairs to my room

and lay down,

without taking off any of my clothing.

I heard the city hall clock

start to strike 11:00.

I must have been there, oh, 3 or 4 minutes.

I--I never went to sleep at all.

The next thing I heard was

Miss Lizzie hollering,

"Maggie? Maggie?"

DISTRICT ATTORNEY: Up to the time Miss Lizzie Borden

told her father about a note, which purportedly came

for her stepmother, had you heard anything about it from anyone?

BRIDGET: No, sir, I never had.

Thank you.

No further questions, Your Honor.

The witness is released unconditionally, without bail.

She‘s leaving us, Lizzie.

MAN: Lizzie Borden to the stand, please.

[Door closes]

MAN: Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth,

and nothing but the truth, so help you God?

I do. Please be seated.

JUDGE: Uh, you may begin, Mr. District Attorney.

Would you please give the court your full name?

Lizzie Andrew Borden.

Is it Lizzie or Elizabeth?

Lizzie.

You were so christened?

I was so christened.

What is your age, please?

32.

Your mother is not living?

Uh, no, sir.

She died when I was 2 1/2 years old.

DISTRICT ATTORNEY: What was your father‘s age?

He will be 70 next month.

He was a successful businessman?

He‘s very successful, yes, sir.

Started as a mortician, I understand,

then branched out into real estate, banking?

That is correct.

Do you have any idea how much your father was worth?

LIZZIE: No, sir.

Did you ever know of your father making a will?

No, sir.

Did he ever mention the subject of wills to you?

He did not.

Had you been on pleasant terms with your stepmother?

LIZZIE: Oh, yes, sir.

Cordial?

That depends upon one‘s idea of cordiality.

DISTRICT ATTORNEY: According to your idea of cordiality?

We were friendly,

very friendly.

Why did you leave off calling her Mother?

Because I wanted to.

DISTRICT ATTORNEY: That‘s the best reason you can give?

I have no other answer.

In what other respect was your relationship with her not that

of mother and daughter, aside from your not calling her Mother?

She had never been a mother to me in many ways.

I always went to my sister because she was older

and had the care of me after my mother died.

Now, tell me, Miss Borden,

on the morning of the murders,

did you get your own breakfast?

I did not have any breakfast.

I did not feel as though I wanted any.

DISTRICT ATTORNEY: Sick from the same mutton broth?

[Rapid slurping]

It was the heat.

[Spoons clinking]

ANDREW: Mmm.

Uh, would you repeat the question?

We are trying to establish if you are certain you were upstairs

when your father came to the house on his return.

I think I was. Now, you remember, Miss Borden,

you told me you were downstairs, not upstairs, when your father came home?

You‘ve forgotten, perhaps? [Sighs]

I don‘t know what I‘ve said.

I have answered so many questions and I‘m so confused,

I--I don‘t know one thing from another.

LIZZIE: I‘m telling you as best I know.

I have no one to counsel me.

There is no need for counsel.

This is only a coroner‘s inquest, not a trial.

JUDGE: You may continue, Mr. Knowlton.

Which is your recollection now?

Were you downstairs or upstairs when the bell rang and your father came home?

I think I was downstairs in the kitchen.

You think.

Miss Borden, we have been over this a dozen times,

and each time a new version.

Now, how will you have it?

I don‘t know.

I don‘t even know what your name is.

LIZZIE: I, um...

I think, as nearly as I know,

I--I think I was downstairs.

When did you last see your stepmother?

When she went up

to change the bed in the spare room.

And you never saw or heard her afterwards,

until you discovered your father‘s body,

a period of approximately one and a half hours?

No, sir.

Did you have any knowledge of her leaving the house?

She said she had a note.

Someone was sick.

Did she tell you where she was going?

No, sir.

Did she tell you who the note was from?

No, sir.

Did you ever see the note?

No, sir. Do you know where the note is now?

No, sir.

[Sighs]

How long was your father in the house before you found him killed?

I don‘t know exactly

because I had to go out to the barn.

I don‘t think he could have been home

more than 15 or 20 minutes.

And what were you doing in the barn all this time?

I needed some lead for a sinker.

Did you say a sinker?

LIZZIE: Yes, sir, I...

I was going to Marion on Monday to fish.

I needed a sinker.

And that‘s all you did,

look for sinkers?

Yes, sir, in the loft.

You think that would take you 15 or 20 minutes?

I ate some pears up there.

I asked you to tell me all you did!

I told you all I did.

I ate my pears.

You stood there, eating your pears, doing nothing?

I was looking out of the window.

Stood there, looking out of the window, eating your pears?

I should think so.

How many pears did you eat?

3, I think.

Now, can you tell us, Miss Borden,

why it took you 10 minutes to eat 3 pears?

I do not do things in a hurry.

No further questions, Your Honor.

JUDGE: It would be a pleasure for this magistrate,

and it would doubtless bring much sympathy,

if he could say, "Lizzie,

"I judge you probably not guilty

and you may go home."

But let us... suppose for just...

a single moment

that this is a man before me.

Suppose it was a man who was found

in the vicinity of the murders,

and it was he who... discovered Mr. Borden‘s body.

Suppose the only account

he could give of himself here was...

unreasonable,

contradictory.

Would there be any question

what would be done with such a man?

So...

painful as it may be,

there is but one thing to be done.

[Sobs]

It is the judgment of this court that you are found...

probably guilty,

and you are ordered committed

to await the action of the Superior Court.

Better?

Yes, thank you.

Please forgive me,

but I now must ask you a very disturbing question,

and I want you to give me a simple yes or no answer.

Did you kill your father and Abby?

As your family lawyer, I must hear it from your own lips.

I‘m sorry.

I am innocent.

That‘s all I need to know.

Now, Mr. Jennings,

you must tell me...

what can I expect?

I‘m doing everything in my power to--

The truth.

You have an obligation to tell me.

All right.

The worst?

Death by hanging.

[Gasping]

But--but it needn‘t come to that.

[Wheezing]

Lizzie! Lizzie!

What is it? What is it, Lizzie?

[Wheezing continues]

Tell me, what is it?

Lizzie.

Matron! Send for Dr. Bowen!

Matron! Matron!

[WHISPERING] Papa.

Papa.

[WHISPERS] Papa.

EMMA: Mr. Jennings has given me his solemn assurance

that everything humanly possible is being done for your defense.

He‘s finally retained Mr. George Robinson

to assist.

Must have been all of the newspaper publicity

that attracted him.

Imagine,

our former governor is going to defend you.

Must have cost a pretty penny.

I‘ve decided to pay for half of everything myself.

I can‘t let you do that, Em.

The cost would be ruinous.

Even if it takes every last cent of my inheritance.

[Chair scrapes across floor]

Mr. Jennings said that it might take months

to bring me to trial.

I don‘t know if I can stand it

in this place that long.

I‘ll be with you, Lizzie.

Oh, Em.

We‘re alone now.

We have no one.

We still have each other.

Seems we‘ve always been alone.

Poor Lizzie.

Somehow, I...

It‘s always been harder for you, hasn‘t it?

Why do they speak so cruelly of me, Em?

Who?

District Attorney Knowlton,

the newspapers.

They call me "a sphinx of coldness."

Why do they want to hurt me like that?

Oh, Lizzie.

I don‘t think they mean to.

It‘s just that you‘re...

special...

and special people have always been misunderstood.

You know that?

Oh, Em...

I don‘t want to be special.

[Crying]

I know, Lizzie.

I know.

[Humming "Brahms‘ Lullaby"]

♪ And good night ♪

♪ May thy slumber ♪

♪ Bedight ♪

[Humming]

[Continues crying]

Oh, it‘s perfect!

Oh.

I knew you wanted something special.

Have you got the whole ensemble? Uh-huh.

Read it.

Oh, Lizzie, we must have gone over this a hundred times.

Then we‘ll go over it 101.

Yes, well, there‘s your new hat,

your navy blue Bengaline dress--

No!

We said the black, remember?

The one with the leg of mutton sleeves.

Oh, yes, I‘m sorry. I‘ve forgotten.

And your little brooch.

The one with the posies. Mm-hmm.

It‘s in the top left drawer of my chiffonier.

Oh, and don‘t forget my 6-button, black kid gloves.

I won‘t.

Mr. Julian Ralph of the "New York Sun."

Says he‘s here for an interview.

Oh, gracious. I completely forgot.

Give me a moment, will you?

You don‘t mind, do you, Em?

I understand your father‘s estate came

to more than a quarter of a million dollars.

LIZZIE: Only slightly.

All these months of legal expenses are fast eating it away.

Well, the point is one can‘t help wondering

why a family of the Borden means didn‘t enjoy

even the simplest convenience of a bathroom.

Surely your father could afford more than

just a, uh, basement latrine.

But he wanted to give us all bathrooms. We begged him not to.

You see, we had intended to move very shortly

to a more fashionable location on the hill.

It seemed a, uh, an expensive extravagance

for such temporary conveniences.

My father was a kind and considerate man, Mr. Ralph.

Such stories about him are a vicious slander.

You‘re a most unusual woman, Miss Borden.

Difficult to penetrate.

What is it like

for a lady of your station, of your sensibilities,

to be here in prison?

The, um,

the hardest thing...

for me to stand is the night,

when there is no light.

They will not even allow me a candle to read by.

To sit here

all the evenings in the dark is very hard.

There is one thing that hurts me very much.

They say I don‘t show any grief.

Certainly I don‘t in public.

I never did reveal my feelings,

and I cannot change my nature now.

They say I don‘t cry.

They should see me when I am alone.

"Yet District Attorney Knowlton urges us to believe

"that Miss Borden is capable of any cold-blooded deed,

"even the murder of her father and his wife.

"Mr. Knowlton goes so far as to call her sphinx of coldness,

"not even moved to wear mourning out of respect,

"but Miss Borden explains it so simply, so honestly.

"‘There was not a moment when I could think

"‘of such things as hat or dress.

"‘Somebody was talking to me all the time

about the murders and asking me questions.‘"

Now here‘s the part that really galls:

"‘If people would only do me justice, that is all I ask,

"‘but it seems as if every word I utter is distorted and such

"‘a false construction placed on it that I am bewildered.‘

"There was not a trace of anger in her tone,

simply a pitiful expression."

Rubbish!

Cheap, feminist sentimentality.

I told you public sentiment would be on her side.

Lizzie Borden is a Sunday School teacher, Hosea,

a devoted worker for temperance,

Christian aid, and foreign missions.

She is held in high esteem in this community,

very high esteem.

KNOWLTON: Mr. Mayor, that woman is a murderess.

I hope you can prove that, Hosea.

Oh, we‘d better be on our way.

Can‘t miss the opening session.

Coming, Mrs. Knowlton?

I‘ll be along shortly, Your Honor. You two go ahead.

KNOWLTON: Ah...

It‘s not too late to pull out, Hosea.

No, sir.

Every time I see this case being tried

in the press like this, I‘m more determined than ever

to see Miss Lizzie Borden tried and convicted in the courts.

[People shouting]

[Sighs]

[Key turning in lock]

LIZZIE: Well? Where are they?

Oh, Lizzie, the crowds. You cannot imagine.

I said the 6-button black gloves!

Oh.

Oh, dear, I‘m sorry. In my haste, I--

How can you be so witless? Well, I‘ll go back

and fetch the other pair-- Never mind.

Never mind. There isn‘t time.

Sometimes I think you actually want to see me hang.

That‘s a very cruel thing to say, Lizzie.

Oh, Em.

[Sighs] I‘m sorry.

[Key turning in lock]

It‘s time. They‘ll not wait any longer.

[Parade music playing]

[Horses whinny]

[People shouting]

Get out of the way!

You have no right to do that!

[Shouting continues]

Deplorable.

I suppose we can‘t blame them.

They haven‘t had a good witch hunt in this state since Salem.

[Murmuring gallery goes quiet]

[Music continues outside]

[Door closes]

[Murmuring resumes]

BAILIFF: Hear ye, hear ye, hear ye.

All rise.

[Murmuring stops]

All persons having anything to do

before the Honorable Justices Mason, Blodgett,

and Dewey of the Superior Court for Criminal Business

now sitting at Bristol, draw near.

Give your attention and you shall be heard.

God save the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Be seated.

MAN: Now tell us, Miss Sullivan,

did you ever have any trouble there in the Borden family?

No, sir.

ROBINSON: A pleasant place to live?

Yes, sir, I liked it.

ROBINSON: And for aught you know, they liked you?

[Exhales]

I...suppose so.

So you, uh, never saw anything

out of the way?

BRIDGET: No, sir.

Never saw any conflict in the family?

No, sir.

Never saw anything in the least, um...

any quarreling or anything of that kind?

BRIDGET: No, sir.

LIZZIE: Then Maggie is lying!

I swear to you, Father,

I did not take the money from your desk.

That is God‘s truth. What would she know about the truth,

always making things up, imagining things?

ANDREW: Lizzie, till now, I have protected you,

I have excused you, I have paid your fines,

I‘ve prayed for your soul.

I‘ve endured the shame and humiliation

as a parent and a Christian, but this is the limit,

when you steal from your own father!

If I did,

and I most certainly did not...

would it be any wonder?

Well, you talk of shame.

What of mine, when I‘m forced to walk down the street

year after year in the same old dresses?

Oh, listen to her. Spoiled rotten, she is.

The way we live.

Why, we can‘t even entertain properly--

Entertain, indeed! Who would you invite?

This house.

Lord, how I hate this house!

No baths, no modern conveniences!

[Sighs]

Did you know

that we are laughingstocks, Father?

It‘s true.

Behind your back, people snigger and call you skinflint.

That will be enough!

I don‘t understand you, girl.

You and I were always so close.

Specially close.

Yes, Father.

LIZZIE: Specially.

Then--then why do you behave like this?

I am suffocating.

Father, look at me!

I‘m 32 and practically

a prisoner in this ugly old house.

Well, you‘re perfectly free to come and go as you like.

And how far would I get

on the paltry $200 allowance

you allow me each year?

Emma seems to manage.

I notice it didn‘t keep her from going on the grand tour

of Europe two summers ago.

Yes.

And you‘ll never get over that, will you, Mrs. Borden?

Well, that money was mine.

Every penny, mine!

ANDREW: If you chose to squander your mother‘s inheritance,

you have no one to blame but yourself.

ABBY: And half of Emma‘s to boot! Don‘t forget that!

I‘m sure you won‘t let him!

And making Emma sleep in that cramped, stuffy room

while Her Royal Highness gets the big, airy one all to herself.

I never could abide small, dark places,

even as a child.

Emma knows that.

LIZZIE: She wanted me to have the big bedroom,

didn‘t you, Em?

ABBY: Oh, we know all about you and your way,

Princess Lizzie.

We know how you twist arms

and throw tantrums just to get your way.

If I were not a lady...

I should twist your arm,

Mrs. Borden, right out of its socket!

I will have no more of this! Go.

Now, I have warned you repeatedly, Lizzie.

One way or another, you will learn not to bite the hand

that feeds you, if I have to cut you off!

JUDGE: You may step down.

[Gallery murmuring]

KNOWLTON: Call Dr. Bowen to the stand, please.

BAILIFF: Dr. Seabury Bowen to the stand, please.

Dr. Bowen...

can you describe what Miss Borden had on that morning?

[Scoffs]

I wouldn‘t know, sir.

It was sort of drab,

not much color.

It was sort of a... morning calico, I should guess.

You say it was drab.

Well, I merely mean to say

that the dress-- Answer the question.

Well, if you‘d just wait a minute-- No, answer the question.

Did it appear to you to be a drab-color dress?

I am telling you, sir, I don‘t know.

DR. BOWEN: I didn‘t intend to try to describe

a woman‘s dress at the inquest,

and I do not intend to now.

Well, perhaps you can at least tell us if it was this dress.

Your Honors, really! This is the government‘s own witness!

I am merely trying to establish whether or not the witness knows

what the accused was wearing minutes after the last murder,

and if he, a man of medicine, observed any blood on her.

The witness may answer the question.

I should think it was not that dress.

[Gallery murmuring]

KNOWLTON: Your witness.

Now...

Dr. Bowen...

going back to the time

shortly after the discovery of the second body,

were you summoned to Miss Lizzie‘s bedside to administer any medicine?

Yes, sir, Miss Russell came to fetch me upstairs,

and I gave Lizzie a preparation called

bromo caffeine to quiet

her nervous excitement and her headache.

ROBINSON: And did you subsequently administer

any other medicines of that kind?

Yes, sir, sulfate of morphine.

In what doses?

One-eighth of a grain.

However, I doubled that the next day.

And how long did she continue having the morphine?

All the time she was in the jailhouse.

[Gallery murmuring]

In other words, she was receiving

regular injections of morphine all the time...

up to her arrest, through the hearing,

and while confined in the jailhouse?

Yes, sir.

ROBINSON: Tell me, Dr. Bowen, does not morphine,

given in double doses, somewhat affect the memory,

change and alter the view of things?

Doesn‘t it muddle the thinking, confuse the mind?

DR. BOWEN: Yes, sir,

it does cause hallucinations.

ROBINSON: So that anyone giving testimony while under its influence

might tend to seem contradictory,

to give conflicting story?

Yes, sir.

When did you stop giving her this drug?

I‘ve not stopped.

She‘s still receiving it.

[Gallery murmuring]

ROBINSON: Thank you, Dr. Bowen. That will be all.

No further questions, Your Honor.

KNOWLTON: You mentioned that Miss Borden paid a visit

to your home on the evening before the murders?

ALICE: That is correct.

Can you tell us the purpose of that visit?

Lizzie was very troubled.

She said that she couldn‘t help but feel

that something sinister was going to happen.

Sinister?

Yes.

She said that her father was having trouble

with his business associates, and that she was afraid

that someone was going to do harm to him.

She told me

that the barn had already been broken into,

and all of her pet pigeons had been killed.

I tried to reassure her that it must have been

some of the local boys up to mischief...

but Lizzie felt sure that it wasn‘t.

LIZZIE: No!

Father, no! Please!

Papa! Please!

Please! No!

Not the pigeons, Papa! Please!

Fly.

Fly!

Papa, all those beautiful birds.

Why?

Now let those young whippersnappers try

stealing any more of my pigeons and see what they find.

But they were mine.

Yours?

Let me remind you, girl, everything on this place belongs to me.

What‘s mine is mine,

and I will dispose of it as I see fit.

[Whimpers]

[Screen door opens and closes]

[Crying]

LIZZIE: Papa, they were mine!

ALICE: I tried to set her mind at rest...

but Lizzie confided in me

that even the house had been broken into,

in broad daylight, when she

and Emma and Bridget were at home.

And as she left...

she said that she wished she could sleep with one eye open,

for fear that they would come in the night...

and burn the house down over the family‘s head.

Hmm.

And all this the very night before the murders?

Yes.

Was Miss Borden accustomed to making such nocturnal visits to you?

Only on rare occasion.

And this was certainly a most rare occasion?

Now, Miss Russell,

can you tell us, please, about the incident

which took place the day after the funerals,

while you were still staying at the Borden house?

An incident involving a certain Bedford cord dress?

Yes.

That was on Sunday.

Miss Lizzie, Miss Emma and I had breakfast together.

Bridget was not at home.

I went up to the bedroom,

and then, when I came down,

I saw Lizzie standing there with the dress in her hands.

[Poker clanging]

Lizzie, what are you going to do?

I‘m going to burn this old thing. It‘s covered with paint.

Oh, Lizzie, I wouldn‘t do that where people can see me,

in broad daylight.

Lizzie,

there‘s a policeman in the yard.

That is probably the worst thing you could have done.

What if they ask us about that dress?

Why did you let me do it?!

LIZZIE: Why didn‘t you tell me?!

KNOWLTON: Thank you, Miss Russell.

No more questions, Your Honor.

KNOWLTON: Your witness.

ROBINSON: No questions at this time.

JUDGE: Witness may step down, please.

The woman‘s a fool.

She needn‘t have testified to that.

She is a Christian woman, sir.

It is the truth.

Nonetheless, my dear, we shall nip this in the bud at once.

Fear not.

May it please Your Honors, at this time, we should like

to recall the dressmaker, Mrs. Mary Raymond.

BAILIFF: Mary Raymond to the stand.

Yes, I made a Bedford cord dress

for Lizzie in about April of last year.

Now, Mrs. Raymond, will you please tell the court what became

of that dress, on the very day that you completed

the final fitting at Miss Borden‘s home?

Why, yes.

The men were painting

the upstairs hall and landing.

When Lizzie rushed out to show her new dress to her sister,

she brushed against the fresh paint.

The dress was ruined, of course.

Of course.

No further questions. Thank you.

[Gallery murmuring]

KNOWLTON: Now, Mr. Hilliard,

can you tell us if this was the hatchet you found

in a box behind the chimney in the Bordens‘ cellar?

It, uh, looks like it, mm-hmm.

The handle was broken like this?

Yes, sir, broken up close like that. Mm-hmm.

KNOWLTON: Did you observe anything peculiar

about the break in the handle at that time?

I did.

It was a fresh break, a--a new break.

KNOWLTON: Thank you. No more questions, Your Honor.

What can I do for you today, Miss Lizzie?

Oh, I--I‘m afraid I got some paint stains on a perfectly new dress.

I would like to buy some naphtha with which to remove them.

Do you carry it? Certainly. I‘ll fetch you some.

[Distant dog barking]

I imagine a pint‘ll do.

Oh, yes, that‘s perfect. Thank you.

Please send the bill. Mm-hmm.

Good day. Good day.

[Bell over door rings]

Miss Borden took something.

What? I couldn‘t quite see,

but I‘m sure she took something.

Mmm, doesn‘t matter.

Why didn‘t you stop her?

No need.

Old Man Borden always pays.

Told all the merchants up and down the street

to tack a little something onto the bill whenever it happens.

Miss Borden asked to buy 10 cents‘ worth of prussic acid.

Naturally, I informed her we did not sell prussic acid

unless by a physician‘s prescription.

And what did she say to that?

She said she‘d bought it several times before,

so I says, "Well, my good lady, not from me."

Prussic acid is a very dangerous thing to handle.

KNOWLTON: Mm-hmm.

Did she tell you why she wanted such a lethal poison?

I understood her to say

she wanted to clean a sealskin cape.

[Gallery chuckling]

[Gavel pounds]

Order in this court!

Your Honors, I must protest the use of such testimony.

As part of the defendant‘s inquest testimony, it is perfectly admissible.

I am trying to prove prior intent.

Your Honors, may we have a ruling on the admissibility

of my client‘s testimony at the inquest?

It was taken at a time when she was under arrest

and denied counsel.

[Judges whispering]

Will you both please approach the bench?

[Gallery murmuring]

Inadmissible.

Every bit of her inquest testimony inadmissible

because that fool Judge Blaisdell denied her proper counsel.

Terrible blow,

terrible.

I built my entire case on her inquest testimony. Now I‘ve got nothing.

What about Miss Russell‘s testimony?

That was most damaging.

Wasn‘t it odd that she should come forward on her own like that?

Yes, her conscience was troubling her, my dear.

Seems she neglected to mention the dress burning incident

when the police first questioned her. Ha!

Great stroke of luck.

Personally, I don‘t believe it was that dress.

Lizzie Borden wouldn‘t have been such a fool,

which leaves me still wondering what did she wear.

Nonetheless, I‘m sure that the case you‘ve made so far

will stand on its own merits, Hosea.

Not if Robinson keeps getting our witnesses

to discredit their own testimony.

He‘s a shrewd devil, our ex-governor.

I trust you have more cards up your sleeve, Hosea.

I needn‘t remind you how much is at stake here.

No.

One, perhaps,

and it had better be a trump card.

MAN: On August 10th, last, at the Harvard Medical School

where I am Professor of Chemistry,

I received the evidence there exhibited.

Briefly, Dr. Wood, can you tell us the results

of your examinations; the hair on that hatchet, for example?

It did not match the samples of hair from either victim.

It is animal hair, probably cow‘s hair.

Now, what about this dress?

Did you not find minute traces of blood on the skirts?

Yes, but certainly not from either of the victims.

KNOWLTON: Well, how do you explain that?

They are undoubtedly menstrual blood from the defendant herself.

[Gallery murmuring]

KNOWLTON: And let me ask you, Doctor...

if this hatchet

could have been used and then cleansed,

so as to remove any trace of blood?

DR. WOOD: No, not by a quick washing, as you‘ve suggested,

and it would be nearly impossible to wash blood off that broken end.

[WHISPERING] This is dreadful.

There was no time to go over Dr. Wood‘s testimony.

He just got in from Boston an hour ago.

No more questions.

KNOWLTON: Your witness.

ROBINSON: In other words, Dr. Wood,

assuming the assailant wore the same clothing

during both murders, he most probably would have been

splattered with blood from head to foot, is that right?

In my opinion, yes.

And yet, every witness has testified

that the accused showed no signs whatsoever of blood

upon her clothing just moments

after the last murder.

Thank you, Your Honors. No further questions.

ABBY, ECHOING: Don‘t make me laugh, don‘t make me laugh...

You know as well as I they‘d turn me out in the cold

if anything happened to you.

What more can I do? You can draw up

another will, put everything in my name.

Let me see to their needs.

It‘s little enough to grant your poor, defenseless widow.

ANDREW: Now don‘t rush things, woman. I‘m not dead yet.

I‘ll not be turned out onto the streets to starve

like a stray dog. [Scoffs]

She could live off her own fat for years.

Shh! ABBY: Andrew.

You owe me that much. All right, all right!

I‘ll see my lawyer next week. Now may I please get some rest?

I‘ll see her dead first.

Lizzie.

You can spend the rest of your life

begging crumbs off that old sow.

Not I.

Lizzie...

please.

You always frighten me when you get like this.

He must never make a new will.

I...

I, uh...

I‘m going to visit the Brownells in Fairhaven.

I--I‘ll leave tomorrow.

Yes.

Yes, you go to Fairhaven.

KNOWLTON: Call Dr. Draper to the stand, please.

BAILIFF: Dr. Frank Draper to the stand.

Were you able to determine the size of the cutting edge

of the murder weapon from any of the wounds, Dr. Draper?

Not from Mrs. Borden‘s skull,

but I was able to effect a conclusion

from Mr. Borden‘s skull.

Hmm.

In that case, though I deeply regret it, I shall have to ask

your colleague, Dr. Wood, to produce the skull in question.

Very well.

[Gallery murmuring]

[Murmuring grows louder]

KNOWLTON: Now, Dr. Draper,

if you will please try to fit that hatchet into the wound?

[Gasps] EMMA: Oh! Lizzie!

[Gavel pounding] JUDGE: Order in the court!

Order in the court!

[Judge sighs]

This court will be adjourned till 9:00 tomorrow morning.

My dear, I have told you repeatedly

I have no stomach for undercooked meat.

Well, let me get you something else.

No, never mind. Lost my appetite anyway.

Just some coffee.

I shall be glad when this trial is over.

It‘s beginning to tell on you.

It‘s not a trial, it‘s a sideshow.

That woman actually believes she can get off scot-free

by hiding behind her skirts.

What else has she?

I‘m sorry, Hosea.

It‘s just that it seems to me

that you men have only yourselves to blame if--

if women hide behind their femininity as a last defense.

After all,

you cast us in this role.

You look upon your womanhood as a role, my dear?

It‘s not always a convenient part to play.

I‘ve never heard you talk like this.

Next you‘ll be asking for the vote.

I gather you sympathize with this murderess.

She has not as yet been found guilty, Hosea.

But you do sympathize with her?

Certainly not with her deeds...

but perhaps with her motives.

[Scoffs, chuckles]

Her motives?

Now, what would you know about her motives?

I should think a great deal, Hosea.

You have no idea how unbearably heavy

these skirts can be at times.

[Parade music playing]

[Overlapping chatter]

[People shouting]

ROBINSON: When did you next see the Bedford cord dress?

Uh...

Sunday morning.

I was washing dishes and...

I turned and saw my sister Lizzie at the stove,

and she had the dress in her hands.

She said...

"I think I‘ll burn this old dress up."

And I said, "Yes, why don‘t you?"

or--or something like that.

ROBINSON: Was Miss Russell present at the time?

Yes, sir,

and she said afterwards that it was

the worst thing Lizzie could have done,

and of course, we knew that she was right, but...

it just didn‘t occur to us until that moment.

Did your father wear a ring, Miss Emma, upon his finger?

EMMA: Yes, sir, he did.

Was or was not that the only article of jewelry he wore?

The only article.

From whom did he receive the ring?

From my sister, Lizzie,

many years ago.

ROBINSON: Previously to his wearing it, had she worn it?

EMMA: Yes, sir.

It was her favorite.

ROBINSON: Did he wear it constantly after that?

EMMA: Always.

CHILD: ♪ La... ♪

♪ La... ♪

♪ La... ♪

♪ La... ♪

He looks so old.

ROBINSON: Your witness.

KNOWLTON: Were the relations between you and Lizzie and your stepmother cordial?

Between my sister and Mrs. Borden,

they were.

When did she cease calling her "Mother"?

I don‘t remember,

but it was some time ago.

KNOWLTON: But prior to that, she had called her "Mother"?

EMMA: Yes, sir,

from childhood.

Mrs. Borden says you‘re not to work too late, Papa.

I want you to call her "Mother," Lizzie.

She‘s not my mother.

My mother‘s dead.

You still having those bad dreams about your mother?

Oh...

it was a long time ago.

Besides, death is nothing to be afraid of, Lizzie.

It‘s nothing more than a long, peaceful repose.

Do you remember "Sleeping Beauty"?

Well, then, look.

Look.

You see how serene she looks?

Hmm. Feel.

Feel the flesh, yes.

Smooth and cool to the touch.

Go on, Lizzie. You mustn‘t be afraid.

No! [Screaming]

ROBINSON: Gentlemen of the jury,

let me remind you

of those touching words,

"The eyes that cannot weep

are the saddest eyes of all."

Andrew Borden went to his grave

wearing upon his hand

a pledge of love and faith--

the ring...

that belonged to his little girl.

To find her guilty, you must believe her to be a fiend!

Does she look it?

[Gallery murmuring]

JUDGE: Lizzie Andrew Borden.

[Sighs]

It is your privilege to add any word

which you may desire to say in person to the jury.

I am innocent.

I leave it to my counsel to speak for me.

[Overlapping chatter]

MAN: They‘re coming in! They‘re coming in!

The jury is coming in!

[People shouting]

JUDGE: Lizzie Andrew Borden,

put up your right hand.

Foreman...

look upon the prisoner.

Prisoner, look upon the foreman.

What say you, Mr. Foreman?

Is the prisoner at the bar guilty

or not guilty?

[Footsteps]

LIZZIE: Maggie?

You going to be out there long?

BRIDGET: Yes, but you needn‘t

lock the door unless you want to.

I can get fresh water from the barn.

[Distant dog barking]

[Clock ticking]

[Door locks clang]

[Women giggling outside]

[Indistinct chatter]

God, it‘s so hot.

[Both giggle]

[Chatter continues]

Abby?

Uhh!

[Door creaks]

[Door opens, closes]

[Clock ticking]

[Knocking on door, doorbell rings]

[Knocking continues]

BRIDGET: Oh, you blasted thing.

[Giggling]

[Giggling stops]

[Door locking]

Where‘s Bridget?

Upstairs in her room, taking a nap before the noon meal.

You‘re a strange girl, Lizzie.

One minute as hard and cold as a gravestone...

the next as loving as any father could wish.

Wonder what goes on in that mind of yours.

I guess we‘ll never know.

Papa?

[Distant bell tolling]

[Young Lizzie giggles]

[Clock ticking loudly]

[Young Lizzie screams]

[Clock chiming]

[Door closes]

[Water sloshing]

[Splash]

[Creak]

JUDGE: What say you, Mr. Foreman?

Is the prisoner at the bar guilty

or not guilty?

Not guilty.

[Gallery clamoring]

JUDGE: Order! Order!

Order in this court!

Lizzie Andrew Borden.

Lizzie Andrew Borden,

the court orders that you will be discharged

in this indictment and go thereof without delay.

Emma! [Judge shouts]

[Gavel pounds]

Emma!

[Parade music playing]

[Cheers and applause]

[Horse whinnies]

This way, Miss Borden.

LIZZIE: Emma!

[Crowd clamoring]

MAN: And, Miss Borden, how does it feel to be a free woman again?

[Pigeon cooing]

[Crowd applauding]

[Festive music fades]

[Clock ticking]

[Scraping sounds]

[Carriage approaching]

[Horse whinnies]

Whoa.

Whoa.

[Gate creaks]

[Birds chirping]

Em?

Emma?

Oh, it‘s over, Em!

We‘ve won!

Dinner will be ready soon.

Why don‘t you make yourself comfortable?

Didn‘t you hear me?

We‘re free!

At last, we‘re really free!

Nothing to prepare a meal...

now that there are only the two of us.

Emma, sometimes I don‘t understand you.

Lizzie...

I‘m only going to ask you this once more,

and then I shall never mention it again as long as I live.

Did you kill Father?

GIRL: ♪ Lizzie Borden took an ax ♪

♪ Gave her mother 40 whacks ♪

♪ When she saw what she had done ♪

♪ Gave her father 41 ♪

♪ Lizzie Borden took an ax ♪