Lizzie Borden was acquitted of murder, but the famous nursery rhyme tells a lie.

History · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: The brutal 1892 killings of Andrew and Abby Borden captivated America, spawning a rhyme that miscounted the blows and misidentified the weapon. While the public remains convinced of Lizzie’s guilt, her acquittal was shaped by the complex intersection of class, gender, and nativism in a Gilded Age mill town.

On August 4, 1892, in Fall River, Massachusetts, 69-year-old Andrew Borden and his 64-year-old wife, Abby, were killed in their home. The popular rhyme claims they were struck forty times each with an ax, but the reality was far more precise: Abby suffered 19 blows, and Andrew received 10 or 11. The weapon was not an ax, but a smaller, lighter hatchet. The murders occurred about 90 minutes apart, leaving the household in a state of shock.

Lizzie Borden, a 32-year-old Sunday school teacher, was the primary suspect. Her father was a wealthy businessman who lived modestly on Second Street, a choice that frustrated Lizzie, who desired to live in the more affluent 'Hill' district. Tensions over money and property transfers to her stepmother’s family had long strained their relationship. Despite the circumstantial evidence—including her inability to cry during interrogation and an alleged attempt to purchase poison—the legal case against her faltered. The defense successfully argued that a woman of her social standing was incapable of such violence.

The trial became a flashpoint for the city's shifting demographics. As Irish immigrants gained influence in the police force and local politics, the case exposed deep divisions between the native-born elite and the working-class immigrant population. The jury deliberated for only 90 minutes before acquitting her in June 1893. Though she remained ostracized in Fall River, she lived until 1927, eventually dying of pneumonia at age 66. The case remains a fixture of American history, immortalized in books, operas, and the enduring, if inaccurate, rhyme.

The legal proceedings were heavily influenced by the social climate of the era. Judges excluded testimony regarding the attempted purchase of prussic acid, and the lack of physical evidence—such as blood on her clothing—proved decisive. While the prosecution pointed to greed as a motive, the jury's verdict reflected the prevailing belief that someone of Lizzie's class could not commit such a crime, a sentiment bolstered by her status as a church member.

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