Lizzie Borden
Although the Borden house was small, it had two sets of stairs, one from the front hallway and one from the kitchen (servants' stairs). I will try as best I can to describe the layout of the Borden home. Consider it in three sections. In the front section was the front entry from which one could go to one of three places, up the stairs, left into the seldom used parlor, which also had a door into the sitting room, or ahead and into the sitting room in the middle section. The middle section held the dining room on the left and the sitting room on the right. It was here in the sitting room that Andrew was murdered The sitting room had doors into the dining room, parlor and kitchen. It also held a small closet. From the dining room were doors into the sitting room and the kitchen. The back section of the house held the rear entry and servants' stairs, opposite the sink room, where dishes were washed, and the kitchen which had a large pantry which took the space between the sink room and the kitchen.
Upstairs from front to back contained a large closet over the front entry which held Lizzie's clothes and the guest bedroom. This is where Abby was murdered The closet could not be reached directly from the bedroom, but was accessed from the landing at the top of the stairs. The middle section contained Lizzie's bedroom on the right and Emma's bedroom on the left. Emma's bedroom was considerably smaller than Lizzie's, but could not be accessed from anywhere but Lizzie's bedroom. In the back setion was Andrew and Abby's bedroom which had a communicating door into Lizzie's room which was kept locked. On the left side were Mrs. Borden's dressing room and the back stairs. Abby and Andrew's bedroom could be accessed only from the back stairs and the dressing room, only from the bedroom.
Abby was killed first, in the guest room (I have a strong feeling to say By Colonel Mustard with the candlestick)on the far side of the bed. With the door closed, Lizzie would not have seen Abby lying on the floor in a pool of blood as she went up and down the stairs. Since the elder Bordens kept their door locked, and with Emma away visiting, the only person who could reach the guest room unnoticed was
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