The Ballad of Casey

It is a well established fact that in America, Casey Marie Anthony is not guilty of murdering her daughter - not yet, anyway, and no matter what we think, it will take a jury of her peers to make that determination. Until then, she is presumed innocent and all we can do is speculate. No matter what the outcome next year, I truly believe her name will be synonymous with Lizzie Borden’s. Lizzie, of course, found her father, Andrew, and stepmother, Abbie, hacked up by a hatchet in their family home in Fall River, Massachusetts, on August 4, 1892. A week later, she was arrested and charged with their murders.

Today, the notoriety of Casey’s alleged criminal act is so vast, there’s hardly a person in the civilized world who hasn’t, at least, heard of her or her daughter, Caylee Marie; whether they follow the story in depth or not. Credit the Internet, where someone in Dogtown, Florida can make headlines five minutes later in Tick Bite, North Carolina. Tick Bite? Yes, Tick Bite. They are almost 700 miles apart, give or take as the flea jumps, but the speed of communication today is just fascinating, it’s worldwide, and it’s mind boggling!

In Lizzie’s time, it would have taken several days to travel from Dogtown to Tick Bite. Today, it can be done in 10 hours. Aside from cars, what the Interstate system did to our roads in the 1950s, the Internet has done to news reporting of the new millennium, only multiplied by a few quadrillion nanoseconds. It’s interesting to note that, while Lizzie’s trial was over in 1893, we still remember her name and what she was charged with. That’s 107 years ago, folks! Why? Because it was a horrible crime? Sure, but it can’t just be that. Granted, there are no “nice” ways to commit murder, but there’s something that sticks in our craw when a daughter kills her parents or a mother kills her child. There’s something more despicable about it and we seldom forget it because there’s no way to explain murdering our own flesh and blood. Spouses and ex-spouses are another story. Speaking of which…

Before the Internet, we relied on TV. An excellent example of television at its finest was the OJ Simpson debacle. How many of us watched the whole thing unfold live before our very eyes? It was the first real crime to hit the tube with such focused intensity, and to most of us, we will never forget the white Bronco. That chase will forever be one of those “I remember exactly where I was” moments. The trial was among the most publicized in American history, while the verdict was watched by more than half of the U.S. population. It was huge.

There have been a few notable murders in our recent history; recent being that there are still people alive who can remember. Today, there’s Casey. Fifteen years ago, OJ was found not guilty. Sixty years earlier, Bruno Richard Hauptmann was found guilty of murdering famed aviator Charles Lindbergh’s infant son and sentenced to death. Both were called “The Crime of the Century.” No one is alive that would remember Lizzie, but in all of these cases, most of the evidence was (and will be) circumstantial in nature. Lindbergh and Simpson were famous before the crimes, but not Hauptmann or Lizzie, and certainly not Casey. It was the murders that mostly shaped their destinies. It is what they were charged with that determined how history would view them. History books don’t teach folklore, though. It’s passed down, and Lizzie’s tale continues to be embedded in our memories. That’s how legends grow, good and bad. Sadly, the murder trumps the murdered.

In the case of Lizzie, no one else was a suspect at the time, and to this very day, people continue to argue over who really killed the Bordens. During the investigation, a hatchet was found in the basement. It was assumed to be the murder weapon, yet it was void of blood. Most of the handle was missing and the prosecution stated it was broken off because it was too bloody to clean. A police officer testified that he found the head of the hatchet right next to the handle, but a Deputy Marshall contradicted his testimony. A forensic expert said there wouldn’t have been any time to clean it so soon after the murders. No blood-soaked clothing was found and Lizzie would not have been able to change her clothes or dispose of any in such a short time. Fingerprinting was relatively new then and authorities chose not to use it. Some considered it the junk science of the day. Despite lots of other incriminating evidence and testimony, Lizzie was acquitted. It’s interesting to note that shortly before the murders, the entire family became violently ill. Mr. Borden was not a popular man and his wife suspected they were being poisoned. Their doctor diagnosed their illness as food poisoning. They believed their milk was spiked, but after the murders, it was tested and cleared. Both victims stomachs were sent to Harvard Medical School and examined for toxins. None were found.

We can almost sense a semblance of similarities between the Borden and Anthony cases. Cindy washed a pair of Casey’s slacks. A few days after the murders, Lizzie tore up and burned a dress in the kitchen stove, saying she had brushed it against fresh paint and ruined it. No murder weapon has been found in Casey’s case, and no murder weapon was found in Lizzie’s. The fact that no blood evidence was noted on Lizzie a few minutes after the second murder pointed to reasonable doubt. All of her inquest testimony was barred at trial, as was her attempt to buy hydrogen cyanide, which she claimed she planned to use to clean a seal skin cloak. A lethal poison? You bet. In the end, the jury deliberated a mere hour-and-a-half before handing prosecutors a final whack.

In Hunterdon County, NJ, where I grew up, Bruno Hauptmann’s guilt is still split into two camps and it continues to be debated. I believe he did it. My father doesn’t think so. I believe that’s what keeps the embers burning throughout generations. Will Casey be remembered the same way? Time will tell, but I certainly think so. It’s a big story. In Lizzie’s case, she was memorialized by a popular jump rope rhyme that began circulating in schoolyards and elsewhere prior to her 1893 trial…

Lizzie Borden took an axe

And gave her mother forty whacks.

When she saw what she had done

She gave her father forty-one.

In truth, Lizzie’s stepmother suffered around 18 blows and her father just 11. Still, the legend lives on. In light of that, I came up with my own little rhyme for the times. I’m not insinuating anything. It is not indicative of Casey’s guilt or innocence. I am not predicting an outcome and I am not pronouncing a verdict. I am not making a joke out of Casey or Caylee, either. This is merely something that popped into my head. By all means, PLEASE take it lightly, tongue-in-cheek, and with a grain of salt.

THE BALLAD OF CASEY

For the rest of her life

Her name will be Mudd

For taking the life

Of her own flesh and blood.

For what lies ahead

Is a brewing storm.

Her daughter now dead

Was fed chloroform.

Samuel Mudd was the doctor who was convicted and imprisoned for aiding and conspiring with John Wilkes Booth, another name that will forever be etched in our minds. He was guilty of being in the right place at the wrong time. He tended to Booth’s severely fractured leg. His role is still in dispute. President Andrew Jackson pardoned and released Mudd in 1869, but his name is still, well, Mudd.