Galileo vs Borden
Is the famous Galileo similar to the murderer Lizzie Borden?
The Galileo Trial
Galileo, born in 1564, the same year Shakespeare was born and Michelangelo died, was already on the right road to a bright future. By the age of 22 he had invented the hydro-static balance, becoming known as the Father of Experimental Physics. Galileo believed in the theory Copernicus discovered, writing a letter in 1597 to Johannes Kepler, explaining the the theory Copernicus formed and approving his thoughts. His discovery of the telescope in 1609 led to the out coming of his ideas and theories, supporting Copernicus, leading to publication of his Letters on Solar Spots in 1613. Later in December 1613 he wrote a letter, Letters to Castelli, arguing that scripture is right only in a figurative sense, not in a literal sense. Bellarmine then wrote a letter to Father Foscarini indicating that Galileo could speak out about the Copernican model if he please. Bellarmine agreed with Galileo, the theory that the sun is at the center of the universe. On February 23, 1616, an unanimous vote declared Galileo's propositions foolish and absurd, the Pope Paul V later declared Galileo to abandon his said opinion and abstain the teaching or defending of the opinion, keeping him from even discussing it. December 24, 1629, Galileo finished his 500 page dialogue, The Story of the Mind of Galileo, the first copy being published in February 1632. October 1, 1632, inquisitor of Florence came with a summons to have Galileo present to the holy office in Rome within the time of a month. April 12, Galileo officially surrendered to the holy office, being imprisoned in the inquisition building until his trial. June 22, 1633 Galileo was released to the Florentine ambassador, June 28 released to Niccolini, transferred to Archbishop Piccolomini in Sienna where in late 1633 Galileo received permission to move into his own small farmhouse in Arcetri, where he later became blind and died in 1642.
The Lizzie Borden Trial
Lizzie Borden's father, Andrew Borden, and step mother, Abby Borden, only received 29 whacks, not 81 as the theme goes, "Lizzie Borden took an axe, and gave her mother forty whacks, when she saw what she had done, she gave her father forty-one.” On August 4, 1892, the bodies of Andrew and Abby Borden were discovered by their youngest children “hacked to pieces.” Over the left temple of Mr. Borden was found a wound 6 inches in length by 4 inches in width, his left eye had been dug out and a cut extending from the length of his nose was present. There was no signs of a struggle or fight. The day before the murder Lizzie had visited a neighboring store attempting to buy prussic acid, a deadly poison. On August 11, Lizzie was arrested where she pleaded "not guilty" the next day in court. She was then transferred to the jail in Taunton where on August 22 she returned for a preliminary hearing where the judge concluded “probably guilty” and she was then sent to the grand jury. Bridget Sullivan testified that she had seen the blue dress Lizzie wore the day of the murders burnt in a kitchen fire allegedly due to the “old paint” Lizzie claimed to have spilled, that was enough for them to indict her for the murders of Andrew and Abby Borden. The trial opened June 5, 1893 in the New Bedford Courthouse where the jury then concluded her not guilty because the prosecution couldn’t provide one direct particle of evidence that would prove her guilty. Not one spot of blood, weapon connecting it to her or any other evidence in any shape or fashion was supported to the jury. The defense’s greatest advantage was that most persons in 1893 found it hard to believe a woman of Lizzie’s background could have done such a brutal thing. Lizzie and her older sister, Emma, purchased a home together after the trial where Emma moved out in 1905, Lizzie continued living there until her death at the age of 67 in 1927. She was buried by the graves of her parents in the Fall River’s Oak Grove Cemetery.