Possessed by Lizzie Borden: History Repeats Blow by Blow "Lizzie Took An Axe"

0:00 Speaker 1: Have you ever had one of those days? It is in all of us. Waiting. You're fired.

0:05 Speaker 2: Watching.

0:06 Speaker 1: As everything goes completely wrong.

0:09 Speaker 2: Evil within. Don't you lay.

0:11 Speaker 1: A thing on me!

0:11 Speaker 2: I can't stand on you!

0:13 Speaker 1: And the day keeps getting worse. It is a point of worse.

0:17 Speaker 3: Hey!

0:18 Speaker 1: Hey!

0:18 Speaker 3: Hey!

0:19 Speaker 1: And if just one more thing goes wrong, top over the.

0:34 Speaker 3: Edge top lines.

0:42 Speaker 1: Over the edge a suspense below in the air from swinster swan you're about available in case that from amazon.com people want sometimes What are you saying, Beth?

1:11 Speaker 4: It always comes in the dead of night, Arthur. A formless shadow that whispers the most dreadful things.

1:20 Speaker 5: But you've never believed in such things. Ghosts or anything that was of a supernatural nature. It's not you.

1:30 Speaker 4: Until now. Oh, Arthur, I'm so scared. The things that it wants me to do. Every night, for almost a week, it whispers to me, and I don't know how much longer I can take it.

1:49 Speaker 1: Our mystery drama, Lizzie Took an Axe, was suggested by a story from Robert Block and written especially for Doorway to Nightmare by Winslow Swan and edited by Crimson McKenzie. Our cast includes Andy Mick, Darren Marler, and Mick Davis. I'll return shortly with Act One. Meet Jerry Connors. Family man. Business man. Psychopathic killer. The Convincer by Winslow Swan. Now available on Amazon. Jerry Connors. He can convince you to do anything. Even die.

2:39 Speaker 2: If you'd like to support us, visit our merchandise store. T-shirts, caps, mugs, and so much more. Visit doorwaytonightmare.com today.

2:51 Speaker 1: I'm sure that most of you remember the rather and gave her mother 40 whacks. And when she saw what she had done, she gave her father 41. While Miss Borden was indeed acquitted of both murders, the rhyme and the mystery continues to this very day.

3:18 Speaker 4: Elizabeth!

3:19 Speaker 1: Over here! Hello, Arthur.

3:24 Speaker 4: I'm so glad that you were able to meet me today.

3:27 Speaker 3: Well.

3:28 Speaker 5: You are one of my closest friends. Besides, it's been, what, almost six months since we last saw each other?

3:37 Speaker 4: Christmas, I believe.

3:39 Speaker 5: You seemed so happy then. Tell me, what's going on that has changed your demeanor?

3:50 Speaker 4: Aunt Abby, that's what.

3:52 Speaker 5: Oh, well, I thought that old scoundrel had died years ago.

3:56 Speaker 4: No, very much alive. And every bit as sinister as before.

4:01 Speaker 5: I don't understand, Beth.

4:04 Speaker 4: How long have we known each other?

4:06 Speaker 5: Oh, at least ten years. And as I recall, you rejected my offer of marriage three times.

4:15 Speaker 4: It never would have worked out, Arthur. And you know it as well. How many times have you been married? Four times.

4:23 Speaker 1: So far.

4:23 Speaker 5: Four times?

4:27 Speaker 4: Do you see my point? You're not exactly the marrying kind.

4:32 Speaker 5: Now, I resent that, Beth. Perhaps if you had said yes, we would be raising a family in the country.

4:40 Speaker 4: Now you know that never would have happened.

4:43 Speaker 5: Yeah, I suppose you're right.

4:46 Speaker 4: Besides, I'm too much of a free spirit to be tied to anyone.

4:52 Speaker 5: So why did you call me? And after six months.

4:56 Speaker 4: I wanted to ask your advice.

4:58 Speaker 5: You know that I never give advice. No one takes it anyway.

5:03 Speaker 4: Then let me be the first. I have a grave problem, Arthur. And I... I'm honestly afraid.

5:17 Speaker 6: So, how is our dear Elizabeth?

5:19 Speaker 5: Well, Howard, she looks well, but... Well, let's say that she's not the girl that you and I remember.

5:27 Speaker 6: Now, I find that rather hard to believe. She was always laughing, always bringing people together.

5:33 Speaker 5: Yes, I know. Which is why I wanted to see you about this, um, obsession that she has.

5:40 Speaker 6: Now look, I'm a medical doctor. Emphasis on the medical part. Sounds like you want a psychiatrist.

5:48 Speaker 5: I suggested that to Elizabeth, in fact. But she flatly refuses. And honestly, after what she told me, I can see why.

5:58 Speaker 6: All right, old buddy. What is it all about?

6:02 Speaker 5: Do you remember her Aunt Abby?

6:05 Speaker 6: And how. Strangest woman to walk the earth, we always said. I thought she was dead.

6:12 Speaker 5: Yeah, so did I. Apparently she has dementia now, and Beth is taking care of her, full time.

6:19 Speaker 6: But why in God's name? I thought she couldn't wait to get away from the old witch.

6:24 Speaker 5: Ten years ago, yes, but she told me that she felt it was her duty.

6:36 Speaker 6: What about a nursing home?

6:37 Speaker 5: I suggested that, but Beth said Aunt Abby never wanted to be dumped into a home.

6:43 Speaker 6: But isn't that Beth's decision to make?

6:46 Speaker 5: I told her that as well, but the things she said were... I can't even believe it.

6:53 Speaker 6: Believe what? What exactly is going on, Arthur?

6:57 Speaker 5: According to Beth, there is some sort of demon or ghost trying to possess her. She thinks that her aunt

7:08 Speaker 5: conjured it up.

7:16 Speaker 1: Carl Sagan once said, The candle flame gutters... Its little pool of light trembles. Darkness gathers. The demons begin to stir. Don't you stir until I return with Act Two.

7:37 Speaker 2: The only witness to her murder cannot speak. Until now.

7:44 Speaker 4: Click.

7:45 Speaker 2: A Tale of Revenge by Winslow Swan. Now available on Amazon. Revenge is a dish best served cold.

8:01 Speaker 4: Hey guys, this is Crimson.

8:02 Speaker 5: And this is Swan.

8:04 Speaker 7: And we'd love to know what you think of the stories.

8:06 Speaker 4: Even if it's bad.

8:08 Speaker 7: So leave us a comment.

8:09 Speaker 2: Or give us a thumbs up.

8:11 Speaker 1: Thank you! Elizabeth Borden once said, Believe that you can make a difference. In fact, you do with every single choice you make. Your money is your power, and each time you spend it, it's a vote for something. So make it count. I personally live and work by this African proverb. If you think you're too small to make a difference, try sleeping in a room with a mosquito.

8:48 Speaker 3: Lizzie bought and took an axe and gave.

8:53 Speaker 2: Her mother 40 whacks.

8:59 Speaker 3: 40 whacks. 40 whacks.

9:02 Speaker 4: Now, Lizzie, stay away from me.

9:06 Speaker 3: 40 whacks.

9:08 Speaker 4: No!

9:14 Speaker 5: I should be flattered. Look at this. Together, twice in one week.

9:20 Speaker 4: Arthur, you must help me.

9:23 Speaker 5: I'll do what I can for you, Beth. You know that.

9:26 Speaker 4: Yes, I do. I'm just not sure what you can do to help.

9:33 Speaker 5: I take it that your spirit has come calling again.

9:37 Speaker 4: It's getting worse. It's whispering to me. Last night, around two in the morning, I was sound asleep. I felt more like sensed someone or something close to my ear.

9:53 Speaker 1: And?

9:56 Speaker 5: What did it say?

9:57 Speaker 4: You remember that children's rhyme about leadership? Borden?

10:01 Speaker 5: Yeah, Lizzie Borden took an axe. Is that the one?

10:05 Speaker 4: Yes.

10:05 Speaker 5: A rather cruel rhyme for Miss Borden. I mean, she was acquitted.

10:10 Speaker 4: That was what this spirit or entity was repeating to me. Forty whacks.

10:18 Speaker 1: Forty.

10:20 Speaker 5: Are you sure that it wasn't just a bad dream?

10:24 Speaker 4: No, Arthur. It wasn't any dream. Whatever this thing is, it's real. And I'm sure that my Aunt Addie conjured it up.

10:36 Speaker 5: Okay, all right. But that would mean that you believe she is a witch. A real-life witch.

10:42 Speaker 4: I can't prove it, Arthur. But that is exactly what I think she is. And she's trying to... trying to.

10:54 Speaker 5: Trying to... what, Beth? What is she trying to do?

10:59 Speaker 4: For whatever reason, she's trying to drive me... insane.

11:12 Speaker 6: Perhaps I should go and pay her a visit.

11:14 Speaker 5: I really wish you would, Howard. Maybe not as a doctor, but just a close friend.

11:20 Speaker 6: I'll see if I can make some time tomorrow. What do you think she may have heard or seen?

11:27 Speaker 5: I still say it was simply a nightmare, but Beth is adamant that her aunt has conjured up an incubus.

11:36 Speaker 6: I'm sorry, what did you say?

11:38 Speaker 5: It's a male spirit or a demon that seeks out women who are sleeping.

11:44 Speaker 1: Arthur.

11:45 Speaker 6: I honestly think she should see someone professionally.

11:48 Speaker 1: I know, Howard.

11:50 Speaker 5: And I tried to steer her in that direction.

11:53 Speaker 6: Who is watching her aunt when she meets with you?

11:55 Speaker 5: She calls on a nurse to sit with her. Hello?

12:04 Speaker 4: Arthur, you must come over here. Now.

12:08 Speaker 5: Elizabeth?

12:09 Speaker 4: Why?

12:09 Speaker 5: What's happened?

12:10 Speaker 4: Something dreadful. Please, Arthur, come now.

12:15 Speaker 5: I'm on my way, Beth. I'll be there in 20 minutes.

12:19 Speaker 6: I take it that was Beth.

12:21 Speaker 5: Yeah, and she sounded worse than when I saw her earlier today.

12:24 Speaker 6: I have a few things to do, but then I'll meet you over there later.

12:29 Speaker 5: Thank you, Howard.

12:30 Speaker 6: No trouble at all.

12:31 Speaker 5: To be honest, I'm just dreading what I might find when I get there.

12:41 Speaker 1: The author William Peter Blatty wrote in his book The Exorcist, quote, The demon is a liar. He will lie to confuse us, but he will also mix lies with the truth to attack us. His attack is psychological and powerful. I'll return with Act 3. Have you ever had one of those days? You're fired. Where everything goes completely wrong. Don't you lay a finger on me!

13:25 Speaker 2: I can't stand on you!

13:26 Speaker 1: And the day keeps getting worse and worse.

13:30 Speaker 5: Hey!

13:31 Speaker 7: Hey!

13:32 Speaker 3: And if just one more thing goes wrong....

13:42 Speaker 1: Possibly send you toppling over the edge.

13:47 Speaker 3: Toppling over the.

13:55 Speaker 1: Edge. A suspense thriller from Winslow Swan, now available in paperback from Amazon.com. Sometimes you should take a step back

14:10 Speaker 1: are those times when even you could go toppling over the edge. Hang on to your sanity.

14:27 Speaker 2: If you're liking these shows, check out our other episodes on our YouTube channel. There's also some previews of Swan's audiobooks on there as well.

14:36 Speaker 4: Come join us.

14:39 Speaker 1: The actor Gene Wilder once said, I don't believe in devils, but demons I do, because everyone at one time or another has some kind of a demon, even if you call it by another name, that drives them. Elizabeth?

15:03 Speaker 5: Elizabeth? What's happened to the lights? Elizabeth, where are you?

15:08 Speaker 4: I'm here, Arthur. Let me light a candle for you.

15:14 Speaker 1: Oh, Elizabeth.

15:16 Speaker 5: What's happened?

15:17 Speaker 4: Look and see for yourself.

15:19 Speaker 1: Where?

15:20 Speaker 5: I don't see.

15:20 Speaker 1: Oh, my.

15:24 Speaker 5: Lord, Elizabeth! What's happened?

15:27 Speaker 1: See?

15:28 Speaker 4: Aunt Aggie. Her head has been split open with an axe.

15:34 Speaker 5: Elizabeth, what did you do?

15:37 Speaker 4: Not me!

15:39 Speaker 3: It.

15:39 Speaker 4: That thing. I've been telling you about it. Lizzie Borden took an axe and gave her mother 40 whacks. 40 whacks.

15:55 Speaker 5: Elizabeth, get a hold of yourself.

15:57 Speaker 1: 40 whacks. Elizabeth.

15:58 Speaker 4: 40 whacks.

15:59 Speaker 5: Elizabeth.

16:02 Speaker 2: Oh, Arthur.

16:04 Speaker 4: What is happening?

16:05 Speaker 5: I'm not sure. First, we need to find that axe before we call the police.

16:12 Speaker 4: The police? But, Arthur, they may think that I did this.

16:18 Speaker 5: Well, didn't you?

16:19 Speaker 4: Arthur, how could you say such a thing? You know me. I could never.

16:27 Speaker 5: It's going to be all right. First, let's just find the murder weapon.

16:31 Speaker 3: Elizabeth!

16:38 Speaker 5: Elizabeth!

16:39 Speaker 1: Where are you? In here.

16:41 Speaker 4: The bedroom.

16:46 Speaker 5: I found the axe. Up the chimney.

16:49 Speaker 4: Are you positive?

16:50 Speaker 5: It's covered in blood, Elizabeth. Yes, I'm pretty positive it is the murder weapon.

16:57 Speaker 1: Oh, Arthur.

16:58 Speaker 4: I'm so tired.

16:59 Speaker 5: It's going to be alright, Elizabeth. Everything's going to be fine.

17:03 Speaker 4: I just want to... to sleep.

17:07 Speaker 1: I agree.

17:07 Speaker 5: Maybe you should just get some sleep. I don't know why, but I am suddenly sleepy. I'll just sit here and rest my eyes for.

17:28 Speaker 1: A little while.

17:53 Speaker 4: When she saw what she had done, she gave her father forty-one. Forty-one. Forty-one.

18:07 Speaker 5: Forty, forty, forty-one. What the hell was that?

18:14 Speaker 1: Wait.

18:17 Speaker 5: Where's the axe? I was holding it in my hand and then. I fell asleep.

18:24 Speaker 1: I could have sworn.

18:28 Speaker 5: Elizabeth!

18:30 Speaker 4: She gave her father 41. 41.

18:31 Speaker 1: 41! Elizabeth! Don't! No!

18:32 Speaker 2: 41.

18:34 Speaker 4: 41. 41.

18:55 Speaker 1: Hello?

18:56 Speaker 4: Anyone here?

19:16 Speaker 3: Arthur?

19:25 Speaker 1: Elizabeth?

19:31 Speaker 4: Lizzie Borden took an axe and gave her mother 40 whacks. 40 whacks. When she saw what she had done, she gave her father 41.

19:44 Speaker 3: 41.. 41.

19:45 Speaker 1: 41. 41. 41.

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20:06 Speaker 1: 41. 41. 41. 41. 41. 41. 41. 41. 41.

20:08 Speaker 3: 41.

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20:09 Speaker 3: 41.

20:09 Speaker 1: 41 But instead of prison, she resides in a state mental hospital. The only thing that she says is the rhyme of Lizzie Borden.

20:21 Speaker 3: 41.

20:21 Speaker 6: 41.

20:21 Speaker 4: 41.

20:21 Speaker 6: 41. 41.

20:21 Speaker 3: 41.

20:21 Speaker 4: I'll return shortly with a final word.

20:39 Speaker 6: It is in all of us.

20:41 Speaker 5: Waiting.

20:43 Speaker 2: Watching. Growing. Evil Within by Winslow Swan. Now available on Amazon.

21:06 Speaker 1: Elizabeth Borden was tried and acquitted for the murders of her father and stepmother. She continued to live in Fall Rivers, Massachusetts until her death in 1927 at the age of 66. No one else was ever charged in the murders. It remains one of the most famous unsolved cases in the annals of crime. Our cast included Annie Nick, Darren Mahler, and Mick Davis. The story was edited by Crimson McKenzie and directed by Winslow Swan. And now, a preview of our next tale.

21:50 Speaker 2: What sort of horrible thing is that?

21:53 Speaker 5: Oh, it's a paw.

21:55 Speaker 7: A monkey's paw.

21:56 Speaker 2: Well, don't leave it lying about. I've just cleaned this room. Where did you get such a ghastly looking thing?

22:03 Speaker 7: Well, it came in the mail this morning from my old sergeant major, Frank Morris. His letter said that he got it from some Indian fakir who put a curse on it. It's supposed to grant you three wishes.

22:18 Speaker 2: So why did he send it to you?

22:21 Speaker 1: I really don't know. This is Artemis Black, inviting you to return with us to the doorway to nightmare for another adventure into the terrifying world of your imagination. Until next time, slumber peacefully. Epilogue.

22:57 Speaker 2: The battler did it!

23:00 Speaker 1: Chills run up and down your spine. There's a creeping sensation at the back of your neck. You're listening to Doorway to Nightmare. Join me, Artemis Black, as we venture through into a world of the strange and uncanny. Here's a sample of what we mean.

23:21 Speaker 5: But don't you hear her? She must be somewhere nearby.

23:25 Speaker 4: Henry, there is no child anywhere around. Please come inside.

23:33 Speaker 5: Little girl, show yourself. It's all right. We don't want to hurt you. Are you telling me, Ruth, that you don't hear her?

23:43 Speaker 4: No, Henry, I don't. Because there is no child.

23:56 Speaker 1: Video versions Friday nights at 7 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. Audio only versions Saturday nights at 7 p.m. Join us. We will be lurking for you.