Though not much is known about Alice Liddell, she is in fact the inspiration for Alice from Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland adventures.
Alice was born on 4 May 1852, the second daughter of eight children. Her younger sister Edith died in 1876 before her marriage. Carroll met the Liddell family in 1856, and on April 25, he and Alice met at a photoshoot for a friend with his. On June 3, he met her and her sisters when he did a photoshoot for them. The girls were forbidden to see Carroll over the next few years; they saw him rarely, before breaking contact with him completely.
Edith, Lorina and Alice Liddell, 1859
By the time Alice was published, he had fallen out of Mrs. Liddell's good graces, and was completely forbidden to see the children. All of his letters to Alice were burned by her mother, but the two still kept in contact, though sparingly.
Alice married Reginald Hargreaves in 1880. The couple had three sons. Two died in the First World War. She named her first son Leopold after Prince Leopold, who was his godfather, and he, in turn, named his daughter Alice after her.
Alice Liddell's Grave
Alice wrote her own story titled Alice's Adventures Under Ground to pay of debts in 1928. She published her memiors at age eighty, recieved a Doctor in Literature at Columbia University in New York, and then returned to England, having gotten sick of being 'Alice in Wonderland.' She died on 15 November 1934, presumably of old age.
Gertrude Baniszewski is perhaps most well-known because of the film An American Crime, starring Ellen Page and Catherine Keener. The Indiana housewife was the first person ever accused, tried and convicted of child abuse and murder of that child.
The third of six children, Gertrude grew up in a lower-class neighborhood; her father died of a heart attack when she was eleven. It devestated her. At sixteen, she married John Baniszewski after dropping out of high school; they had four kids over the years, before divorcing after a decade. Not long after the divorce, she married Edward Guthrie- the marriage lasted three months. After her second marriage ended, she again married John; the second time around, they stayed married for seven years, and had two more kids by 1963- when they divorced. Not long after, she had an affair with Dennis Lee Wright, who frequently beat her; she had one miscarriage, and another son before he left her.
When she met the Likens family, she and her kids were living on occasional child support and whatever cash she could scrape up from odd jobs. The Likens would provide a somewhat steady income for her and her family. The Likens- Betty and her daughters, fifteen-year-old Jenny and sixteen-year-old Sylvia, lived in a low down house, since Betty and her husband, Lester, had seperated. Both worked the carnivals.
Gertrude's victim, Sylvia Likens
Sylvia and Jenny, who had polio as a small child and wore leg braces, met Paula Baniszewski- Gertrude's seventeen-year-old pregnant daughter, while walking the street; Paula invited them home. The girls accepted; their mother was current serving a jail sentence. They stayed the night, and after their father canvassed the neighborhood, he found them at the Baniszewski residence. Lester asked Gertrude to board the girls for $20 a week. She agreed. He told her to take care of the girls with a firm hand.
Two weeks after the Likens girls moved in, the check from their father didn't arrive, and Gertrude, feeling she had been cheated and lied too, took the girls into a bedroom, ordered them to lie down, raise their skirts, and then paddled them. Sylvia took Jenny's beatings, not wanting her sister to take them due to her bad leg. The check came the next day. The next week, Sylvia recieved another paddling because Gertrude accused the girl of leading her younger children out at night to steal. Gertrude began accusing Sylvia of neglecting her hygeine, and so beat her frequently.
In late August, Gertrude, having heard about Sylvia once allowing a boyfriend to slip under her bedcovers, accused Sylvia of having a baby and kicked her in the genitals. Gertrude began whispering into the neighborhood children's ears, feeding them rumors; eventually, she managed to convince Sylvia that she was pregnant-even though the girl was a virgin.
In October, Gertrude pulled Sylvia out of school, after the girl confessed to stealing a gym suit she needed for class. Angered by the girl's stealing and lieing, Gertrude sat the girl down on the sofa, and then took a lighted match and burned her "sticky" fingers as punishment. Another incident, after accusing the girl of prostituting, she forced the girl to strip and then handed her an empty soda bottle. Amid an audience of not only her kids, but also the neighborhood kids, she forced Sylvia to shove the bottle up her vagina. Gertrude's second daughter, Stephanie came home at the height of the horror, slapped her, and forced her into her room.
Ricky Hobbs and Gertrude Baniszewski
One night after Sylvia wet the bed, she was forced to live in the basement, saying she was too filthy to live among humans. On occasion, Gertrude and Paula would fill the tub with scalding water and force the girl to take them; they left her nude for days. One one occasion, Gertrude brought her upstairs and forced her to eat soup with her fingers, when she failed, Gertrude forced her to eat shit and drink urine. Later, she pushed her down the stairs.
Gertrude told the priest of their church that Sylvia was causing problems; the priest didn't know whether to believe it or not. The last weekend before Sylvia died, Gertrude let her sleep upstairs; however, she tied the girl to the bed, telling her she couldn't go to the bathroom until she learned not to wet the bed. The girl wet the bed, and the next morning, Gertrude forced her to strip and shove another bottle up her vagina. Not long after that incident, she tied and gagged the girl up, before heating a needle and cared I'M into Sylvia's stomach before gagging.
Unable to finish, she handed the needle to a neighborhood boy, Ricky Hobbs, and forced him to finish. When he asked her how to spell prostitute, she wrote it down and he finished carving it into her skin. Two of the Baniszewski children carved a 3 into her chest. The next afternoon, Gertrude gave Sylvia a warm, normal bath. She forced Sylvia to write a letter to her parents, and when the girl made an attempt to escape, she took her into the kitchen and offered her toast. Unable to swallow, the girl was beat in the mouth with a curtain rod. Taken back down the basement, Sylvia was offered crackers by Gertrude, who kicked her in the stomach when she refused.
On October 26, 1965, Gertrude took the girl upstairs, placed her in the tub clothed, and gave her one final, normal bath. After Stephanie tried to resuscitate her, Gertrude made Ricky call the cops. She handed the cops the letter she'd forced Sylvia to write, in hopes that she wouldn't be blamed for the now deceased girl laying on the matress in the living room. They arrested her for murder.
Gertrude stood trial for first degree murder, with the death penatly sought. Paula had her daughter during court; she named the child Gertrude. Gertrude claimed she was too ill to care for so many kids- having asthma, chronic illness, smoking- and therefore, didn't know the own goings-on in her own home. She testified in her own defense, denying that she abused Sylvia, and said that she did not want to board Sylvia and Jenny, but that Sylvia had demanded to stay. She was convicted of first degree murder, and after a new trial, got life in prison, after a twenty-four day trial. On December 4, 1985, she was granted parole, and left prison, moving to Iowa, and living under the name Nadine Van Fossan. She died of lung cancer on June 16, 1990.
The trailer for the 2007 film An American Crime
The murder of Sylvia Likens spawned many books and articles, including two films- one called The Girl Next Door, and the other An American Crime. Sylvia's death spawned the first child abuse act, and put the spotlight on child abuse. 3850 was demolished in April 2009; a parking lot was put up in its place.
"I'm not sure what role I had in it . . . because I was on drugs. I never really knew her. [But] I take full responsibility for whatever happened to Sylvia." - Gertrude Baniszewski
One of the most influental women of the 1980s and early 1990s, was a Mexican-American singer known to the world as Selena. Critics hailed her as the next Gwen Stefani, The Queen of Tejano and the Mexican Madonna.
Selena was the youngest child of Abraham Quintanilla and Marcella Samora. She began singing at age six, when her father overheard her singing along with her brother during his guitar lessons. Not long after, he created Selena y Los Dinos- Selena, her brother and sister; the children began singing at their father's restaurant, Papa Gayos.
The Music Video to Dreaming of You by Selena
The family moved to Corpus Christi, Texas, not long after Papa Gayos went bankrupt. After recording a couple albums that didn't sell well, Selena was finally discovered by Rick Trevi and Johnny Canales- one the founder of the Tejano Music Awards, the other the host of a Spanish television show.
Selena released three more albums between '87 and '88, and from '86 to '96, she would win the award for Best Female Vocalist at the Tejano Music Awards. In '89, she was signed onto EMI Latin records, released her first album that only listed Selena, dropping the 'y Los Dinos,' though they would still perform as her band. She also starred in a Coca-Cola commercial that same year- she was eighteen.
Selena's Coca Cola Commercial, 1988
In 1990, she released an album of '80s remakes, and her second album released in '90 was the first to actually go gold. Despite several songs reaching number one, and two more albums going gold, she wanted a life outside her career. And on April 2, 1992, she married the lead guitarist of the band, Chris Perez.
She won a Grammy for Best Mexican-American artist in 1993, and then not long after, opened two boutiques, the start of her Selena Etc. clothing line- in Corpus Christi and San Antonio. She was nominated once again for a Grammy in 1994, and not long after, she was approached by Yolanda Saldivar, a fan who wanted to start a fan club. Selena- who was far too trusting of people- agreed, making Saldivar the president. Her last concert was on February 26, 1995 at the Houston Astrodome.
The ending scene of Selena
On March 31, 1995, Selena met Salvidar at the Corpus Christi Days Inn to discuss why she was embezzling money from the fan club and the boutiques. They had fired her days earlier. Selena hoped to get back papers that could be used for taxes, but when Salvidar told her she was raped, they went to the hospital; no evidence of rape was found. The two returned to the Inn, and an arguement began.
Salvidar drew a gun and shot Selena in the back at 11:48 a.m. The singer fled to the office, and collapsed; she identified Salvidar as her shooter. Not long after being rushed to the hospital, Salvidar locked herself in her truck and threatened suicide, even as police talked her down. Selena was pronounced dead at 1:05 p.m.- two days shy of her third wedding anniversary, and seventeen days shy of her twenty-fourth birthday. Salvidar was convicted of first degree murder and sentenced to life in October of '95. She would not be eligible for parole for thirty years.
The trailer for the Selena film
The Latin community was devestated by Selena's death, and the world shocked. Over sixty-thousand people attended her funeral; in the summer of '95, her alubm Dreaming of You was released posthumously, and was the first album to reach number one on the U.S. Billboard 200- by a Latin artist. A movie was released on March 27, 1997, titled Selena, starring Jennifer Lopez in the title role. It's still popular today, and has created a whole new fanbase made up of the younger generations. She continues to be a role model for kids, even sixteen years after her tragic death.
The Poster for the film
She, like Audrey Hepburn, Eva Peron, and Isadora Duncan, has become a legend unlike any ever seen. Selena has passed into the myth and mystery of one taken from the world too soon- and one who's star shines brighter because of what she accomplished in her time on Earth.
"I belong to the people and I don't want to build a fence between myself and my fans." - Selena Quintanilla-Perez
I've decided to place Lizbeth Andrew Borden- or Lizzie, as she is so fondly known throughout history- as the newest member of October's strong historical woman of the day. I think I'll do a figure from history that has to do with "Halloween" or "Hauntings" every two days, so expect a similar person on the 5th, 7th, 9th, 11th and so on....
Lizzie Borden was born on July 19, 1860; the youngest, and second surviving daughter of Andrew Borden- a wealthy investor- and Sarah Morse. Sarah Morse died in 1863, and in 1865, Andrew married Abby Gray. The girls lived a very leisurely existance, and, being over thirty by the time the murders took place, stilled lived a leisurely lifestyle at home with their father and stepfather.
92 Second Street
The Borden House then
And now, as the Lizzie Borden Bed and Breakfast
After Lizzie's return from Europe- a gift for her thirtieth birthday- things in the Borden house seemed to break down. Emma and Lizzie found themselves pitted against their parents, and also most likely saw themselves denied a life on the Hill- the upper crust of society.
Emma left for Fair Haven two weeks before the murder, to visit friends, leaving Lizzie at home with her parents and the maid, Bridget. On August 4, 1892, Lizzie went about her usual chores after her father went to work, even though she claimed that she wasn't feeling well.
Andrew Borden's body
When Andrew came home, he settled on the sofa to take a nap, and Bridget slipped upstairs to rest, saying she wasn't feeling well. It is unknown what Lizzie did; she claimed that she slipped out to the barn to look for some tin to fix a door. At this point, Andrew Borden was killed with ten strikes to the head and face with a hatchet.
Lizzie returned to the house and found her father dead on the sofa. It was after she sent Bridget to fetch the doctor, that historians speculate that she went upstairs and killed Abby. Abby Borden was upstairs in the guest room making the bed, when someone entered and struck her nineteen times on the back of the head as she turned to face her attacker with the same hatchet.
Abby Borden's body
Once Bridget returned with help, the police discovered Abby's body; Lizzie was instantly a suspect. It is known that she was seen burning a dress with "paint" on it, not long after the murders were discovered. The trail took place on June 5, 1893, and lasted sixteen days. The skulls of her parents were used as evidence; and the fact that not a drop of blood could be found on Lizzie's person or clothing was also brought into question.
On June 20, 1893, the jury brought back a verdict of not guilty, and Lizzie returned home and she and Emma settled back into their normal routine- even with Lizzie recieving death threats. In 1905, Emma left Lizzie alone in the house, moving from Fall River for good. She never saw Lizzie again.
The axe presumedly used in the double murders
Lizzie died on on June 1, 1927, her death the result of an infection caused by a gall bladder operation. She never married, and died childless; an heiress. Her sister Emma died on June 10, 1927. Both sisters are buried in the Borden family plot. Her legend lives on in the form of a children's poem that- not surprisingly- gets the number of whacks wrong.
"Lizzie Borden took an axe,
Gave her father forty whacks
When she saw what she had done,
Gave her mother forty-one."
It wasn't forty whacks; it was ninteen, total.
One film has been made about Lizzie- The Legend of Lizzie Borden, in 1975. The film stared Bewitched actress Elizabeth Montgomery in the title role. It played on the theory that Lizzie killed her parents in the nude, and then cleaned up- one possible explanation why the police never found blood on her or her clothes.
The promotional poster for the movie
"Do please come over, someone has killed father." - Lizzie to a neighbor about her father's murder
In honor of the first day of October, leading up to Halloween, I've decided that I'm going to start this month off with one of the "scariest" actresses in Hollywood history: The Wicked Witch of the West, Margaret Hamilton.
Margaret Hamiliton is perhaps best known for her role as the Wicked Witch of the West in the 1939 classic, The Wizard of Oz. She is also known as the Maxwell House lady, Cora in the 1970s.
Margaret Hamiliton in a publicity still for the film
Hamilton was born in Ohio in 1902, and moved to Hollywood in 1933, intending to make it as an actress after teaching elementary school in Boston. She married Paul Meserve on June 13, 1931, and their son Hamilton was born on June 12, 1936, the couple divorced in 1938; Margaret claimed mental and physical cruelty.
She got her most famous role, the Wicked Witch of the West, on October 10, 1938, after the actress originally given the role pulled out, due to the change of character for the witch. After 25 films, this was her big break.
The Famous Rubby slipper scene
During the filming of her leaving Munchkinland- on December 28, 1938- the copper within the paint Margaret wore on her face and hands caught fire, and she suffered third degree burns to her face and hands. She nearly quit, but came back after a month off on the condition that she not work with fire anymore.
The famous 'I'm Melting!' Scene from The Wizard of Oz
When she died, she did over sixty films and various television appearances, including appearances as Grandma Frump in The Addams Family, and Clara in The Partridge Family.
Margaret, the famous Wicked Witch of the West, died of a heart attack on May 16, 1985 at age eighty-two.
"I've frightened more children than practically anyone else. It always seems to funny to me; too, because I love children so much."- Margaret Hamilton, 1957
