Meaning: The quote "I don't know whether Mrs. Borden is out or in; I wish you would see if she is in her room" is a statement made by Lizzie Borden, a woman who was at the center of one of the most infamous murder trials in American history. Lizzie Borden was accused of murdering her father and stepmother with an axe in 1892 in Fall River, Massachusetts. The case garnered widespread attention at the time and continues to intrigue and captivate people to this day. The quote is significant because it captures the uncertainty and tension surrounding the events leading up to the murders, as well as the subsequent investigation and trial.

The circumstances of the Borden murders and the subsequent trial have been the subject of numerous books, articles, and even a nursery rhyme ("Lizzie Borden took an axe, And gave her mother forty whacks; When she saw what she had done, She gave her father forty-one"). The case has also inspired movies, television shows, and plays, perpetuating its enduring fascination for over a century.

Lizzie Borden was a complex and enigmatic figure. Born in 1860, she was the youngest daughter of Andrew and Sarah Borden. After the death of her mother when she was just a young girl, Lizzie's father remarried a woman named Abby Durfee Gray. The relationship between Lizzie and her stepmother was reportedly strained, and this tension forms a crucial part of the narrative surrounding the murders.

On the morning of August 4, 1892, Andrew and Abby Borden were found brutally murdered in their home. Lizzie was the prime suspect, and the subsequent investigation and trial captivated the public. The quote in question was reportedly uttered by Lizzie to the family maid, Bridget Sullivan, on the morning of the murders. It reflects the uncertainty and anxiety that permeated the household in the hours leading up to the discovery of the bodies.

The quote is significant because it provides a glimpse into the atmosphere of suspicion and unease that surrounded the Borden household in the days leading up to the murders. It also underscores the central role that Lizzie Borden herself played in the events. The quote has been widely cited in various accounts of the case and has contributed to the enduring mystery and intrigue that continue to surround the Borden murders.

The subsequent trial of Lizzie Borden was a media sensation, with newspapers covering every detail of the proceedings. Despite the circumstantial evidence against her, Lizzie Borden was acquitted of the murders in 1893. The trial and its outcome continue to be the subject of debate and speculation among historians, criminologists, and amateur sleuths.

The quote "I don't know whether Mrs. Borden is out or in; I wish you would see if she is in her room" serves as a haunting reminder of the unresolved questions that continue to shroud the Borden murders. It encapsulates the atmosphere of uncertainty and dread that surrounded the events of that fateful day in 1892. The enduring fascination with the case and the enigmatic figure of Lizzie Borden herself ensure that the quote will continue to be referenced and analyzed for years to come.