Farmer's Wife: Victim or Sadist?

The Killer

I was thinking about the rhyme last night:
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Three Blind Mice, Three Blind Mice

See how they run, See how they run

They all ran after the Farmer's Wife

Who cut their tails with a Carving Knife

Have you ever seen such a sight in your life..

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Wait, I thought.  She cut their tails with a carving knife?
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Here we have three differently abled mice, just going around - doing their little mouse chores and some psychopathic housefrau decides to go all Quentin Tarantino on their ass?  What did they do, squeak too loudly?
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And the rhyme isn't clear on this step to me.  Did the afore mentioned blind mice chase this maniacal mamer before or after she hacked their tails clean off?   I mean, they were blind, so I doubt they went looking for trouble from Lizzy Bordon of the Prairie.  And, if she severed their bodies then they chased here - well that seems only fair.  Blood on her hands, as it were.
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Just sayin'