Bio

Phoebe Campbell was born about 1847. Some sources give her maiden name as McWain. She grew up in the area known as West Nissouri Township in Middlesex County, Ontario.

She married George Campbell. The couple lived near Thorndale in Middlesex County. They lived on a farm and in a log cabin in that township.

Phoebe and George had two small children. Records and local histories place her life and family in West Nissouri and Thorndale in the late 1860s and early 1870s.

Murder Story

Phoebe Campbell (c. 1847 – 20 June 1872) was hanged for the murder of her husband, George Campbell.

On the morning of July 15, 1871, in Thorndale, Middlesex County, Ontario, Phoebe told investigators that two black-faced men had broken into the log cabin she shared with George. She said the men tried a pistol that misfired and that George was hacked to death with an axe.

Six local men were arrested during the investigation, including Thomas Coyle, the farmhand. Doubts about Phoebe's story grew because she was seen talking with Coyle, she did not appear to help George, and she seemed unemotional after the funeral. A coroner's inquest concluded that George had been murdered by Phoebe and Coyle. Phoebe said, "I don't care. I'm innocent and I don't care." She first accused Coyle, then later accused her cousin.

Phoebe's trial began on April 1, 1872. The crown prosecutor presented a letter from Phoebe that said, "I never shall say you done any such thing again—if I have to die for it." When asked why she changed her testimony, Phoebe said the ghost of her dead husband had visited her and declared her and Coyle innocent. The crown prosecutor replied, "You can hardly expect anyone to believe such nonsense!"

The jury took one hour to find Phoebe guilty. She sobbed when the judge sentenced her to hang. She later wrote a confession saying she and Coyle had conspired to murder George so they could marry. Coyle was tried and acquitted and later moved to England.

Phoebe Campbell was executed by hanging in London, Ontario, on June 20, 1872, at about age 25. Newspapers reported she showed little emotion at the gallows and held a lace handkerchief after the trap was sprung. Postcards depicting the case were sold to the public. In a final open letter she wrote, "it is a solemn thing to die if not prepared."