Murder of George Campbell

Phoebe McWain Campbell (c. 1847 – 20 June 1872) was a Canadian woman who was hanged for the murder of her husband.

[1] Campbell had alleged that on the morning of July 15, 1871, in Thorndale, Middlesex County, Ontario, two black-faced men broke into George and Phoebe's log cabin home and brutally hacked George to death with an axe because he refused to hand over some money.

During the investigation, six local men were arrested, including Thomas Coyle, who was George's farmhand.

Doubt about Phoebe's innocence arose rapidly as she was seen talking with Coyle; she also seemed to have done nothing to help save her husband as he was being murdered and seemed very unemotional following George's funeral.

When asked why she changed her testimony, she claimed the ghost of her late husband visited her and declared her and Coyle innocent.