Murder Victim - Annie Kempton lived at home with her parents. She was an attractive young girl who was very well liked in her school and community. She was a happy girl and was looking forward to her fifteenth birthday coming up.
Her father was a hard working man who worked in the woods and was away from home for periods of time.
On this fateful night her father was away working and her mother was visiting her two sisters in the United States. But Annie was not worried, she had stayed along before and usually had one of her friends or neighbours come stay with her.
Peter Wheeler had moved to Bear River about 12 years before this and lived with Annie's neighbour Tilly Comeau. No one really knew about his background or what brought him to Bear River. He worked at odd jobs over the years and sometimes took to the sea with jobs on boats.
Tilly was a hard-working single mother of four children. She was a good neighbour who sometimes stayed with Annie when her parents were away. But on this particular night, January 27, 1896 Wheeler told Tilly that she needn't bother going to Annie's as she had another friend coming to stay with her. This was not the case and the supposed friend never knew a thing about going to Annie’s.
The next morning the police were summoned when poor Annie's tortured body was found on her floor by Peter Wheeler and Harding Benson. The place was a mess like there had been a horrible struggle there. Blood was everywhere and Annie's throat had been slashed three times.
After an investigation evidence pointed to Wheeler and he was arrested for the murder of Annie Kempton. He later even confessed to the crime, but he kept changing his story over and over again all through the investigation and trail. He was, however found guilty and was hanged.
Her father was a hard working man who worked in the woods and was away from home for periods of time.
On this fateful night her father was away working and her mother was visiting her two sisters in the United States. But Annie was not worried, she had stayed along before and usually had one of her friends or neighbours come stay with her.
Peter Wheeler had moved to Bear River about 12 years before this and lived with Annie's neighbour Tilly Comeau. No one really knew about his background or what brought him to Bear River. He worked at odd jobs over the years and sometimes took to the sea with jobs on boats.
Tilly was a hard-working single mother of four children. She was a good neighbour who sometimes stayed with Annie when her parents were away. But on this particular night, January 27, 1896 Wheeler told Tilly that she needn't bother going to Annie's as she had another friend coming to stay with her. This was not the case and the supposed friend never knew a thing about going to Annie’s.
The next morning the police were summoned when poor Annie's tortured body was found on her floor by Peter Wheeler and Harding Benson. The place was a mess like there had been a horrible struggle there. Blood was everywhere and Annie's throat had been slashed three times.
After an investigation evidence pointed to Wheeler and he was arrested for the murder of Annie Kempton. He later even confessed to the crime, but he kept changing his story over and over again all through the investigation and trail. He was, however found guilty and was hanged.
Murder Victim - Annie Kempton lived at home with her parents. She was an attractive young girl who was very well liked in her school and community. She was a happy girl and was looking forward to her fifteenth birthday coming up.
Her father was a hard working man who worked in the woods and was away from home for periods of time.
On this fateful night her father was away working and her mother was visiting her two sisters in the United States. But Annie was not worried, she had stayed along before and usually had one of her friends or neighbours come stay with her.
Peter Wheeler had moved to Bear River about 12 years before this and lived with Annie's neighbour Tilly Comeau. No one really knew about his background or what brought him to Bear River. He worked at odd jobs over the years and sometimes took to the sea with jobs on boats.
Tilly was a hard-working single mother of four children. She was a good neighbour who sometimes stayed with Annie when her parents were away. But on this particular night, January 27, 1896 Wheeler told Tilly that she needn't bother going to Annie's as she had another friend coming to stay with her. This was not the case and the supposed friend never knew a thing about going to Annie’s.
The next morning the police were summoned when poor Annie's tortured body was found on her floor by Peter Wheeler and Harding Benson. The place was a mess like there had been a horrible struggle there. Blood was everywhere and Annie's throat had been slashed three times.
After an investigation evidence pointed to Wheeler and he was arrested for the murder of Annie Kempton. He later even confessed to the crime, but he kept changing his story over and over again all through the investigation and trail. He was, however found guilty and was hanged.
Her father was a hard working man who worked in the woods and was away from home for periods of time.
On this fateful night her father was away working and her mother was visiting her two sisters in the United States. But Annie was not worried, she had stayed along before and usually had one of her friends or neighbours come stay with her.
Peter Wheeler had moved to Bear River about 12 years before this and lived with Annie's neighbour Tilly Comeau. No one really knew about his background or what brought him to Bear River. He worked at odd jobs over the years and sometimes took to the sea with jobs on boats.
Tilly was a hard-working single mother of four children. She was a good neighbour who sometimes stayed with Annie when her parents were away. But on this particular night, January 27, 1896 Wheeler told Tilly that she needn't bother going to Annie's as she had another friend coming to stay with her. This was not the case and the supposed friend never knew a thing about going to Annie’s.
The next morning the police were summoned when poor Annie's tortured body was found on her floor by Peter Wheeler and Harding Benson. The place was a mess like there had been a horrible struggle there. Blood was everywhere and Annie's throat had been slashed three times.
After an investigation evidence pointed to Wheeler and he was arrested for the murder of Annie Kempton. He later even confessed to the crime, but he kept changing his story over and over again all through the investigation and trail. He was, however found guilty and was hanged.
Inscription
Erected to the memory of Annie Kempton, Age 15 years, who lost her life Jan. 27, 1896 in her father's house, in a desperate struggle to preserve her honor. The subscribers hereby express their profound respect for the departed one as a heroine in her maintenance unto death of the highest virtue of a Christian civilization - the sacred honor of womanhood.
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