The Canal Killer of Rich Valley (Part 2)

When fishermen drained a frozen Indiana canal in the spring of 1855, they discovered a weighted body pinned to the bottom—a man brutally murdered with defensive wounds and a shattered skull. No one recognized the decayed corpse. But when authorities invited the entire county to view the remains, a chilling pattern emerged: multiple families had vanished after boarding with the same couple in Rich Valley. The Hubbards, a seemingly ordinary frontier family, had been wearing their victims' clothes and spending gold coins while spinning tales of midnight departures and sudden opportunities out west.

This is Part 2 of the French Family Murders, following the investigation that exposed one of Indiana's earliest known serial killing families. When a jailed John Hubbard whispered to his wife about "the family in the basement," lawmen realized the true horror hidden beneath a one-room cabin with no basement—only 18 inches of crawl space. What they discovered next would shock Wabash County.

Dive into this forgotten chapter of 1850s Indiana, where transient workers disappeared along the canal, neighbors asked few questions, and a legal document certifying someone as an "idiot" could shield them from prosecution. This is frontier justice, American history, and a story lost to time—until now.

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Show Notes:

In This Episode:

• How a drained canal exposed a weighted body with defensive wounds and a crushed skull
• The Hubbards' suspicious pattern: missing boarders, midnight departure stories, and victims' clothing
• Why a legal "idiot" certificate protected Richard Hubbard from prosecution
• The jailhouse whisper that sent lawmen racing to dig beneath a one-room cabin
• What "the family in the basement" revealed about serial murder on the American frontier

Key Figures:

• John Hubbard - Canal worker and suspected serial killer who boarded transients in Rich Valley
• Sarah Hubbard - John's wife, described as having a "masculine frame" and "alternately pleasant and sour" demeanor
• Richard Hubbard - Their son, legally certified as an "idiot" and wheelbarrow operator
• Edward Boyle - Irish immigrant and railroad worker found murdered in the canal
• Aaron French - Tenant farmer who mysteriously vanished with his wife and five children
• James Lewis & Isaac Keller - Neighbors who first noticed the French family's suspicious disappearance

Timeline:

• October 1854: Aaron French family mysteriously departs overnight; Hubbards claim relative took them to Iowa
• December 1854: Edward Boyle disappears after recovering from illness and retrieving gold from priest
• March 1855: Fishermen discover weighted body in drained canal during spring repair
• March 27, 1855: Hubbards arrested after Boyle identified and their stories proven false
• April 8, 1855: Jailhouse eavesdropping captures John's whispered question about "family in the basement"

Tags: Indiana history, Wabash County history, Rich Valley Indiana, 1854 murder, canal murder, serial killer history, frontier crime, 1850s America, forgotten murder, true crime history, local history podcast, American history podcast, transient workers 1800s, canal workers Indiana, Irish immigrants Indiana, historical true crime, frontier justice, 19th century murder

Category: History

Chapter Markers: 0:00 - Introduction: The Weighted Body in the Frozen Canal 3:30 - Aaron French's Mysterious Midnight Departure 8:45 - The Hubbards Take Over: A Pattern Emerges 13:00 - Edward Boyle's Final Days and Jingling Pockets 18:30 - Spring Thaw: Discovery and Community Identification 23:15 - The Arrest: Custom Handcuffs and "Idiot" Certificates 28:00 - Jailhouse Eavesdropping: "How Was the Family in the Basement?" 31:45 - The Posse Rides to Rich Valley

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