The Trial of John Hubbard: Wabash, Indiana (Part 3)

In September 1855, a Wabash County courtroom became the center of one of Indiana's most shocking murder trials. John Hubbard stood accused of killing seven members of the French family—five children and two adults—all found buried beneath the floorboards of his rented cabin. The weapon? A shoe hammer with suspicious red flakes inside. The defense? An elaborate conspiracy theory about Irish Catholic immigrants.

The trial itself was a spectacle of 19th-century legal drama. An 86-year-old defense attorney deployed every stall tactic imaginable, calling witnesses from New Orleans and New York who never showed. The prosecution struggled to find jurors—98 out of 116 potential jurors refused to serve in a death penalty case, revealing surprising anti-capital punishment sentiment in 1850s rural Indiana. Outside the jail, armed mobs threatened to lynch Hubbard before the trial could even begin.

Despite overwhelming circumstantial evidence—the bodies, the hammer, stolen clothing from the victims—Hubbard maintained his innocence to the end. After four days of testimony, the jury took less than a day to return a guilty verdict with a death sentence. But Wabash wasn't done with John Hubbard yet. His execution would become a public spectacle that the entire county refused to miss.

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Show Notes: In This Episode:

• The discovery of seven bodies buried beneath floorboards and the coroner's jury findings
• How 98 out of 116 potential jurors refused to serve in a death penalty case
• An 86-year-old defense attorney's creative stall tactics and witness games
• The armed mob that prevented a change of venue to Quaker-dominated Grant County
• Evidence debate: Was the red substance in the hammer blood or rust?
• John Hubbard's conspiracy theory defense blaming Irish Catholic immigrants
• The judge who wept while reading the death sentence to a packed courtroom

Key Figures:

• John Hubbard - Defendant accused of murdering seven members of the French family
• Sarah Hubbard - Wife, arrested wearing victim's clothing
• John U. Pettit - 86-year-old defense attorney and former judge
• Dr. James Ford - Physician who testified the hammer evidence was inconclusive
• TC Townsend - Baptist minister assigned as Hubbard's chaplain
• Isaac Keller - Landowner and key witness in the case

Timeline:

• September 3-7, 1855: Four-day murder trial in Wabash County
• September 7, 1855: Jury returns guilty verdict with death penalty
• Fall 1855: Appeals process fails at multiple levels
• December 13, 1855: Scheduled execution date announced
• Night before execution: Quaker congregation visits Hubbard until midnight

Tags: Wabash Indiana, Wabash County, murder trial, death penalty, 1855, true crime, Indiana history, local history, American history, French family murders, John Hubbard, historic trial, capital punishment, 19th century, forgotten history, true story, North Central Indiana, legal history, circumstantial evidence, pioneer crime

Category: History

Chapter Markers: 0:00 - Introduction: Bodies Under the Floorboards 2:30 - The Coroner's Jury and the Grim Discovery 6:00 - Building a Case: Evidence and Early Investigation 9:30 - Jury Selection: The Death Penalty Problem 12:00 - The Defense Strategy: Stall Tactics and Conspiracies 15:30 - Trial Testimony: The Hammer Evidence Debate 19:00 - The Verdict: Guilty and Sentenced to Death 22:00 - Appeals and Final Days: Hubbard's Last Words 25:30 - The Night Before: Quaker Vigil and Private Execution Order 27:00 - Conclusion: Justice or Barbarism?

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