Murder in Bear River: The Slaying of Annie Kempton

Episode 211: On January 27, 1896, in the tiny community of Bear River, Nova Scotia, popular fourteen-year-old Annie Kempton was brutally murdered in her home while her parents were out of town. The crime, papers said, was the worst ever seen in the province up to that point and there was an outcry for swift justice on the heels of the slaying. Two days after the crime, Peter David Wheeler, 26, an immigrant, was arrested and charged with the murder. In July of that year, Wheeler was found guilty of the crime and after his trial, made a confession that some have come to see as coerced. He was hanged less than 8 months after the murder in the middle of the night as a crowd was allegedly on their way from Bear River to lynch him.

Sources:

Nova Scotia Archives – Admiral Digby Museum

Place-names of the Province of Nova Scotia : Brown, Thomas J : Internet Archive

In search of justice for Peter and Annie | The Chronicle Herald

Bear River Historical Society | Nova Scotia, Canada

Peter Wheeler, Murder of Annie… – Admiral Digby Museum | Facebook

Justice Denied – Atlantic Books

Stories of our Local Characters

The Lynching of Peter Wheeler by Debra Komar – Ebook | Scribd

Maritime Murder: Deadly Crimes from the Buried Past eBook : Vernon, Steve: Amazon.ca: Kindle Store

Graveyard Tour | Fall For Bear River

Annie Kempton (1881-1896) – Find a Grave Memorial