Samuel Maud Coovert
Samuel Maud Coovert lived near South Lebanon. He was hanged at Lebanon on August 24 after being tried twice for murder, in a case The Indiana State Sentinel says rested on circumstantial evidence. The account reports that shortly before the execution he was taken from the jail at midnight and hanged partway in an attempt to force a confession, and that he maintained his innocence on the scaffold. He met his death with calm resignation and asked the jury, judges and witnesses to consider that he had never harmed the family. The article notes later public doubt about whether the right man was executed.
Cause of death, as reported: Executed by the state. The newspaper account says the evidence against him was circumstantial, that he was taken from the jail at midnight and hanged partway to force a confession, that he maintained his innocence on the scaffold, and that public doubt about the execution arose later.
Reported by: news account of the execution.