Case file · Haunting

The handprint in cell 17, Jim Thorpe

Before his hanging in 1877 as an alleged Molly Maguire, Alexander Campbell is said to have pressed his hand on the wall of cell 17 of the Carbon County Jail, swearing the mark would stay as proof of his innocence.

1877 CE · 40.87, -75.74 · status: legend

The account

The jail is now the Old Jail Museum. Stories say the handprint has survived washing, repainting and even replastering.

The sceptical view

Some local researchers now attribute the print to another condemned man, Thomas Fisher, and no test has explained it.

Sources

  1. Wikipedia: Alexander Campbell (suspected Molly Maguire)
  2. Atlas Obscura: Old Jail Museum
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