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This Month in History | The 1887 Jennie Bowman murder trial

The unique part of looking back at this historical event is how the case was investigated in Jim Crow era Kentucky.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — For our partnership with the Filson Historical Society, this month we’re taking a look back at one of Louisville’s high-profile murder cases. The story of the murder of Jennie Bowman back in 1887 is complex.  

Jennie Bowman was a 24-year-old white woman working as a domestic in a home in what is now known as Old Louisville. On April 21, 1887 someone broke into the house.

“She confronted a burglar, she put up resistance and was brutally beaten with a fireplace poker,” Filson Manuscript Cataloger James Prichard said.  

Bowman sustained severe head trauma, and was taken to the hospital. She told doctors, police and family that two Black men attacked her.

“She also indicated that she had taken a glass off the table and struck one of her attackers with it and caused some wounds on his face,” Prichard said.

Bowman died from her injuries May 9. One man, Albert Turner, was arrested. He had injuries consistent with the wounds Bowman described, and had some of her stolen items. Turner implicated another man – William Patterson.

Both were former slaves, and both had served time in prison previously. But Patterson maintained his innocence.

While the two were in jail, a lynch mob of 10,000 people tried to storm the jail, but local and state officials prevented them from getting in.

Turner was convicted and hanged July 1, 1887. However, Patterson had a different fate.

“He was convicted after his trial but it went to the court of appeals, but it was overturned by the court of appeals,” Prichard said.

For a former slave in the 1880s – Patterson’s case was taken seriously – and even Governor Simon Buckner had an interest in making sure this case was handled fairly.  

“As a matter of fact, Governor Buckner visited the crime scene and investigated it in person which was really remarkable and unusual for that time,” Prichard said.

Ultimately, Patterson died on the gallows on June 14, 1888.  Whether justice was or wasn’t served, the process showed promise for its time.

“It’s also really an interesting compelling and complex glimpse of racial justice in Jim Crow Era Louisville,” Prichard said.

While Patterson did have an alibi, there was no standard way of timekeeping at this time in history, so the times he mentioned could not be proven.

Turner also said he made up Patterson’s involvement right before he was hanged – so we will never really know what happened.

    

Contact reporter Rose McBride at rmcbride@whas11.com or on Facebook or Twitter. 

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