Vengeance Is Mine: The Scandalous Love Triangle That Triggered the Boyce-Sneed Feud

Contents

vii List of Illustrations x Acknowledgments xi Preface xiii Prologue xvii 1 THE THREE FAMILIES 1 Settling in Antebellum Texas 2 A SECRET TOO BIG TO KEEP 23 “Let the Old Men Settle It” 3 A MAN WITH A PLAN 29 Escape, Flight, and Pursuit 4 THE GATHERING STORM 44 The Killings Begin 5 TO THE COURTS 56 From Guns to Gavels 6 “THE GREATEST LEGAL BATTLE EVER” 71 The 1912 Fort Worth Murder Trial of John Beal Sneed 7 PROTECTING A HOME OR PROTECTING A KILLER? 113 The Conclusion of the 1912 John Beal Sneed Murder Trial 8 THE WAITING GAME 140 Ambush at the Death Cottage 9 “BECAUSE THIS IS TEXAS” 163 The Second Fort Worth Murder Trial of John Beal Sneed C O N T E N T S viii Contents 10 “MAKING ’EM BELIEVE IN GHOSTS” 192 The Beech Epting Murder Trial 11 “NO TRIAL FOR THE DEAD” 208 The Vernon Murder Trial of John Beal Sneed 12 THE JOHN BEAL SNEED WARS CONTINUE 226 Combat in the Courts, Firefights in the Streets EPILOGUE 243 A. Snatching Victory from the Jaws of Defeat 243 Spin-Doctoring, Dirty Tricks, and Whatever Else It Takes B. Reflections, Speculations, and Unsolved Mysteries 252 And What Happened to Lena’s Baby? APPENDIX 1 259 The Rest of the Tragic Story of Hugh D. Spencer Miss Lillie Was a Rover APPENDIX 2 267 Timeline Endnotes 273 Bibliography 293 Index 299 “Where It All Happened” Author’s collection: Map designed by Hanaba Munn Welch. ...