| Contents |
The three families: Settling in antebellum Texas -- Migrating to a new frontier: the Texas Panhandle -- Amarillo, 1910: John Beal, Lena--and Al -- A secret too big to keep -- "Let the old men settle it" -- A man with a plan -- Escape, flight, and pursuit -- The gathering storm -- Then the killings begin -- To the courts -- From guns to gavels -- Lena's sanity hearing -- "The greatest legal battle ever" -- The 1912 Fort Worth murder trial of John Beal Sneed -- Protecting a home, or protecting a killer? -- The conclusion of the 1912 John Beal Sneed murder trial -- The waiting game -- Ambush at the death cottage -- "Because this is Texas" -- The second Fort Worth murder trial of John Beal Sneed -- The murder trial begins -- The verdict -- "Making'em believe in ghosts" -- The Beech Epting murder trial -- "No trial for the dead" -- The Vernon murder trial of John Beal Sneed -- The John Beal Sneed wars continue -- Combat in the courts, firefights in the streets -- Epilogue: A. Snatching victory from the jaws of defeat -- Spin-doctoring, dirty tricks, and whatever else it takes -- B. Reflections, speculations, unsolved mysteries -- And what happened to Lena's baby? -- Appendix one: The rest of the tragic story of Hugh D. Spencer -- Miss Lillie was a rover -- Appendix two: Timeline. |
