Washington-Clay County MsArchives News.....Lanier Kills D. L. Love October 26, 1881
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Kenneth Stacy klstacyfamily@aol.com November 10, 2006, 10:37 pm

The Huntsville Weekly Democrat (AL) October 26, 1881
Lanier Kills D. L. Love
----------------------------
A Just Retribution for Libel of Lanier’s Wife
----------------------------
  Mr. John F. Lanier, of Madison Co., Ala., was married to Miss Ada E. Johnson 
in Huntsville, Ala., Sept. 20, 1881.  Love was in Huntsville at the time, but 
left in a few days thereafter, and sent from his home, West Point, Miss., 
through the mail, a lithographed card, announcing his own marriage to Miss 
Johnson, Thursday, Sept. 22, addressed to (we understand) about two hundred 
persons here, on the back of which card was printed more infamously libelous 
charges against Miss Johnson that we have ever heard, or read in history or 
romance, from any professed over of any woman.  The cards were distributed 
from the Huntsville Post Office Oct. 1st, causing a great sensation here, and 
the most intense and unanimous indignation and denunciation we have ever known 
to be caused by any crime in our community.  
   The apparently unanimous sentiment of this community was that Love ought to 
be killed.  About two weeks ago, Mr. John F. Lanier, accompanied by his 
father, Burwell C. Lanier, his brother, Clint Lanier, and his friend, Todd 
Harrison, went to Mississippi, to seek redress for this unparalleled libel on 
his wife.  He came up with Love in Greenville, Miss., and there killed him, on 
last Friday, as detailed by the following telegram from the Greenville Times, 
addressed to the Huntsville Independent:
				Greenville, Miss.,
				Oct. 21, 1881, 8 p.m. 
Love came here several days since, engaged in trying to get up a subscription 
for a cotton factory.  Lanier got here from Vicksburg this morning.  He and 
his father, in going to the hotel, saw Love enter a livery stable on the 
opposite side of the street – apparently not having seen them.  They crossed 
over, and, at the door, saw him talking to the stable proprietor, in rear of 
the stable.  Lanier advanced, shot-gun in hand, and, when about twenty yards 
from Love, the latter turned and saw Lanier, who almost immediately fired.  
Love was struck in the neck and face, and turned in retreat.  Lanier fired the 
other barrel as Love entered a mule and buggy shed.  Love fell, but got up 
with pistol in hand.  Lanier had, by this time, run up to the mule shed, and 
opened fire with a pistol.  Love was now down, but endeavored to crawl along 
through the stalls, but his strength failed, and he gasped his life away on a 
dungheap, with his mouth and eyes full of filth, when he was turned over.  
Love, who never fired, had fourteen bullet holes in him.  Lanier surrendered, 
and is now in charge of the sheriff.  He has retained Percy and Yerger to 
defend him.  The public verdict is, Love was justly slain. - Greenville Times.
  The killing of Love was a sad necessity.  In addition to the infamous libel 
of Lanier’s wife, for which he could make no satisfactory explanation or 
reparation, we are credibly informed that he had repeatedly threatened that, 
if Miss Johnson did not marry him, and married another man, he would kill the 
man she did marry.  Under the technicalities of the law, Lanier would be 
guilty of a very grave offense.  But the law, while justifying a husband for 
slaying the man who murders or attempts to murder his wife, provides no 
adequate penalty for the man who seeks to murder a wife’s virtuous 
reputation.  Hence, the moral sentiment of the public comes in and supplies 
the deficiencies of the law, by justifying the husband in taking the 
libeller’s life.  In this particular case, this community are, apparently, 
unanimous in justifying “the deep damnation of” Love’s “taking off.”
  We are pleased to learn from the following telegram that the Court and 
people of Greenville took the same view of the case:
 		                         Greenville, Miss., Oct. 25,
Dr. M. C. Baldridge, Huntsville, Ala.:
  Lanier was acquitted amidst shouts of applause, at 3 o’clock.  We leave for 
home on the first steamer.
		Wm. F. Baldridge

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