The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1883-08-14
CRIMINAL LOVE.
The Plot of a Bad Woman-Gen
Brantley Led to His Death.
The Suspicious Intimacy-Lovine
Letters From q False Wife.

DcIOIe Tue CIVIL WAT NeUcIdl Drdut
ley was one of the wealthiest planters
in Alabama, holding an immense pro
perty in slaves. After the emancipa.
ton his fortune was naturally much
lessened. and his oldest son, John, by
dissipation of every sort, made still!
further inroads upon it. General
Brantley's purse and patience gave
way, and he cut off his eldest son from
further benefit In what remained of
his estates, conveying all his property
to his other children, leaving John
totally uppro vided for.
John was at this time living with
his wife at Pensacola, Fla, and had
neither credit. profession nor money.
He raised enough to get to Selma, Ala,
where his father lived, and took legal
measures to compel his father to pro-
vide for him. although he was forty
years Of age. Sooner. than have
publicity given to this family disa.
greement
GENERAL BRANTLEY
effected compromise with his worth
less son by settling 500 acres of land
near Selma upon Johns wife, Miner
va, and there they went to live
On the plantation adjoining Miner
vas there lived a young man named
Howard, who had lost an arm in the
confederate service. Trouble soon
sprang up between him and Brantley.
Their quarrel became so fierce that
each went armed. expecting to en-
counter at any time.
In the spring of 1869 two most
important events happened affecting
the destiny of John Brantiey. His
father died. and young Howard was
found dead in a swamp about a mile
from John Brantley's house. AL
though the finding of the inquest was
that Howard came to his death from
wounds inflicted by gun-shot in the
hands of some person unknown to the
jury. the evidence pointed strongly to
Brantley as the murderer, and he was
bound over to answer an indictment
found by the grand jury. This in
dictment was quashed, but before a
new one was issued, Brantley made
bis escape to a little place in Mississip-
pi, named Shuqualik. He had pre-
vious to the shooting, made a claim
against his fathers estates. This
and all others he lait in his wife's
hands. having unbounded confidence
in hel business ability and her un-
rhangea bic love for himself.
Mrs. 0rfucTya DiuuUfts was ttlio
time about thirty-six years old, but
looked much younger, while her hus-
band, although only forty, was by
reason of his excuses gray, bent, sal
low. broken down in health, and
looked like man of sixty. Minerva
was
A sTRIKINGLY BEAUTIFUL WOMAN,
possessing that rare type Of lowell
ness which is found in those endow-
ed with lustrous black eyes, fair COM
plexion and luxuriant golden hair.
Her form was perfection itself, her
conversation brilliant manners fas-
cinating, and disposition affectionate
to a fault. On one side of the Brant-
lev plantation was the Howard place,
on the other a plantation owned by
Young lady of good family and for
tune. She had rashly married q
Young merchants clerk named Esk-
ridge. possessing more beauty than
brains She Get him up liz business for
himself in the city, while she remained
on the plantation with her two chill
dren. About the time that Minerva's
husband became fugitive from
Justice, Mrs. Eskridge's husband came
to live on his wife's means and plan
tation.
A MUTUAL ATTRACTION
between Eskridge and Mrs. Brantley
soon ripened into suspicious init
macy. They went buggy riding to-
pether, il spite of the circumstances
of Mrs. Eskridge and of her friends
who warned him that disgrace must
be the consequence of his conduct,
which was the talk of all Selma. But
the infatuated couple were reckless,
and made no secret of their guilty at
tachment. While this was going on
Brantley kept writing to his wife, urg-
ing her to join him in his place of ex-
lie. And at last he became SO impor-
tunate that the guitey pair became ap-
prehensive that even at the risk of
being arrested, Brantley would come
to Selma. At this critical juncture a
relative of Brantley wrote a note to
Minerva informing her that he knew
of her adulterous relations with Eek
ridge, and that he was going to write
and tell her husband. Immediately