The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1897-04-14
Life of n Nephew of John {. Calhoun
Who killed Three Men.
New York sun.

Los Angeles, Cal, March 2$.--old, i'll and
paralyZed. but nervy enough to the last 10
look down the muZzle OF a loaQeq revolver
without tlinching, was Douglas =. LAZY, y VINO VINO
killed,himself in Pomona yesterday. He was
81 years old. He had killed three men during
his lifetime, which he finally ended by kill
ing himself.
nephew of John Calhoun. He lived there
until he was 30 years old, and then he fought
a duel 10 which he killed his adversary. The
friends of the dead man made SO much trou-
bic for young Lilly that he slid out of that
country and came TO California. At first he
lived at Benicia, where he knew well The
Young Capt. L. >. Grant. Each OF the men
had a good horse Of which he was very proud
and they used TO meet on certain piece OF
good road outside the town and match the
mettle of their horses. Lilly Joined the hrst
rush 10 the newly found gold fields in lsi9,
and prospered SO we'll at the business OF gold
digging that in year or two he had acquired
a fair.siZed fortune. But one day in the sum-
mer oflS5o he quarreled with man In Marys-
VILE. Both drew their guns. Lilly had his
out first and the other man fell dead, the piS.
tol exploding In his clinched hand as he iell
TO the floor and the bullet whistling past
Lilly's head SO near that singed his halr.
Lilly was arrested, and 1t cost him every cent
trials that followed. But at last he came OF
clear, and then he went down TO San Francis
co and lived there for several years. For
some months he roomed with John Mackay,
I'll a time when they were both so poor that
half the time they did not have enough to eat.
Their stock OF clothes ran low, and at one
time they had between them only one pair OF
presentable trousers, which they took turns
In wearing, one going out and the other re-
naming In seclusion until the return OF the
fully clad one.
Then Lilly came down to San Diego and for
a time lived there and in lower California,
mining, making money and losing II, getting
into trouble and out again and living 10 the
full the life of the time and the PLACE. When
the civil war broke out he went TO Texas and
bought horses and mules for the Contederacy.
He had O number of fights with Apache In.
dians, in one of which he was wounded and
came near being made captive. After the
war he returned to southern California.
In 1913, at Spadra, he had an argument Win
the Rev. Benjamin Standerfer, who was q
leading pastor In the Christian denomination
In southern California. The argument, which
lenets Of the Christian church, grew hotter
and hotter branched out into personalities,
and at last Standerfer drew back his fist and
attempted 10 strike Lilly. The latter had his
knuckles touched his face, Lilly sent two bull
let's through Standerfer's chest killing him
Instantly. The trial which followed was one
OF the sensations of the Pacific coast. Lilly
was found guilty In the first trial, but was &C.
Quilted after a second. This murder trial,
like the previous one, lost him his entire for.
tune, and he did not recoup himself further
than TO get enough for comfortable living.
His defense, of course, In both cases was that
he had acted in selfdefence. But the last kill
ing seemed to sober down his high temper,
and he always kept the pistol with which he
did 1t as reminder that he must curb bis
spirit. 1t was with the same weapon that he
put an end TO his own life nearly quarter OF
century later. He hinted no intention OF
suicide and it Is supposed by his friends that
paralytic stroke and merely wished 10 escape
the horrors OF prolonged old age as bed
ridden invalid.