The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1912-11-08
SECOND TRIAL
OF J. P. SNEED
Charged With Killing Two Men,
Expects to Be Freed

Fort Worth, Tex. Nov. s.-With the
approach of the second trial Of j. b.
Sneed Tor the murder of A. g. Boyce.
Sr, which is on he court docket for
next week, public interest In the
bloody feud existing between the
Sneed and the Boyce families, both
wealthy and well known throughout
the state of Texas, has become re-
vived Not for many years, II ever,
fas there been case known I'm this
state. which was so full of the most
sensational detail and In which so
many men of great wealth and social
importance played an active part.
The Sneed and the Boyce families
are among the most prominent In
the Panhandle region of Texas. They
have large property interests In the
way Of banks. ranches and farms and
their wealth is estimated at several
millions. The heads of the families
were Intimately associated wstn each
other in the earlier days and their
the defendant of the coming trial and
the younger Of his two victims, A. q.
Boyce, Jr., were students together at
Southwestern University, Georgetown,
Tex, but love for Lena Snyder, tho |
beautiful daughter of a wellto do |
land owner of Central Texas, made |
the two young men their first rivals. |
then bitter enemies and eventually, ,
caused the feud which, up to the |
present time, has cost the lives OF six
persons
Miss Snyder seemed 10 be fond of
both men and not until after she had
married ]. Beal Sneed. did she discov
er that she was really In love with
Royce. She did not have the strength
of character TO resist the impulses of
her heart. and soon after her marriage
To Sneed she began to have secret
meetings with Boyce, which became
more frequent after the Sneeds took
up their residence at Amarillo, where
Al Boyce. Jr, lived.
On the night of October l3. 1911.
Mrs Sneed informed her husband that
she loved Al Boyce and would not live
with him any longer. Sneed, who was
devoted to his beautiful wife, became
furious and would have killed his wife
and himself had not one of his lit
tie children came into the room at the
time. on the following day however.
he had her taken To a private sanitar-
ium for insane persons, at Arlington
Heights, near Fort Worth. few
weeks later. Mrs. Sneed managed to
send "a letter to Al Boyce, her lover,
begging him to release her from her
prison.
Wife Again in Sanitariunn.
AL Boyce drew large sum of mon
ey and went to Fort Worth, bribed
one of the attendants of the sanitar
ium and through him secured the re-
lease OF Mrs. Sneed. Boyco and Mrs.
Sneed eloped to the north, going first
to st. Louis. then to Omaha. At
omaha. Boyce learned that Sneed was
in hot pursuit and without delay he
fled with Mrs. Sneed to Chicago and
thence to Winnipeg. Manitoba. There
they were arrested as undesirables on
December 26, 1911 and when Sneed
reached Winnipeg having been in
formed of the arrest, Boyce fled.
Sneed took his wife back to Texas and
again placed her In the same sanitar-
ium from which she had escaped.
In some manner Sneed learned that
Capt A. c. Boyce. the father of Al.
Boyce. was In full sympathy with his
son and was plotting to get Mrs. Sneed
out Of the sanitarium. Young Boyce
had been indicted on the charge Of
abduction. but his father brought
about the dismissal of the indict--
ments. which fact also greatly embit-
tered Sneed against him. The two
men met In the lobby Of a hotel In
this city on January 13 Of this year.
and after an exchange Of a few words.
j. Beal Sneed drew his pistol and fired
several shots at the old man. killing
him Instantly.
Sneed was arrested and tried. but
after being out li2 hours the jury re-
turned and reported that no agree
ment could be reached. A new trial
was ordered and this will come up
next week Sneed kept himself in re-