A Feud Over Love

Texas men fought and killed for the sanctity of their homes.

In 1911, Lena Sneed of Texas and New Mexico ran off with an old boyfriend, Al Boyce, Jr. This didn’t sit well with her husband of 12 years, John Beal Sneed. He had her returned to his custody—and then the fireworks began. Over the next few years, at least seven men died in shootings related to the Boyce-Sneed Feud. Arrests were made but nobody was convicted. A jury foreman explained, “We believe in Texas a man has the right and the obligation to safeguard the honor of his home, even if he must kill the person responsible.”