Texas Feud

The last major Texas feud has been explored in No Hope For Heaven, No Fear of Hell by James C. Kearney, Bill Stein and James Smallwood (University of North Texas Press, $29.95). The sanguinary grudge fest pitted the Townsends and the Staffords—two powerful Columbus, Texas, families who wanted to maintain or expand their influence. The trouble began with a shootout in 1871, followed 19 years later with the killing of the Stafford brothers. Another eight years went by before Larkin Hope became