The Slave Arsonist and a Defender

John Bell was killed in a duel in May 1856 in Dallas County, Alabama, and his son as well, John, Jr.  (Selma is Dallas County.) He was killed in a duel over a slave; he was defending an enslaved man. I have a probate file on the Bell, the Alabama Supreme Court opinion on the case, and a grave marker.  The grave marker reads "No Murderer hath eternal life abiding in him." Unsurprisingly, Bell was incredibly wealthy, and so was the accuser. Honor culture (which I'm not a fan of usually) will be a big part of the case

More later ….

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This is a cemetery in Cahaba, Alabama. Bell was killed in Cahaba.

6 Comments

  1. Harwell Wells

    Hurry up and write this article!

  2. John Browning

    Ditto! Very intrigued by this!

  3. Al Brophy

    I am working on it! Bell was defending an enslaved person — and he died (as did his son). I don't know of another enslaved person and "owner" that does that.

  4. Steve L.

    It is great that you are posting and writing, Al.

  5. Scott England

    I agree with Steve. See you soon in North Carolina.

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