Family

My mom sent me an e-mail today saying that my great-grandfather's brother was mentioned in the Amarillo Globe News. Thankfully, I had already heard the story before I read the opening paragraphs.

"A.D. Payne failed not once, not twice but three times to kill his wife. The fourth effort succeeded.

He tried using gas, then rigged a shotgun so she'd be shot and then arranged a morphine overdose. Each time, she escaped unscathed.

Then on June 27, 1930, the Amarillo man used dynamite to blow up the family car, with his wife and son inside - killing her instantly and injuring the boy.

He played the role of the bereaved husband, offered a $5,000 reward for information and demanded a newspaper investigation by the Amarillo Globe.

The Globe obliged, and a reporter's investigation ultimately led Payne to confess that he had a longtime mistress and was responsible for his wife's death."

The full article may be found here.