Kate’s notes:  The saga of Lowe Gilleland has many twists and turns. It began with the account of Lowe murdering a man over a watermelon, to incarceration, then a pardon, an escape, confinement in a California asylum, a return to and arrest in Dallas years later and finally, his death at the hands of a U. S. Marshal in 1889. I have transcribed only two newspaper articles here, as I later discovered a more complete story about Lowe, whose real name was Lorenzo, written by a descendant. That account may be read at: http://thelegalgeeks.com/blog/2012/09/03/my-great-great-grandparents-made-legal-history-because-of-a-gunfight-over-a-watermelon/

The Houston Telegraph
Houston, Texas
7 August, 1873

TEXAS ITEMS.
_________________

   Lowe Gillleland shot and killed Sam Stephens in Dallas county last week in an altercation arising from a statement made by one Lowery that Stephens had said that Gilleland had appropriated one of Lowery’s melons that he had on sale in his grocery in the town of Lancaster, that county.

Fort Worth Daily Gazette
Fort Worth, Texas

A Dallas Man Arrested for Lunacy Turns
Out to be Well Known

DALLAS, TEX., Aug, 29. – This afternoon a couple of citizens encountered what appeared to be a crazy man at their boarding house, and enticed him down town where he might be turned over to the officers. He was arrested and locked up as a lunatic. He turns out to be Low Gilleland, who was sent to the penitentiary for murder in this county many years ago. He served three years of his sentence and Governor Hubbard pardoned him. Before the papers reached the prison he escaped and was a fugative[sic] until last winter. He had not known of his pardon until then and at once returned to Dallas. He was arrested as an escaped convict, but on trial under a writ of habeas corpus Judge Aldridge ruled that the pardon was operative and released him. He went to California and lost his mind. He was confined in the California lunatic asylum until a few weeks ago, when he managed to get out and return to Dallas with the above sequel. When arrested he saluted the officers cordially and proposed to go to jail.

-transcriptions by Kate Maynard, 2012

Additional notes on the trial and conviction of Lowe Gilleland. 
1.Gilleland appealed his case to the Criminal Court of Dallas in 1875. In Volume 44 of The Texas Reports: Cases adjudged in the Supreme Court, 1876, we find the following under Gilleland v. The State:
   APPEAL from Dallas. Tried below before the Hon. H. Barksdale, holding the criminal court of Dallas.
   Lowe Gilleland was indicted for the murder of Sam Stevens, and was put upon his trial before Hon. H. Barksdale, who exchanged with the Judge of the Criminal Court of the city of Dallas.
   Defendant was convicted, and his punishment fixed at ten years in the penitentiary. The facts appear in the opinion.
2.  A follow-up to this story appeared in the March 27, 1887 edition of the Dallas Daily Herald: “Lowe Gilleland, a convict in the penitentiary, sentenced for ten years from Dallas county, for killing one Stephens, at Lancaster, has been pardoned. He has been confined for nearly two years.” Lowe, however, escaped the penitentiary before the papers for his pardon reached him.