On December 12, 1900, Deputy Collector John F. Lanier, aged 43, was fatally wounded in a tragic incident near Huntsville, Alabama. While patrolling with three federal officers, Lanier encountered two men traveling by wagon. Mistaking the men for illicit whiskey transporters, the officers ordered them to halt. Unaware of the officers' identities and fearing a robbery, the men opened fire, prompting the officers to return fire. In the ensuing exchange, both men were wounded, and Lanier sustained c
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