As a lawyer in the 19th century, Vallandigham had made quite a name and fortune for himself. He was also politically active and made news for opposing slavery while at the same time calling for the removal of Abraham Lincoln as president. In 1877, he took the case of a man on trial for an alleged murder that occurred during a barroom brawl. He argued that the deceased accidentally shot himself during the melee and set out to prove it was possible. It was very possible. During his reenactment, he shot himself in the head and died.

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