On Feb. 23, 1881, at Johnson’s Saloon at the corner of State Street and Park Row in Bowling Green, Fayette Loving killed bartender Frank Grubbs over a disputed bill.

Loving, a 23-year-old grocer from a wealthy local family, was arrested in St. Louis about six weeks later and bail was set at $5,000. In October 1882 he was tried, convicted and sentenced to five years in prison. However, his conviction was overturned, and a second trial resulted in a two-year sentence. In April 1885, he was pardoned by Gov. J. Proctor Knott.

– “Way Back When in Warren County” is compiled by researchers at the Warren County Public Library and appears twice weekly in the Bowling Green Daily News. For more information about the library, visit warrenpl.org.