Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1893-01-10
A BRAVE KEUTUCKlAN.
Or. THEOPHULlS STtELS AD-
VsNTUROuS CAREER.
One Of The BravOst Of tho Brave Soldiers
In General MOrgsn's Command Dur
Ing The Lalo War.
CourierJournai.

Courier-J journal.
The Couricr-Jonrnal of last Sunday re-
produced from the New York Herald a
statement 10 the effect that DR. Theo-
philus Steele had been accused by his
wife Of attempting to kin her at the
Gilscy house In the city named.
DIR. Steele is well remembered by The
citizens Of the Bluegrass country, cspcc-
Tally by those of them who served under
General John IA Morgan.
Il remember Dr. Steele, said General
Duke yesterday, aud n Drawer man
never lived. He went into the Confcd-
crate service ns major OF the Third Ken
lucky regiment The regiment was
composed of native kentuckinus, though
many Of them were residents of Texas
and II, NJ, Gano OF TINT state was the
colonel. When Colonel Gano was pro-
NOTED 10 be a birndier general, Major
Steele was made Northumberland.
know him as a boy and as soldier;
In all situations he was a gentleman, n
steadiast friend and a man To be dreaded
by his enemies. j do not believe that
ono 30 gallant and chiyalrOus would
strike, much less attempt TO lln n wo-
man. He would spurn, resent such action
on the part Of another, and do not take
stock In the Gilsey house story. While
work given to him; be was with us on
the famous raid through Indiuu0 and
Ohio, and in battle few men got nearer
the enemy than he did
DR. Steele was born in Woodford coun-
" about 1897. His father was Thomas
Steele, one Of the wealthy representatives
Of that large family IN that section, His
first school teacher was DIR. II. A. Grant,
seer tary OF the Polytechnic society.
DR. Grant, speaking OF DIR. Steele said
he remembered him as a high bred hoy
of fourteen years, one Of his pupils when
he Taught school over forty years ago In
Frankfort. His only recollections 81 him
were that he was the soul OF honor. and
as gallant as he was brave. DR.. Grant
knew but little Of his career after he
left school.
II has been nearly holf-ceumry since
the Steelcs and the Blackburns lived
as neighbors 20 each other IN the vicinity
OF Spring station. History records that
from a disagreement over a hog there
sprang up an estrnngement between the
two families, and 30 intense were their
dislike for each other that some repre-
senadyes are said TO have fought at every
opportunity.
Dr. ii. NJ. Goodman, referring 10 the
intensity Of this feeling between the
Blackburns and Steeles, said: II re-
member, Il was In 1919, Of attending n
temperature lntfuNE Allu many nClnNtfh
OF the two families Were present, They
were keen for fight, and II was not
long before Thomas Steele and either
Chapman or Churchill, have forgotten
which, but II was Senator 10 Black
burns eldest brother came together IN
deadly combat, and il did not end until
one Of them was a corpse, and that one
was Blackburn, who was shot 10 death
by his antagonist, Steele was arrested,
charged with murder and on trial the
famous Tom Marshall defended him. IL
was proven that at the time Of the fatal
meeting Blackburn approached him IN n
threatening manner, and that Steele IN
defending his life took that Of his adj
yersory. The jury 10 believed, and his
acQuttal was the result"
This killing did not bridge the chasm,
for the trouble was an heirloom passing
from sire TO sun. Before the war Or
Steele and Hon. Jas. Blackburn were at
tending school az LeXington-the former
IN O medical college and the latter study
Ing law. Each Of them remembered
WoOdford county, and az result thew
never missed an opportunity to express
themselves as 70 their estimate Of each
other ne young doctor was the most
aggressive, and the outcome OF his talk
was q challenge 70 tight duel from Mr.
promptly ahording Blackburn the Or
portunity 70 obtain the satisfactiou
which his wounded honor denianded
Steele named pistols az the weapons, and
when they met 10 a held near licking.
ton, one shOf on each side was exchan1-
ed. Wien the smoke had cleared away
the seconds discovered that Blackburn
had caught the bullet Ia Que ii his legs
This meeting apparently satisfied the
Two. ard ] have not BEARD " nny more
fighting between the families. Il was
generally thought that Steele had dr.
best Of Blackburn IL the duel, as he was
known 10 be a dead shot. and the fact
AsI We 6psd lon vas takan V evidence