Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1896-12-03
FIGHTING JOE" sIAcxsueN


d Senator Blackburn, of Kentuck
h dubbed "Fighting Joe." aud L
gan Carlisle, son of the Senator
Q hated rival, Secretary Carlisle. /,
has long professed the duello, b,
D has never gone much further tha
a challenge toward the field of hor
) or. His fistic record, however.
a bad one.
Blackburn 10 nearly three scor
years of age, six feet tall, straigb
as poplar and broad -shou ldered
de goes about on his feet as lieb
as dancing master, and gives on
an impression Of physical alertness
OF supple joint and ample thew
FROM his collar button down h,
will overmatch any other Senate
save perhaps, Allen, Of Nebraska
Blackburn when . little younger
was considered fine type of phys.
zeal man-light-haired, red-mus.
tached, blue-eyed, Of sanguine tenn.
permanent, popular with the masses,
splendid stumper, with a rich
vein OF humor and great powers of
invective. His gallsnsry as an off,
Ger in the Confederate army won
Tor him the sobriquet Of "FightiRs
Joe. After the war he went to
Congress, and one afternoon in.
dulged in q debate with another
Representative. A personal insul.
led to challenge from Blackburn,
which was readily accepted. Black
ourn's second was . noted duellist.
whom we will call Tom. All ar.
rangements were made, and in the
early morning Blackburn went
quietly out to find his second and
repair to the field of honor. But
the duel did not come of. The
~sav0ts a.s..s1O.. avs ara. ,rrn~sPsr, @s1u
thus explained the matter:
Joe, I'm not much good to any
one, and you are valuable to yoLr
country. Your country can't af-
ford to lose you, and / don't mean
it shall. What I've done is for the
BEST
In vain Blackburn protested.
But the matter was in the hands of
his second, and he couldn't alter it.
When the enemy learned that Tom
the dead shot, was to take Black
burns place on the field, there was
hasty conclusion that the affair,
after all. was not too serious to be
patched up by peacemakers.
That is the nearest he ever came
to duel, though he and General
Burnside came close to it in 1882.
He had an embroglio with Judge
Rucker, Of Denver, in 1883, which
threatened serious results, but
nothing came Of it.
In February, 1889, at q Senate
rial committee meeting, Senator
Chandler, Of New Hampshire, call
ed the Kentuckian q 'slave-driver.
Trembling with anger, Blackburn
arose and walked straight to where
Chandler sat. Doubling his big
fist and shaking it in the New
Hampshire Senator'S face, be cried
Il never owned slave, but You -
little scoundrel, if you were NOT
such an Insignificant little coward,
l would thrash you on this very
spot! / have mind to pull you
from your chair and whip you as
would dog
You dare not hit mev Senator
Chandler exclaimed, with o tremol
in his voice. Don't put hanf
on me- Before any Of the Sena
tors could interfere Blackburn
reached out and took Chandler b,
the ear, jerking him from the chai
as easily a. though he had been
10-year-old boy. Using Chandler
ear as sort OF handle, he yanke'
the little New Englander about tn
room in the toughest manner.
You dirty coward = exclaime
the Kentuckian, a. he finally n
leased his grip on Chandler's cal
, If / had pulled my daughters ca
4 in that way / would expect her
, resent it. l expected you to fight
Q but you are q cowardly dog
Senator Faulkner scted 40 peac,
maker and the combatants we,
kept from further violence. Ell