On this day, Feb. 28, 1890, Charles Kincaid, a newspaper correspondent in Washington for a Louisville, Ky., paper, fatally shot former Rep. William Taulbee on the steps of the U.S. Capitol. Taulbee, 36, had resigned earlier after Kincaid wrote about the married Kentucky congressman’s affair.
But Taulbee remained in Washington as a lobbyist and constantly harassed the much smaller and sickly Kincaid.
On one occasion, Taulbee tossed Kincaid across a hallway. On another, Taulbee shoved Kincaid against a street car.
Finally, after Taulbee yanked on Kincaid’s ear, the journalist had had enough. He pulled out a pistol and shot Taulbee in the eye. Kincaid was charged with murder, but a jury acquitted him, ruling self-defense.
To this day, a stain remains on the marble stairs at the place where Taulbee was shot.
-Scott McCabe
