Chipman

Purchases of Real Estate for the District of Columbia ; Mr. Baker of New York from the Committee on the District of Columbia submitted the following REPORT

1889 · 44688 — Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office. 1889. First Edition. Removed Document. Very Good. U.S. House of Representatives 50th Congress Second Session no. 4106; 8vo; 139 pages; Stitched at spine disbound. Clean and secure. Report on the investigation into the methods and practices of agents charged with acquisition of real properties on behalf of the District of Columbia and the Federal Government. William Preston Taulbee presents the dissenting opinion calling for greater oversight and stricter rules on methods of acquisition. OCLC 20289949 Only one location cited GWU William Preston Taulbee 1851 – 1890 was a U.S. Representative from Kentucky. He was ordained for the ministry of the Kentucky conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church South. He studied law and was elected clerk of the Magoffin County Court in 1878 and reelected in 1882. n 1884 Taulbee ran for a seat in the United States House of Representatives. He was elected as a Democrat and served two terms winning re-election in 1886. During his tenure he became embroiled in a long-running dispute with a Kentucky journalist Charles Kincaid who wrote a series of articles accusing Taulbee of profiting from his congressional service. The relationship between the two men hit a breaking point in December 1887 when Kincaid published in the Louisville Times newspaper a salacious account of an affair the congressman was alleged to be having with a young government employee. The ensuing scandal led to Taulbee’s decision not to seek another term. He left office in March 1889 and became a lobbyist frequently visiting former colleagues in the Capitol Building. During his visits to the Capitol Taulbee and Kincaid sometime crossed paths. The two men detested one another and Taulbee a much larger man than Kincaid was known to harass the reporter. Tensions boiled over on February 28 1890 when Taulbee and Kincaid encountered one another on the second floor of the Capitol outside the House floor. Witnesses said the two exchanged harsh insults before Taulbee grabbed the shirt collar of Kincaid and threw him backwards. Taulbee went about his business as Kincaid ran home to get his pistol. Later that day Kincaid was descending the staircase on the House side of the Capitol when he saw Taulbee below him. As Taulbee approached Kincaid pointed the pistol directly at Taulbee and shot him in the face. Taulbee fell onto the steps bleeding profusely. When the police arrived Kincaid admitted that he had fired the shot. Taulbee lingered for 11 days before he died from the effects of his wounds at Providence Hospital in Washington D.C. Blood stains from his wounds are still visible on the staircase in the Capitol Building where he was shot. Kincaid was charged with murder. His defense team was led by U.S. Senator Daniel Voorhees of Indiana and the trial became a national sensation. After numerous delays the trial began in March 1891 a year after Taulbee’s death. Kincaid pleaded self-defense. On April 8 1891 the jury returned a verdict of "not guilty." . U.S. Government Printing Office unknown