On September 22, 1787, the Gazette printed a notice for all locals, “A company of armed gentlemen will meet at Bray’s Tavern and will arrange to accompany hose who desire t join the new settlement to be established on the Licking River.” History of Pioneer Lexington , by Charles A. Staples pg: 47
September 22, 1842, Illinois State Legislature Abraham Lincoln met Illinois State Auditor James Shields on the “field of honor” to duel . Published letters written by Abe and Mary Todd attacking Shields for his politics and women’s pursuit fueled the duel. In August, Lincoln got upset that the Illinois State Bank went bankrupt and announced that it would no longer accept its own paper currency from private citizens. This set the duel in motion. Lincoln set the parameters and it was to be fought with large cavalry broadswords, in a pit, divided by a board that no man could step over. In creating such parameters, Lincoln aimed to disarm his opponent using his superior reach advantage and avoid bloodshed on either side. On the day of the duel, the combatants met at Bloody Island, Missouri. As the two men faced each other, with a plank between them that neither was allowed to cross, Lincoln swung his sword high above Shields to cut through a nearby tree branch. This act demonstrated the immensity of Lincoln’s reach and strength. It was enough to show Shields that he was at a fatal disadvantage. With the encouragement of bystanders, the two men called a truce.
Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Danville native Hugh Lenox Scott , born in 1853. The U.S. Army officer graduated from West Point and served as superintendent from 1906 to 1910. He became the Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army from 1914 to 1917, which included the first few months of American involvement in World War I.
September 22, 1917, secret agents from Lexington’s Commission on Social Hygiene visited Belle Brezing’s house at 153 Megow St . Madam Belle Brezing by Buddy Thompson pg 123
September 22, 1922, Deputy James Holiday, Perry County Sheriff’s Office , died when he and another deputy responded to a domestic disturbance between a husband and wife. As the deputies approached the front door the husband immediately opened fire, striking Deputy Holiday four times.
Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Louisville native Gerald A. Neal , born in 1945, the 1st African American man elected to the Kentucky State Senate.
September 22, 1950, Army PVT John Grey Arnett from Wolfe County , Army SFC Henry C. Gamble from Jefferson County , Army SGT Elmo Porter from Owsley County , Army SGT Herman R. Taylor from Logan County , all died fighting in the Korean War.
September 22, 1951, Army PVT Glenn W. Fannin from Perry County died fighting in the Korean War.
September 22, 1962, Charley Bradshaw coached his 1st game as UK’s head football coach . He tied Florida State at home 0-0. He would be shutout two more times and tie once more in the season. The Wildcats finished the 1962 season with a 3-5-2 record.
September 22, 1966, Marine Corps SGT Billy Brown King from Elizabethtown died in the Vietnam War.
September 22, 1968, Louisville native Bobby Nichols won the PGA National Team Championship (with George Archer).
September 22, 1969, Army CPL Glenn Martin Bradley from Owensboro and Army CPL James Irvine Yates from Mt. Eden in Spencer County , both 20-years-old, died in the Vietnam War.
September 22, 1971, the Louisville Colonels played in the 2nd ever ABA vs. NBA preseason exhibition game . Over 13,800 fans watched the Colonels defeat the Baltimore Bullets 111–85 in Freedom Hall in the ABA’s 1st win against the NBA. The ABA’s Dallas Chaparrals lost to the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks 106-103 the night before, in the 1st matchup between the two leagues.
On September 22, 1993, former Fayette County Attorney Norrie Wake received a 21-mont sentence. Judge Hood, “I see before me….a man whose life has been like a piece of Waterford Crystal. In may ways, it has been fine and beautiful. But it has also been proven to be fragile, shattered by your own actions. Unlike broken crystal, however I believe you have the ability as well as the opportunity to put your life back together.” He stole money from the county and his employees.
On September 22, 1995, a forensic scientist told a crowded convention hall in Lexington that preliminary DNA results and other findings strongly suggest that Jesse James’ body in his Missouri caskets is his. They announced the conclusions at the 3rd annual James Younger Gang Convention.
September 22, 2000, while President Clinton announced a special commission to help tobacco farmers , Governor Patton urged the President to take more affirmative action. Patton, in the same week, announced a program to ease farmers out of growing tobacco.
September 22, 2011, a Lexington Federal Judge released two men on bail while awaiting sentencing for running an oil and gas scam that bilked investors out of $38 million . One defendant, Gary Milby from Campbellsville, appeared on MTV’s reality show, My Super Sweet 16 , where he gave his daughter a helicopter ride and a new BMW.
September 22, 2014, President Barack Obama bombed another country, this time Syria .
September 22, 2015, Ford Motor Co. announced they would expand the size of their stamping facility , body shop and materials handling department at their Kentucky truck plant.
On September 22, 2016, the official start of Russiagate began when Dianne Feinstein and Adam Schiff, the top Democrats on the Senate and House Intelligence Committees, released a joint statement. Two years, and six months later, the investigation ended after much xenophobia. Feinstein died in office seven years and seven days later.
September 22, 2017, Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer declared it “Statesman” day to recognize the movie Kingsman’s: The Golden Circle . British spies visit Kentucky to team up with their U.S. counterparts, called the “Statesmen.” Brown Foreman’s Old Forester Statesman, along with other Brown Foreman swag, was planted throughout the movie.
September 22, 2020, the U.S. death toll surpassed 200,000 . “This is a major challenge of our lifetimes,” Governor A. Beshear said, and “we’re going to be judged in part by how many Kentuckians and how many Americans we let die.” The statement may have been overdramatic. Still, the governor, in the national spotlight, got caught up in the moment.
On September 22, 2021, ex-Governor S. Beshear started it, and Governor A. Beshear finished it, with help from J. Michael Brown the Secretary of the Justice and Public Safety Cabinet in both administrations. In 2008, the state sued Poker Stars to stop the unregulated, untaxed, and illegal offshore gambling operation pilfering the Commonwealth. They paid the state $300 million to settle. From that total, $75 million went to the state’s private attorneys at the firm of Hurt, Deckard & May.
September 22, 2022, Thomas Massie tweeted a thought.
On September 22, 2023, Andy Barr did his part for the MIC , as he always does. Three months later, the U.S. military reported record-breaking low recruitment numbers. The top two reasons given were the possibility of physical injury/death and the possibility of PTSD or other emotional/psychological issues.