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Dr. Blackburn came into the
bath whistling at 9:30 o’clock. Addressing Davidson, he said:
“The old fellow has a little touch of muscular rheumatism
tonight and I want you to give me an extra rub.”
In Jovial Mood.
He was told
that there was a patron already on the rubbing table and was told
to occupy his usual room until called. A half hour later he went
into the room and bandied with the attendant, when he did
not readily locate the electric light. An attendant, Robert
Woods, went by the door whistling and Dr. Blackburn imitated him,
and when Woods entered the room, pushed him about in as jovial
way. The two men left him with word that he would be called in 15
minutes.
Ten minutes later Davidson walked through
the hall and called: “Come on. Doc, your turn is next.”
There was no response and he repeated the
call. Davidson pushed open the door and saw the body, covered by a
blanket, on the bed. One hand protruded.
Finds Him Dead.
“Are you coming?” questioned
Davidson, as he leaned over the body. Grasping his hand, he found there
was no pulse. Dr. Horst was summoned. Mrs. Blackburn arrived in a few
minutes. Dr. E.J. Groeneveld,
a personal friend of the family, was also notified.
Charles A. Blackburn, a son, was notified
of his father’s death at his residence, 804 West Silver street, and went
to the bathhouse.
Dr. Blackburn had been troubled for several months with Bright’s
disease and complained of pains in the side, which he attributed to
rheumatism. For several years he had taken a Turkish bath every Sunday
night, and last night appeared at the usual time. It was noticed that he
walked with a slight limp, which he said was due to muscular trouble.
Of Distinguished
Ancestry
Dr. Blackburn was a descendant of a
long line of military heroes, himself a soldier in the civil war, and bore
more than one mark of the conflict.
He was born in Woodford county, Ky., on
October 22, 1839, the son of Anderson M. and Margaret Hoxey Blackburn, of
English and Scotch ancestry, respectively. His great-grandfather Blackburn
served under Washington in the revolution, and received many letters from
his great commander, which Dr. Blackburn cherished as his most valuable
possessions. His grandfather served under Gen. Andrew Jackson in the
Seminole war and was on intimate terms with that great soldier. His
great-grandfather Hoxey also was a soldier in the revolution and made a
record for conspicuous gallantry. Gideon
Blackburn, the doctor’s grandfather, was born in Virginia, was a
Presbyterian clergyman and the founder of Blackburn college at
Carlinville, Ill.
Dr. Blackburn was educated at Yale, and
had nearly completed the course when the civil war broke out, and he left
college to enlist in the Fourteenth Illinois infantry. He was in General
Grant’s command and fought under him at Shiloh Fort Donnelson, Corinth
and numerous other important engagements, in two of which he was seriously
injured. Once on a foraging expedition he was captured by guerillas and
sentenced to be put to death, the next morning, but during the night he
escaped and made his way to the federal lines.
Faced Thirty-Five.
At another time he was halted by a band
of 35 confederates, but, drawing his revolver, he shot two of them,
wounded another by a swinging blow with his pistol, then, giving rein to
his horse, succeeded in reaching the union forces, although severely
wounded by the shower of bullets that followed him. During his service in
the army he was promoted five times, reaching the rank of lieutenant
colonel by brevet, but before the close of the war he became seriously ill
and resigned his commission. His study of medicine previous to entering
the army made him useful in the hospital as well as in the field service.
On retiring from the army he went to Pine Bluff, Ark., and later to
Camden, where he engaged in the mercantile business until 1870, when he
entered the Fulte Medical college at Cincinnati, graduating
in 1871 as a valedictorian of his class. He practiced medicine in
Freeport, Ind.; Galveston Texas, and Evanston, Wyo., until 1891, when he
located to Butte. Beside his medical practice he prospered by his business
shrewdness in real estate and mining investments.
Active in Politics.
Dr. Blackburn was an ardent democrat of
the old southern school. In the fall of 1910 he was nominated by the
democrats for the legislature and was elected. During the session of 1911
he was chairman of the house committee on appropriations and was one of
the most active men in the body. To friends he confided that the extra
work attached to his legislative term and his consequent activity “cost
him five years of his life.” He was esteemed by his fellow members in
the legislature as one of the most useful members.
In city and county politics he was one of
the most active workers and was a valued lieutenant of the party. He did
not aspire to any public office until he accepted the nomination for the
legislature.
Dr. Blackburn was a firm believer in
athletics and, in spite of his advanced age, enjoyed out-of-door sports.
He was one of the oldest practitioners in Butte.
Several weeks ago he told friends that he
had an ambition to be a centenarian. He was a sterling citizen of Butte
and the state, deeply interested in all public affairs and highly
respected by all.
His Relatives.
Dr. Blackburn is survived by his wife and
one son, Charles A. Blackburn; two daughters, Mrs. W. H. O’Neill of Los
Angeles and Miss Flora Blackburn of Chicago, and two sisters, living in
Wyoming.
He was an active member of the Butte
lodge of Elks and held membership in the Masonic lodge at Shreveport, La.
The funeral arrangements have not been
completed.
The
Anaconda Standard,
Anaconda, Montana
3/25/1912
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