Merchant Killed Over Football Ticket Dispute

he Threlkeld Select School for boys operated in Nicholasville for nineteen years from 1902-03 through the 1920-21 school year. It was founded by Thomas Butler Threlkled, and was located on four acres at present-day 205 N Third Street The school was a large two-story house, with bedrooms upstairs for the twelve boarding students, plus downstairs it had living quarters for the Professor and his family, and more classrooms. The boarding students were usualy augmented by fifteen local boys, making an enrollment of twenty-seven students The course of study was extensive and complete, embracing the classics, sciences, music, and foreign languages, turning out graduates who were ready for the business world, or for college. In fact, all the colleges in Kentucky admitted Professor Threlkeld’s boys without examination, as his reputation as an educator was well known and respected.

Athletics were offered and encouraged as part of the well-rounding of the boys, and for the proper preservation of health. A gymnasium was eventually built on the property, and the school fielded interscholastic teams in baseball and football. During the football season, the boys would go around town selling tickets to home games Such was the case on October 7, 1920 when two boys entered Denman Brothers store in Nicholasville and asked William Denman if they wanted to buy tickets for that week’s game. Denman declined to do so, and when the boys returned to the school, they told Professor Threlkeld that they had been turned down.

Professor Threlkeld phoned the store and talked to William Denman, who said that theyere busy on the day of the game and would not be able to go. Professor Threlkeld then reminded him that the boys buy all their clothes there and if the Denman Brothers could not support the boys by buying tickets, then they would just take their business elsewhere William Denman initially told the Professor that they would buy tickets just to smooth things over, but then he had a change of heart and called Professor Thelkeld back. Denman did not like the way he had been talked to during the first phone call, and he told the Professor that he did not care if the school boys traded with them or not, and, in fact, it would best if the Professor’s grown son, Logan, who also taught at the school, would come in and pay his account balance and never set foot in the store again.

That return phone call outraged twenty-seven year old Logan Threlkeld, and he decided to go settle it man-toman The Professor was so worried about what might happen, that he stuck a pistol in his jacket pocket and followed Logan to the store.

That return phone call outraged twenty-seven year old Logan Threlkeld, and he decided to go settle it man-to-man. The Professor was so worried about what might happen, that he stuck a pistol in his jacket pocket and followed Logan to the store Once there, Logan got into a disagreement with thirty-year old William Denman, as the two took off their jackets and squared off for fisticuffs. Someone locked the door, and then William Denman told his brother Arthur to check the Professor for a weapon. According to the Professor’s later testimony, Arthur came towards him in a menacing manner and that is when the Professor pulled out the pistol and shot Arthur Denman in the stomach. He was rushed to a hospital in Lexington, where he died six days later, on October 13, 1920, at the age of thirty-three. He was a bachelor and left behind his mother and siblings.

Professor Threlkeld was charged with his murder, with a trial beginning on November 11, 1920 It ended the next day with a hung jury. He was then retried beginning on June 14, 1921, with a jury called from Mercer County men. That jury found him guilty on June 15, 1921, he was sentenced to life in prison, and remanded to the state prison in Frankfort. He was in poor health and there was an outpouring of support and sympathy for him Over two thousand people, some very prominent, and some former students, signed a petition asking Governor Edwin Morrow for a pardon. The Denman family asked for a hearing on the petition, and one was held on August 22, 1921. Governor Morrow heard the arguments that day, and then granted the Pardon on October 16, 1921, returning the ill Professor to his home, but the school was closed by then and would never reopen

The school property sold on February 1, 1923 to Melanethon Young for $6,500. He had plans to convert it to a hospital, but by 1925 it had been resold to J.R. Keller who turned it into apartments. On June 23, 1923, Professor Threlkeld died at the age of seventy-four from cancer His son Logan married a girl from Virginia and began teaching at Chatham Military School in that state, and then he became a professor of biology at Virginia Polytechnic Institute (now known as Virginia Tech), a position he held until 1958 when he retired. After retirement, he also taught at Milligan College in Tennessee, and Shorter College in Georgia He died in 1988 at the age of ninety-four

William Denman continued as a merchant after the death of his brother, and then after retirement dealt in antiques with his wife, Mary, from their location on north Main Street. William died in 1972 at the age of eighty-one. His wife Mary passed away in 2002 The disagreement over the football game tickets not only took the life of Arthur Denman, but also brought about the demise of Threlkeld Select School, and sent Logan Threlkeld on a path away from Nicholasville. The world was forever changed for both the Denman and Threlkeld families.

Hall’s Farm & Feed is the only locally owned and operated farm and feed store in this area Owners James J F ) and Cherie Hall are lifelong residents of Jessamine County and proud to serve our fine community ormerly Thompson & Shearer Farm Supply, the business has been in Jessamine County for over 55 years After eing a customer for most of his life, J F told Cherie about 15 years ago that if the Shearer family ever decided o sell the store, he’d like to buy it, so when the opportunity came to buy it, they were interested However, the oad to ownership wasn’t smooth as it took two false starts before they could finally purchase the business “We ere riding the roller coaster for several months of ‘we’ll get to buy the store’ ’we won’t get to buy the store’, herie said “I finally told my husband that if it’s the Lord’s will for us to get the store, we will, and if not, we on’t.” Finally on Jan. 30, 2017, J. F.’ s dream and Hall’s Farm & Feed became a reality.

Hall’s Farm & Feed offers a wide range of products from traditional agriculture products to drainage pipe, culvert, straw mat, mud cover, mulch, and topsoil. Their traditional agricultural products include not only a wide range of feed for animals literally from A-Z featuring both Purina and Southern States (now Cargill) feed but also a large selection of seed (many varieties of grass & pasture individual seed and seed mixes as well as wildlife food plot options and garden/vegetable seeds as well). Additionally, they carry a variety of garden and lawn supplies They have garden plants and sod (in season) as well as weed prevention products and fertilizer They also sell and service a full line of Echo products and parts (chainsaws, trimmers, edgers, blowers and more)!

Additionally, Hall’s Farm & Feed is the home of Hall’s Fencing and Hall’s Lawnscaping. They not only offer fencing materials and tools but also construct fence as well everything from farm, residential, estate, and commercial fence options Hall’s Lawnscaping provides lawn mowing services for residential and commercial customers Hall’s Farm & Feed is located at 201 Etter Drive in Nicholasville. Stop by or give them a call at 859-8854980 to see how their family can serve yours!