TELLO, MANLY (25 Feb. 1842-4 Apr. 1905), lawyer and editor of the Catholic Universe, was born to Don John and Jane (Manly) Tello in Porto Santo, Madeira, Spain. He was educated at Holy Cross College in Worcester, Mass. and St. Charles Seminary in Maryland, and served in the Confederate Army until his capture by Union forces while carrying secret dispatches. He later escaped from Rock Island prison camp, fled to Canada, and married Anna Sales, the daughter of another Confederate refugee. After the war, Tello practiced law in Louisville, Ky. until offered the editorship of the North West Chronicle, a Catholic newspaper in St. Paul, Minn. His work attracted the attention of Bp. RICHARD GILMOUR, who brought him to Cleveland in 1877 to assume the editorial management of the Catholic Universe (see CATHOLIC UNIVERSE BULLETIN), which he managed until after Gilmour's death in 1892. As a mouthpiece of the church hierarchy, Tello enlarged the Universe and it became one of the most influential Catholic papers in the country. The Universe was not a financial success under Tello, who was known more for his literary sense than for his business acumen. He was also criticized, even by Bp. Gilmour, for occasionally using the paper to promote Southern interests. In an attempt to broaden the paper's appeal, Tello introduced BASEBALL coverage, which caused some controversy. For his outspoken views, Tello, even within the diocese, attracted as much negative attention as positive. Tello spent the remaining 13 years of his life practicing law in Cleveland. Tello married twice. His first marriage was in 1866 to Rowena Scales. They had 5 children: John, Hortense, Albert, Rosemary, and Agnes. After Scales' death, Tello married Anna Boylan in 1890; they had a daughter, Eulalia. Tello died in Cleveland and was buried in CALVARY CEMETERY.
Article Categories