History
Tyrell was in the United States Army during the days of the American Frontier. He was obsessed with such conquerors as Caesar, Napoleon, and Genghis Khan. He earned his way to the rank of General by the time the American Civil War had broken out. He led an army of Union soldiers on an attack against the Confederate Army who were holding a southern position. With delusions of conquest, he sent wave after wave of men, sending them endlessly to their slaughter and the battle was eventually lost. In the aftermath of the Civil War, the United States military court-martialed Tyrell and reduced his rank to Major. Then to get him out of the way they placed him in charge of Fort McVey.[1]
Still harbouring his delusions of conquest Tyrell was slowly losing his mind. He began running his fort with an iron fist, ordering the execution of any soldier for even the slightest infraction. Seeking a glorious battle, he then hired some local outlaws to slaughter the hunting camp of a nearby Apache tribe to entice them to go on the warpath. The slaughter was discovered by the western hero the Black Rider who went to the fort to warn them, unaware that Tyrell set in motion the attack. Learning of how Tyrell ran Fort McVey, the Black Rider attempted to talk sense into the man or shooting his men, saying that it would leave him under manned should the Apaches attack. McVey responded by throwing the Black Rider off the base. Later, when the Black Rider returned with the men responsible for the Apache murders, Tyrell welcomed the men and refused to arrest them, then ordered his men to arrest the Black Rider, but the hero used his guns to force the soldiers to let him free.[1]
Tyrell then met with the men he hired and learned that the Apaches were going on the warpath. Completely out of his mind, he poisoned the drinks of the outlaws and tricked them into drinking the poison then caught the Black Rider's alter ego Matthew Masters listening in on his conversation. Attempting to capture Masters proved fruitless as the hero manages to slip away as the Black Rider. The Major then organized an army to meet and attack the Apache warpath.[1]
Before the battle could begin, the Black Rider convinced the soldiers to stand down. The insane Major Tyrell then charged the Apaches alone and was killed in a hail of arrows. In the aftermath, the Black Rider managed to convince the chief of the Apaches to stand down and resume peace.[1]