The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1900-03-24
G0EBEL MUIR
DER TRIAL.
Guards Armed With Rifles
Inside and Outside OF
Kentucky Court
House.

| Frankfort, KY, March 25.-The
| preliminary examination of Secre-
tary of State Caleb Powers, charg-
ed with abetting the assassination
of William Goebel, beg an to-day be-
fore Judge Moore. The court house
was guarded inside and out by
militia and scores Of deputy sheritfs
armed with Winchester rifles. to
prevent possible interference from
mountaincers who were reported on
their way to Frankfort, but their
presence was unnecessary, as the
mountaineers failed to appear and
no disorder occurred.
The witnesses to-day included
Warden Eph Lillard, Detective Dee
Armstrong, Sheriff Bosworth, of
Fayctte county, who arrested Sec
retary Powers, and Captain John
Davis, and Silas Jones, who is now
under bonds charged with COM
plicitv in the murder. The testi-
mony tended to show that the shots
came from that section of the exc
cutivc building in which Secretary
Powers Office is located, although
no one swore that the shots were
from the Secretary's Office. The
strongest evidence, perhaps, was
given by Slas Jones. who was in
Governor Taylor's ante room when
the shooting took place. No evil
dencc was adduced to show that
the defendant was implicated in
any conspiracy, but, in one of the
frequent wordy disputes between
the attorneys for the defense and
the Commonwealth, the fact was
brought out that F.Wharton Gold
en-, who is said to have made con-
fession, will be put on the witness
stand before the hearing ends.
Prosecuting Attorney Polsgrovc
said tonight that sufficient evidence
had already been heard to warrant
holding Powers, but that the case
would be much stronger before he
was through. On the other hand,
former Governor Brown for the de-
fense expressed himself as we'll
pleased with the situation, regard
ing the evidence SO far as decidedly
weak.
1t is probable that all of the wit
nesses for the prosecution will be
heard by tomorrow afternoon.
An incident occurred during the
afternoon that showed the feeling
and also how the people are pre-
pared for emergencies. a soldier
in the rear court yard dropped his
revolver on the stone tagging and
it exploded, In an instant every
man in the crowded court room was
on his feet. fully third of them
with their hands to their rear
pockets.
Eph Lillard, warden, of the
Frankford Penitentiary, was the
first witness sworn. He testified
that he was with Senator Goebel
when the latter was shot. He
walked ahead Of Senator Gocbcl
and was just entering the State
House when the shot was fired. He
turned back from the State House
steps and saw what had happened. |
He looked toward the Executive
building and saw that the second
seemed to be from pistols.
On cross-eXamination Colonel
Lillard said he saw nobody in the
room from which the shots seemed
TO have been fired. and he didn't
see any one in the main floor or OH
the steps of the building at the time
of the shooting.
Policeman Thompson testified
that the window Of the corner room
vas slightly raised. This was the Of
flee of the Secretary of State. He
thought the shot had been fred
rom this room. There were sever
al other shots, but, he said, they
lid not come from the same place.
The first shot was evidently from
life, while the others that as the
:rowd was carrying Senator
iocbcl out of the yard he saw arm
ID men at the entrance to the Exc
'utivc building, and recognized
ohm Davis and Berry Howard
lmong them.
Slas Jones, of Whitney county,
estiiied that he was in the room
eading to Governor Taylor's Office
When the shots were fired. There
we're many in the room whom he
id not know. It was his impress
ion that the shots were fired from
he Executive building, and he
hought from the corner of the
uilding in which Secretary Pow
RS office is located. When the
hots were fired he walked into the
where he saw Captain
'ayis and Governor Taylor among
theirs.
There was considerable excite {
tent. Governor Taylor came to the ;
oor and wanted to know who was
hot. Did you see any one try to !
pen Secretary Powers door,"
,ked Attorney Polsgrove. t
Eyes | saw 4 man with dingy
hiskers trying to open the door.
e struck it with hatchct,' re- a
led Mr.. Jones '
Jones said there was much noise, +,
1T could not say that he heard any a
ON Secretary Powers office. u