The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1900-07-25
MURDEROUS INTENT
Of Kentucky Republicans Being
Bought Out in Court
PLANS TO KILL GOV. GoEBEL.
Governor Taylor Furnished Some
Of the Money Used to ering
in the MurGerefs TO
C-orLfoyf
Frankfort.


In the trisl Of Caleb Powers charged
with completely in the murder Of Gov.
Goebel, which has been in progress for
several days at Frankfort, Ky, John
4. Black, banker and Republican Of
prominence. was the first witness on
Wednesday. He said Powers came to
him in January to advise him as to the
propriety of the III ountain organization
which he said Powers was getting up.
Il asked Powers" said witness,
what sort Of crowd he was getting
up and he said he was organizing an
armed mob to go to Frankfort. | dis
couraged this and told him it would in
jure the Republican party, would be a
stigma on our end of the State and
ought to be abandoned. Powers, how
ever, insisted that the mob should be
formed. His idea was that it would
intimidate the legislature. y
Back, continuing, said: Il saw Pow.
ers later and again demonstrated against
tie mountain moo going to Frankfort
Powers told me it was being formed
with the approval of Governor Taylor,
Finley and other Republican leaders
at Frankfort. Finley also came to me
and endeavored to get me to cooperate
with them. | protested bitterly. Pow
ers became very angry with me on &C:
count of the position | took tried
to dissuade them from organizing the
dirty band and told him to send good
citizens, people of influence, if any"
A check from Chss. Finley to the
Louisville and Nashville railroad for
$1,000 for transportation Of the men to
Frankfort was produced by Black in re-
no~se to question from the prosecu-
". H. Culton, who is under indict-
ent as an accessory to the killing of
Governor Goebel, was called next.
Counsel for the defense raised a
roint against the competency Of Culton
IS a witness, he being under indiet-
uent along with Powers and others as
4 conspirator and not having been tried.
The jury was excluded during the argu-
ment of the point.
Judge Cantrill ruled that while at
,umon law Powers could not testify
hat rule was abrogated under the law
If this State and that Culton is COM
petent witness, the right to testify be-
ing personal privilege The court
instructed Culton that he might or
might not testify as he desired and if
he did so, he was not compelled to tell
anything that would criminate himself.
Culton replied that he was testifying
of his own free will.
Culton said he attended a conference
at Frankfort in January at which Pow
ers and others were present and the
matter of bringing mountain men to
the State capital was being discussed.
Hamp Howard, Frank Cecil and 9th
er mountain men were asked by Powers
how many they could bring from Har
Ian, Bell aad other counties.
They promised to bring from 80 to
200 from each Of the counties. Pow
ers said, according to the witness, that
when the men arrived at Frankfort they
would give the Democratic legislature
80 minutes in which TO settle the con
tests, "and if they did not settle it in
that time they would kill every one of
them"
Culton continued The mountain
men arrived in Frankfort, January 20.
They numbered from l, 600 to 200 men.
Those who carried guns had them stack
ed in the { Fl ,e of the commissioner of
agriculture and each man was given a
tag corresponding with number on his
gun. After holding the meeting in the
State house yard, the larger part of the
crowd was sent home "
Culton said Henry Youtsey told hiH,
he had found way Goebel could be
killed AID no one found out who did it.
Youtsey said it could be done from the
secretary of states ofl ,e, and showed
some steel bullets. Witness told lout-
sey such thing should not be done.
Ex.Gov. Bradley had told witness Of
hearing that Goebel vas to be killed,
and said it must not be done. Witness
saw Ioutsey again and the latter SAID
che idea had been abandoned.
Powers, the witness alleged, distri
buted money among the various cap
tains who were to bring the mountain.
eers to Frankfort. He did not know
whence the money came. He declared
q " Taylor furnished him (Culton) the
n4hey to bring the Jackson county
3r,wi Witness said Gov. Taylor did
10, want the mountain men to 60 home.
He vrnt i,, B rry Howard and others,
at Taylor i1,taU:e, and told them the
governor wanted them to remain and
not go home as Powers wished.
On the day of the Van Meter Berry
COuleSt IL luS 1eSto!atOAe Wv "ieoSoo
said Taylor sent orders by him to assist
Adjt, Gen. Dixon to have the troops in
the arsenal ready to be called Gu: at a
moments notice.
After the assassination Culton said
Powers came to him AID told him to
write to the parties who were in con-
ference and tell them they had better
be very careful and do no talking, as
they were liable 10 be connected with
the murder. Witness told him it would
be dangerous to write, and Powers said
he would do it himself, The prosecu-
ton produced a boz of cartridges for
the witness to inspect. Cultou said
the cartridges were like those ioutsey
showed him when talking about killing
Goebel.
Powers gave witness badges for the
mountain men who remained in Frank
fort, so they could distinguish their
ovn mon from othars