Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1900-07-19


Send Only Decent Men-Scheme
Was Put on Foot With TayIor's
Approval.
GEORGETOWN, KY, July 1S.-In
the trial to-day Of Caleb Powers, charg-
ed with completely in the Goebel
shooting, John A. Black, of Barbour
vile, a banker and a Republican of
prominence, was the first witness. He
said Powers came to him in January to
advise him as to the propriety of the
mountain organization which he said
Powers was getting up.
Il asked Powers" said the witness,
what sort of a crowd he was getting
up, and he said he was organizing an
armed mob to go to Frankfort. l dis
couraged this and told him it would
injure 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
Black, continuing, said: "I saw Pow
ers later and again demonstrated
against the formation of the mob
which was going to Frankfort. Pow
ers told me it was being formed with
the
Approval of Gov. Taylor,
Charles Finley and other Republi-
can leaders at Frankfort. Charles Fin
ley also came to me and endeavored to
get me to cooperate with them. /
protested bitterly. Powers became
very angry with me on account Of the
them from the dirty band and to send
good citizens, people of influence, if
any"
A check from Charles Finley to the
Louisville & Nashville railroad for
$1,000 for transportation of the men
to Frankfort was produced by Black
in response to a question from the
prosecution.
w. ii. Culton, who is under indict-
ment as an accessory to the killing of
Gov. Goebel, was called next.
Counsel for the defense raised a
point against the competency of Gull
ton as a witness, ne being under in
dictment along with Powers and others
as a co-conspirator and not having
been tried. The jury was excluded
during the argument of the point
At the conclusion of the argument
the court told the lawyers on both sides
to prepare their authorities on the
question involved and present them al
the afternoon session.
Judge Cantrill this afternoon ruled
that while at common law Culton could
not testify, that rule was abrogated I'M
der the law of this State and that Gull
ton
Is Competent Witness,
the right to testify being a personal
privilege. The court instructed Gull
ton that he might or might not testify,
as he desired, and if he did SO, he was
not required to tell anything that
would tend to criminate himself. Gull
ton replied that he was testifying of
his own free will.
Culton said he knew all the persons
indicted as accessories to the Goebel
d
conference at Frankfort, in January,
at which Powers and others We're pres
ent and the matter of bringing noun
tain men to the State capitol was being
discussed.
Hamp Howard, Frank Cecil and 9TH
er mountain men We're there and We're
asked by Powers how many they could
bring from Harlan, Bell and other
counties. They promised to bring from
fifty TO two hundred men from each OF
the counties represented in the meet
ing. Those in the meeting were to take
charge of the men in their respective
counties and bring them to Frankfort
armed. Powers said, according to the
witness, that when the men arrived at
frankfort, they would give the Demo-
cratic legislators thirty minutes in
which to settle the contests, ''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 %. They numb ered
from one thousand to twelve hundred
men. Those who carried guns had
them stacked in the Office of the com
missioner of agriculture and each man
was given a tag corresponding with a
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 came to
him and told him he had found a way
GOebel could be killed and no one find
out who did it. Youtsey said 1t could
be done from the Secretary of States
office, and showed some steel bullets
Witness told Youtsey such a thing
should not be done. Ex-Governor
Bradley had told witness of hearing
that Goebel was to be killed and said
it must not be done. Witness saw
Youtsey again and the latter said the
idea had been abandoned.
Powers, the witness alleged, distrib-
uted the money among the various
captains who were 10 bring the noun