The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-03-07
| HARLAN WHITAKER EXAMINED
Held to the Grand Jury--O Witness
Tells Pipe story

Frankfort, KY, March ga crowd
which packed the Franklin county circuit
court room gathered today to hear the
examining trial Of Harlan Whitaker, the
Butler county farm hand, suspected OF
being implicated in the murder of Goe-
bel A number of prominent ladies were
present. The charges were changed from
malicious shooting to murder. Whitaker
was nervous. Thirteen witnesses, all
summoned by the commonwealth, were
called. The first five witnesses sworn
were men who had been concerned in the
arrest of Whitaker on the morning of the
assassination. These witnesses swore
In stating his whereabouts on the capitol
square at the moment the fatal shots
were fired.
Charles Howard, farmer, said Whit
taker told him a week before the shoot
ing that he had come to Franklin to pro-
tect Governor Taylor's life. Howard de-
clared that just after Goebel fell he saw
one of the Philpots and two of the How
ards, Berry and Jim, members of well
known mountain families, in the door of
the executive building, heavily armed.
He said that he was deputed by the sher-
if to guard the capitol grounds, but was
ordered away by the commanding officer
when the troops arrived.
Wingate Thompson, a policeman who
took Whitaker to the jail, said that on
the way the prisoner cried out in his
fear: Don't let them mob me and III
tell al I know about it, but 1 did not
shoot him
~ Z
w Bowman of Hardin county. He testi-
fed that a half hour before the assas-
sination he saw the window on the sec
ond floor over the main entrance to the
executive building raised. He could only
see the arm of the man VINO raised the
window and saw two men standing far
ther back He said that when Whit
taker was arrested he recognized the
clothes he had on then as the man who
raised the window. He said one of the
two men who was standing back from
the window at the time mentioned said
to the other: Damn IT, We ought to
have killed the other two" This remark,
he thinks, had reference to two judges Of
the court of appeals. The description of
the men who are alleged to have held this
conversation tailed with the suspects
who have been under surveillance but
who have not been arrested.
Whittaker's attorneys declined to Grass
examine any of the witnesses for the
prosecution. They offered no testimony
and submitted the case on the evidence
produced by the defense. Judge Moore
held Whitaker without bail to the April
grand jury.
Colonel Jack Chinn, the turfman and
politician. who was with Democratic
Governor William Goebel when the latter
was snot, has filed asuir of libel against
Mrs. Kate NJ. Banta, wife OF merchant
of this city. The first paragraph charges
that the defendant in the presence Of
various people declared that she saw
Chinn shoot Goebel from behind" and
that by this libelious declaration he has
been damaged in the sum Of So, 600. The
second count says that 1.-The defendant,
Kate NJ Banta, at numerous other times
and places in Frankfort, spoke and pub
lished these following false, slanderous
and malicious words. of and concerning
the plaintiff: He Jack Chinn, shot and
killed Goebel;' that said words were
spoken falsely and mallciously and for
the avowed purpose Of charging the
plaintiff with having fired the shot that
caused William Goebeis death"