The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-03-12
CONSPIRACY, SAYS TAYLOR. =
He Will Fight 1t Out and Protect the
Defendants.


Louisville, March l1-Accordng to a |
statement made by Gov. w. S. Taylor to-
night to a representative of the CONNER
cial, he has granted pardon to each of
the persons for whom warrants have been
issued charging them with being access
series to the assassination OF Gov Goe-
bel, including Secretary of State Caleb
Powers and ex-Secretary of State Charles
Finley.
In his statement Gov. Taylor recites the
conditions under which he claims to have
been elected and he Charges the Demo-
cratic contestants for state Offices with
conspiracy TO secure control of the gov
eminent.
He continues:
Notwithstanding these conspra tors
were defea ed at the polls as to the state
Offices they succeeded in securing a ma
jority in each of the two houses of the
general assembly and in retaining in pow
er the state canvassing and counting
machine.
"While many Democratic members were
honestly elected, yet others were elected
by the manipulation of dishonest pre-
| cinct officers and county canvassiug
boards before and during the election, and
then after the election by a system of
counting in and counting out until the
majority aforesaid was obtained As thus
constituted the general assembly and can
wasting board have declared that the will
| of the people as expressed at the polls
shell be set aside. 1t is needless TO say
| -.
evitably produce revolution, because
free people Will not willingly be deprived
of their right of suffrage or consent that
! the minority instead of the majority shall
rule.
Victims of Conspiracy.
pending this unfortunate struggle the
Hon. William Goebel, the contestant for
the office of governor. was assassinated by
some person whose identity is unknown.
| Thereupon a conspiracy was formed to
| fasten this heiuous crime upon all or some
of the state officers elected by the people,
| the purpose being to obscure and cover the
| political robbery and to terrorize and de-
stroy all opposition.
In order to carry out this foul conspir-
! acy they procured an act appropriating
| 100000 ostensibly for the purpose of de-
tecting the criminals and have employed
lawyer whose course in the criminal
| practice in Cincinnati was so odious as 10
cause a riot resulting in the destruction
of the Court House and the loss of over
| forty lives.
Following this an employe of the Gin
cinnati Enquirer has made affidavits
| charging that Hon. Caleb Powers, Sec
rotary of State; his brother, John Powers,
| captain of a company of state militia
W. H. Culton, a clerk in the Auditors
office; Hon Charles Finley. ex-secretary
of state, and Capt John w. Davis, police
man of the State House grounds, con-
spired, aided and assisted in said assassi-
nation Warrants were issued and said
| w. H. Culton was during the night of
March taken from his home where his
wife and child were sick and inearcerated
in the country jail without bail or being
| given an opportunity to secure bail.
Cannot Get Fair Trials.
"On the day of said assassination, Har-
land Whitaker, whose residence is in But
Ter county, Kentucky, was arrested and
charged with said crime and assassina>
ton and was placed in Jail and kept con-
fined without trial for over one month in
defiance of the provisions of law requiring
a speedy examining trial and that per-
| son charged with crime shall be brought
| out every two days. Upon the trial he was
! held over without bail, Notwithstanding
! there was absolutely no evidence introduce
ed showing his guilt. For some cause, or
without cause, our courts. composed al
most entirely of Democratic judges, have
| become so partisan that it is practically,
If MOI absolutely, impossible for any man
not of their persuasion to obtain a fair
trial. As organized the courts are courts
of conviction instead of courts of trial.
Under this state of affairs, believing
, that each one of said persons are limo
cent of any completely in said crime, and
| further believing that the enormous re-
| ward will secure the conviction of these
| men however innocent, / deemed II my
solemn duty to issue pardons to them in
order that those political conspirators
! might not be enabled to deprive them of
their liberty or their life. The guilty
men should be punished; but designing
men. controlling the courts, should not
be enabled to shed the blood Of innocent
men, and If it is in my power TO prevent
IT l pledge myself in the name of God
and humanity that It shall not be done"
WERE TAKEN TO LOUISVILLE.
"