The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1900-07-31
CLOSING IN ON POWERS
strong Testimony In the Powers-Goe-
bel Murder Case

GEORGETOWN, KY, July s7.7Judge
James d. Black. OF Barboursville, who
xas q candidate for the democratic
governprship a. the recent convention.
testified today IN the trial o: Caleb
Powers. charged with completely in
the Boebe shooting. He described q
letter which he said Powers wrote
Jams Stevens. Of B~arboursville. Feb
ruary 10Th. in which he declared the
statements: II am largely responsible
for the d~isorganized condition Of she
democrats" and II am an open advo-
cate Of war" were used.
d. H Sinclair. former OF
the Postal Telegraph Company's office
Of Frankfort. testified as to many teie-
grams sent through his Office before
and after the shooting. Some related
20 calling out the militia. others to
supplies for the mountaineers-
George Weaver. OF Denver. Colo.
was next witness He was in Frank
fort at the time Of the assassination
and was just entering the capital
gr, unds. real when the shot was fired.
When the shot was fired the witness
locke in the direction OF h sxecu-
tive building and saw the muEzle % n
gun pointing from the secretary OF
states office. Witness said he thought
he saw the hand OF a man holding the
gun.
L. ". Hampton. a republican MEM
Der OF the Legislature from Knox coun-
~. testified that in January he was
TALKING with Governor Taylor upon the
subject OF contests. The witness said
Taylor told him that almaa life would
have to be sacrificed. Hampton con-
tiued:
IT replied: Well. IL the governor
says - but he broke In and said
to me: oh. I can't adv Sc you I called
! on the governor 10 r him to call
I out the militia He told me something
would have to be done before he could
do this. 1t was in this connection that
he spoke OF sacrificing human life. On
the day after the contest board was
drawn h witness said he heard that
Taylor was cprsing the republican
He went 20 the executive
office and Taylor said TO him with an
oath: You fellows sat over there and
allowed me to be robbed"
Hampton also said he was In fire.
Quent conference with Caleb Powers
and asked him If he did not have a
chance 20 hold on TO his office even IL
Taylor should be unseated. Powers
ASP4Co " "ll1hSSS Lid Ic Ulu not want
the office If Taylor lost the governor
ship. as Goebel would have him assas-
sinated. He also told Tho witness he
intended 10 fight till death rather than
give up"
Sergeant F. Wharton Golden. the
prosecutions star witness, was placed
IN the witness box to-day. He swore
that Governor Taylor wanted the re-
publican members TO start a fight in
| the hOlSp "A nd assured him that h. a..
governor. would back then. up.
Golden started by telling that he was
a guard at the Frankfort peniJentiary
under the republican administration
from 1896 to 1898 and was an applicant
for assistant adjutant general under
Governor Taylor. Caleb Powers came
to him in January and old him to go
10 the fountains and get a crowd of
mountain feudists to bring to Frank
fort. Powers, accompanied witness a
part of the way on the trip and witt
ness went through Harlan. Bell and
other counties, getting up the crowd.
Receipts from Hamp Howard. DIR.
and other mountain men for
money paid to them by Golden were
produced and exhibited to the jury.
witness got the money from Powers.
AT ~Barboursville Golden saw Powers
and Charles Finley. Finley said: We
Will go down there and petition the leg
islature and IL they don't drop that
thing, we will kill them"
Powers. who was present spoke ap-
provingly- Powers and witness went
TO Scott Green. Of Knox count and
asked him TO bring some men for the
Frankfort trip. Green could not
go and said: IF were TO go I
would Kill Goebel and end this bust
ness"
On the day before the shooting wiz
ness saw John Powers give Youtsey
the keys to the secretary OF states Of
flee and, later. Powers told him they
had procured two negroes, Mason
Hickersmith and "Tallow' Dick Combs
TO kill GOebel. Witness told Powers his
must not be done as 1t would ruin the
party. After this Youtsey came to
Powers again and said something
about the key. Powers rave him an
other key.
On the morning Of the assass nation
2 the witness Caleb and John Powers
and Walter Day went to Louisville.
2 Before leaving, witness was I'm the sec
rotary Of states office. Governor Tay-
Tor was there as we'll as several men
frnm the maintains