The Wahpeton times. [volume] (Wahpeton, Richland County, Dakota [N.D.]) 1879-1919, 1900-03-22
THE GoEBEL MURDER
Republican Plot Said to Fave Been
Unearthed in Kentucky.

republican fl0t Said to Have Been
Unearthed in Kentucky.
FRANKFORT, KY. March 49,
Caleb Powers, John Davis and
w. II. Cotton, charged with be-
ing accessories to the murder
of William Goebel, were ar
raig"ed for trial before Judge
Moore.
The commonwealth announ-
ced, and by agreement the
trials were set for next Friday.
at which time County Attor-
ney P"lsgrove said he Thought
lie could get his witnesses and
not ask a further continuance.
Ex-Gov. John Young Brown
made demand for a list of
witnesses for the common
wealth, but this was refused
by the attorney for the prose-
cution, on the ground that pub
licity might cause some of
them to avoid being summon
ed.
Commonwealth Alto rney
Franklin and County Attorney
Polsgrove refused either to af-
firm ar deny the story that Ser
eeant GOLDEN has made an al
legged confession of knowledge
concerning the Goebel assassi-
nation.
Promising revelations of all
the details of the plot that re-
suited in the assassination of
Senator Goebel. Lawyers en-
gagged in the work of hunting
the murderer declare that the
trial of the persons now under
arrest or yet to be. arrested
will prove one of the greatest
sensations of American poIiti-
Cal history. They will bring
out much of the start ing evil
dence they have gathered at
the hearing before the county
court at franklin, where Caleb
Powers, republican secretary
of state, and five other prison-
ers, arrested recently are ar
ranged on the charge of COM
pIicity in the murder conspir-
acy.
According to the lawyers
they have obtained every de-
tail of the plot. They declare
they can put their hands at
any time OH the man who did
the actual shooting, but they
are stalking larger game. The
murderer is described as a paid
assassin. a hired fighter, who
formerly worked for one of the
old mountain killing families
as fued man, retained at
wages per day and "found."
He is expected to 90 on the
stand during the trial of Pow
ers aud the other five prisoners
now under arrest and tell the
mountain plot from the begin
| ming.
He will declare, according to
lawyers, that the assassination
was coolly planned by the re-
publicans in Frankfort, believ-
ing that with this leader out of
the way the republican party
could remain in control of the
situation.
The lawyers declare that the
republicans had determined if
they could stop the triumph Of
Goebel in no other way to start
a fight in the joint session Of
the legislature, and that while
the battle was in progress pick
ed men in the gallaries were to
kill Goebel.
The principal witness for the
prosecution will be Sergeant +.
Wharton Golden, of the Bar
louisville company of the state
p,ilitia. He was in the city
this afternoon and had con
ference of three hours with
Thomas Campbell and other at
torneys retained by the prose-
cution.
Detectives employed in the
investigation of the assassina-
ton discovered about three
weeks ago that the sergeant
had some knowledge Of the
circumstances surrounding 2 the
killing of the democratic leader
and he was approached and
flatly accused of being in the
plot. The lawyers declared
that he Immediately broke
down and confessed that he had
known all about the assassina-
tion. A pledge of immunity
from death was given him if
he would aid in the prosecu-
ton, and since then he has
been in the vicinity of Barbour