The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-08-18
THE CLOSING SPEECH TODAY.
Campbell Declares Powers and Taylor the
Principals in Goebeps Murder.
(By the Associated Press.)

Georgetown, Ky, Augusft 1.-THE
argument in the case of Caleb Pow
ers, charged with being an accessory
to the murder of William Goebel was
not concluded today, the court refus-
ing to hold night session. Com
monwealth Attorney Robert b. Frank
lin will make the closing speech for
the prosecution tomorrow morning.
The argument for the defence was
closed by Ex-Governor John Young.
Brown. The entire morning session
was taken up by Col. T. c. Campbell
for the prosecution. Colonel Camp
bell intimated that Jim Howard fired
the shot that killed Goebel, but it was
one of the five principals named in the
lndlctment-Jim Howard, Berry Ho-
ward, Henry Youtsey. Harland Whit
aker and "Tallow Dick" Comba and
every one of them were there bv pro-
curement of Caleb Powers and W. S.
Taylor
At the close of Colonel Campbelrs
speech the court announced a modifi-
cation of the instructions to the Jury.
OF defining the words ''unlawful act
TO be, ito alarm, incite, terror or do
bodily harm"
his section instructs the jury that
1t Powers and others conspired to do
an unlawful act and as a result of
this William Goebel was killed if
should lind Powers guilty of murder
Colonel Campbell cited statistics
showing comparison of the murders
committed in Kentucky and Ohio
During the four years of Governor
Bradley's administration he said there
mr. in,
were 2S5 convictions for and PIG par
dons of murderers. For the same pc
Rod Ohio. with double the Dopula-
ton of Kentucky. had only 40 muir
derS. Caleb Powers, had, he declared
in the brief time he acted as Secretary
OF State. attested the pardons Of seven
murderers who were set free by Gov.
Taylor.
He took the diagram of the State
capitol grounds and this, in connec-
tlon with the measurements of civil
engineers and the autopsy ON the
body OF Goebel were used in tracing
the bullet. By this he said it was
concluslyely proved that the shot was
fired from Caleb Powers office and
dehed the defence to try to- shake the
correctness of the demonstration. He
referred to Attorney Owens of the
defence as one of Powers fellow as
SaSsinS and said that while he ALWAYS
refralned from calling men liars the
temptation was great in the case of
Lawyer Sinclair, who made himself
one of the three witnesses who testi-
fed that the sound did not come from
the direction of Powers, office. while
over one hundred other witnesses
in1 haf
direction
Colonel Campbell added:
"All shrewd criminals of which
class Caleb Powers is one, first ar
range for an alib. The mountain
army was brought to Frankfort Jan
uary 18th and, thinking it would per-
form it murderous mission, Powers
goes to bed at the house of John
Davis, Il conspirator, but the foul
decd is not committed and Powers
leaves his bed and waits for another
day. On Januady 30th, the second
appointed day, he delves deeper into
the work of establishing an advanced
alibi. He goes into exhaustive details
Of locking his office, though he never
locked it before, and leaving for Louis
vile on pretense of bringing more
men to Frankfort. This time the plan
is better laid and as soon as the as
saSsin's bullet is fired from the Secre-
tary of States office Powers raises
his hands and eXclaims:
81 am innocent because / was in
Louisville when the murder oc-
cured
Ex-Governor John Young Brown in
closing the case, characterized Will
liam Goebell as Il leader of men and
the manner of his taking off accursed.
The State had failed to make out "a
case connecting Caleb Powers with
the murder. He attacked the theory
Of the prosecution that the bullet cut
from the blackberry tree was the one
which killed GCebel, and declared that
The mathematical calculation OF
every civil engineer who has testified
here, if followed to it's logical end,
proved that fact.
He ridiculed the idea that the noun
tain army was brought to Frankfort
for the purpose of intimidation or
murder as testified by NOal>es, Gull
ton and Golden, and declared Culton
Golden and Noakes absolutely I'M
worthy of belief.