The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1900-07-24
P0WERS-GOEBEL MURDER TRIAL,
A Republican Banker Gives Important
Testfmony-w. II. Cuiton on the
stand.

Georgetown, KY, July 1s.-In the
trial toady OF Caleb Powers. charged
with completely in the Goebel shooting.
John A Black, o. Barboursville, a
banker and a republican OF prominence
was the first witness. He said Powers
came TO him in January TO advise him
as TO the propriety OF the mountain or
~ganization which he said. Powers was
getting up.
Il Powers, said witness,
what sort OF a crowd he was getting
UP and he said he was organizing an
armed mob TO go TO Frankfort. / dis
couraged this and told him il would
inJure the republican party, would be
a stigma on our end of the state and
ought to be abandoned. Powers,
however, insisted that the mob should
be ormed His idea was that it would
1ntlmidate the legislature"
Black, continuing. said: Il saw
Powers later n again demonstrates
against the mountain mob going TO
Powers told. me il was
being formed with h approval OF Gov.
ernor Taylor, Charles Finley and other
republican leaders at Frankfort.
Charles Finley also came TO me and
endeavored to get me 10 cooperate
with them. l protested bitterly. Pow
ers became very angry with me on ac-
u of the position 1 took. l tried
TO dissuade them from the dirty band
and TO send good citizens, people of in
f1uence, if any"
A check from Charles Finley to the
Louisville and Nashville railroad for
$1,000 for transportation of the men to
was produced by Black in
response to a question from the prose-
cution.
W. H. Culton, who is under indict-
ment as an accessory to the killing of
Governor GOebel, was called next.
The court instructed Culton that he
might or might not testify, as he de-
sired, and if he did 50, he was not
compelled to tell anything that would
criminate himself. Culton replied that
he was testieying of his own free will.
Culton said he attended a conference
at Frankfort in January at which
Powers and others were present and
n matter of bringing mountain men
to the state capitol was being discuss
ed. Hamp Howard, Frank Cecil and
other men were asked by
Powers how many they could bring
from Harlan, Bell and other counties.
They promised to bring from 30 to go
men from each of the counties. Pow
ers said, according to the witness, that
when the men arrived at Frankfort
they would give the democratic lead
ers thirty minutes in which to settle
the contests, and if they did not set
tie it in that time, they would kill
every one of hem"
men arrived in Frankfort, January
18th. They numbered from 1000 to
! 200 men. Those who carried guns
had them stacked in the office of the
commissioner of agriculture and each
man was given a tag corresponding
with a lumber on his gun. After
holding h meeting in the state house
yard, the larger part of the crowd was
sent home"
Culton said Henry Youtsey told him
he a found a way Goebel could be
killed n nc find out who did it.
YOutsey said it could be lone from the
secretary of states office and showed
some steel bullets. Witness old
Youtsey such a thing should not be
done. Ex-Governor Bradley had told
the witness of hearing that Goebel was
to be killed and said it must not be
done. Witness say Youtsey again and
the latter said the idea had been aban-
doned.
Powers, the witness alleged, distrib-
uted money among the various cap
tains who were to bring the mountain
lerS to He did not knoW
whence h money came. He declared
Governor Taylor furnished him (Cul-
tom the money TO bring the Jackson
county crowd. He went to Berry How
ard and others at Taylor's instance,
and told them the governor wanted
them to remain and not go home as
Powers wished.
On the day of the Van Meter-Berry
contest in the legislature the witness
said Taylor sent orders by him to AS
sistant Adjutant General Doxin to
rave h troops in the arsenal ready
ITO be called out at a moments notice.
The court adjourned with Culton on
the stand.