The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-03-24
GOLDEN The MAN
The Commonwealth of Kentucky
Bases It's Case
Against the Republican Secre-
tary of State
ON PERSONS WORD.
Witness Was an Intimate Friend
of the Accused.
Is Expected to Give Full De-
tails of a Conspiracy.


cution in the case against Secretary
Caleb Powers charged with completely
in the Goebel assassination case
brought in it's principal witness today,
F. Wharton Golden, of Knox county, an
intimate friend of Powers. Attorneys
for the commonwealth say that Golden's
| testimony is practically the capstone of
the whole structure of evidence, and
| expect to prove by his testimony not
only that conspiracy existed, but also
who were implicated in it.
The court room was jammed long be-
fore the hour set for the examination
and when finally the doors were closed
| a large crowd remained outside. The
commonwealth expects to rest its case
| today. Just what testimony in rebuttal
| the defense will introduce is not known,
| but unless Golden's testimony proves
| sensational, it is considered probable
! the defense will submit the case with
| out argument
GOLDEN ON THE STAND.
] Secretary of State Powers was the
only one of the defendants brought into
court this morning, Captain Davis and
| Culton remaining in jail. F. Wharton
/ Golden of Barboursville was the first
witness. He had known Secretary Pow
/ erS for about Is years. and knew Mr.
/ Sulton- He was also acquainted with
| Governor Taylor and Captain John
/ all of the defendants. He was in Frank
| fort in January and February and saw
| Secretary John Powers nearly every
| day. He was in Franfort on January IA,
| and went to Harlan county on the 18th,
| then went to Laurel county for two or
three days, from there returning to
Frankfort.
Where then did you go, to Barbours-
| ville?' asked Attorney Campbell. After
| hesitating, the witness said: Il won't
| answer that"
When did you have a conversation
| with Secretary Powers?''
| when Mr.. Powers and I left here to-
] gether.
| @Col. Powers told me to go to Harlan
county and tell Postmaster John Hirst
| to send down ten witnesses in the con-
| test case who were regular mountain
| feudists.' -
Did he understand what you meant
by that and if so. what was your under
| standing of that request?"
! Objected to but overruled.
Il won't answer that question:" said
| Golden.
After some parley Golden said: sswell,
| men who would stand up, and if neces-
sary go into that legislative hall and
| kill off enough to make it in our favor"
| WANTED MEN WITH REVOLVERS.
Il did not see Mr.. Hirst. I saw Hamp
| Howard I told him we wanted ten reg
| ular mountaineer feudists for witnesses.
| We wanted men who had good Colts
| forty -fves-''
Were the Colts forty-fives to be put
in evidence?" asked Attorney Camp
bell.
Most assuredly they were," answered
| Golden
In reply to a question, Golden said he
| did not know the witnesses who came
| to Frankfort. He delivered the mes
| sage to Howard on Sunday few days
| before the shooting of Goebel.
| When did you next see Caleb Pow
ers?'
Il saw him on Tuesday. I got on the
| train at Ferris station, Laurel county.
| He had a couple of men on the train
| named Pease and LocKeu. He told me
to to take X car care Of them I next saw Pow
| what conversation we had them"
who selected the men who came
| from Harlan county?'
Hamp Howard. He selected thirty
| men besides the ten. Caleb Powers. I
| think, selected the men from Knox
county. There were about seventy or
eighty. Jim Sparks, county attorney in
| Laurel county, selected the men from
Laurel county,
When was it determined to bring
| the men to Frankfort?''
| Il do not know
Witness stated that at London Pow
ers said he wanted a regular army Of
| mountaineers to come to Frankfort.
In answer to further questions, Golden
said Powers gave him $3.50 to give to
| Judge Bingham in Bell county.
| Il gave some of it to Bingham to send
ten men down to Frankfort said
| Golden.
| $3.50 for ten tickets to Frankfort and
| return. He knew some of the men from
Bell county; most Of the men We're
mountain feudists. In all about LOO
or 1900 men were brought to Frankfort.
They were fed back of the state house.
Captain Davis and Charles Finley pro-
viding the provisions. Continuing,
Golden said:
1--WE sent most of them back that
night. BY we mean myself, Powers,
| Davis, CuIton and Governor Taylor.
F'infay, Taylor and Powers decided to
send back all except ten or fifteen from
each county. I selected twelve armed
men to be kept from Knox county.
| Deputy Marshal George Thompson Sc
iected the men from Laurel county.
About IT'S men from the mountains were
brought to Frankfort and armed here
before we got Justice
Did you have any further conversa-
tion with Powers regarding the work
to be done by the men remaining mere 2''
KNEW WHAT THEY WE'RE FOR.
mo. sir; we understood what they
were kept here for. We knew that
those men were here to go into that
legislative hall and, if necessary, clean
out enough Democrats to make a ma
jority on our side"
The answer created a sensation in
| the court room.
Golden said he was in the executive
building on the day before the shoot
ing. He met Powers in Governor Tay-
1or's anteroom. Powers asked him to
go to Louisville that day. He told
Powers he was going to Louisville with
| Caleb Powers. During a lengthy ar
gument over a technical point Golden
became i'll and court was adjourned to
1:30 O'clock
1t was the general opinion that Gold
/ ems testimony, If unimpeached vas
| sufficient to warrant holding the de-